Chapter 9
The platform rested on top of an either unconscious or dead Hydranha. Mario, Luigi, and Yoshi just looked, stunned, at their luck. They ran towards the platform (It was the only way out of the basement) and climbed onto it. The platform then rose up at almost the same speed in which it had fallen with the heroes aboard. It hit the top with such force that they flew off the platform. The heroes, however, fell from their mid-air position back onto the platform, which consequently fell back down. "HANG ON!" screamed Mario. And they did. Luigi and Yoshi obeyed Mario immediately and grabbed on to the edges of the platform as if their lives depended on it (In a way, it did). The platform slammed down once again on the crumpled body of Hydranha with a sickening crack!. When the platform arose yet again, the heroes were prepared. Before the platform connected with the floor (which was also the ceiling), the heroes jumped off of it and onto the floor (which would be the basement's roof).
Finally on the floor and ready to continue, they saw the pipe again and they ran so fast towards it that they would have put Sonic the Hedgehog to shame. Yoshi, however, lagged behind. He spotted a statue of Petey Piranha on a pillar, and he threw an egg at it. It wobbled a little, then it fell – directly on the platform as well. Of course, it raced down to plow into Hydranha for a third time. Then, he went to catch up to Mario and Luigi. Suddenly, in front of the green pipe emerged a black pipe. Out of it leaped Petey Piranha himself. "Well, well, well!" he taunted, "Look who made it to me!" "Step aside, Piranha," snarled Yoshi, "We don't want to have to hurt you."
"HURT me?!" sputtered Petey, and then he laughed horribly. "I think not! Prepare to DIE!!" he bellowed. With that, the monstrous Piranha Plant flew upwards and slammed back down, almost landing on top of Mario, Luigi, and Yoshi. However, Mario and Luigi fought back with a barrage of fireballs that damaged Petey, and Yoshi joined them by attacking Petey with eggs. Petey, however, reacted by roaring so hard that Mario and Luigi flew into the wall behind them. Yoshi, however, had managed to stick his tongue to Petey's body and stay put in spite of the roar. Petey then recurred to barfing out Goop onto Yoshi. Then, he snatched Yoshi up in his jaws and spat him up into the sky.
Mario and Luigi, who had recovered from the shock of the roar, started to blast fire and wind, enveloping the Piranha Plant in a tornado of fire. Petey roared yet again, and sent the plumbers hurtling back into the wall. Yoshi, however, took advantage of the high altitude he was in, and performed a Yoshi Bomb, blasting back down – and falling straight on Petey's head. Petey was knocked down by the impact, and he reluctantly and angrily admitted a temporary defeat. "Fine," he growled, "You win this time, but you haven't seen the last of me yet!" With that, Petey hopped into the black pipe, and the pipe burrowed back into the ground. "Well," said Mario, "I guess we've got to go into the green pipe." Luigi and Yoshi nodded and followed Mario into the pipe. The place where they reappeared was a dark, eerie place, with a sign that read "Boo Graveyard"…