Chapter 10: Sewer Job
After eating, Mario, Tails, and Knuckles left the burger restaurant and found it was already getting late.
Mario- (Yawn) Guess I need to find a place to stay for the night. If only I had some of your world's currency, I could stay at that hotel for the night.
Tails- I guess you can stay at my workshop. That way I can keep you informed if I find anything, because I feel like I'm gonna be up all night locating this portal.
Suddenly, there was a small explosion nearby. Mario, Tails, and Knuckles rushed to where they heard the explosion, and saw a bunch of construction workers standing next to a blocked off manhole.
Tails- What's all the commotion about?
Construction worker- We were trying to do some work in the sewers, make a few new tunnels, when one of our charges went off! Now two workers are trapped down there, and the manhole is blocked with debris!
Tails and Knuckles look at the rubble blocking the entrance to the sewer. It was made up of concrete blocks that were blown off from the construction site supplies.
Tails- Knuckles, can you dig through this?
Knuckles- It would take me hours to dig through all of this.
Mario- Maybe we don't need to dig. Sewers have more than one entrance, like a drainage pipe that leads to the ocean. Do you know where the closest one is?
Construction worker- Yeah, there's one between the central office building and the Twinkle Park amusement park.
Mario- Then that's where we'll go! Tails, Knuckles, come on! Let's hurry!
Mario, Tails, and Knuckles went to area between the office building and the Twinkle Park entrance. Behind them was a stream of water that was coming out of a tunnel.
Mario- That's definitely a drainage pipe for the sewer. You see, the water that goes down the drain of people's sinks, bathtubs, toilets, ETC. goes down into the sewers and is eventually channeled through this system of pipes, which leads into the ocean. We can follow it to get into the sewers and find those workers.
Knuckles- A little gross, but that might work.
Tails- How do you know so much about this?
Mario- I'm a plumber. Sewer repair is in the job description.
(Inside the sewers)
The three of them were wondering around, looking for the two construction workers.
Knuckles- Ok plumber, which way should we go now?
Mario- I don't know.
Knuckles- I thought sewer repairs were in a plumber's job description.
Mario- Not every sewer is the same. Most sewers are like a complex maze designed. Like another city under the ground.
Knuckles- If only Sonic were here, we could get through this much faster and not be forced to endure this odor. What is that smell anyway?
Mario- Methane.
Knuckles- What's methane?
Tails- You don't want to know! Trust us on that!
Eventually, they found the two workers stuck under some debris from above. Knuckles used his fists to break enough of the debris, and Tails got them out of there. Suddenly, an alligator came out of water (and no, not Vector, because Vector is a crocodile and he's not in this).
Mario- What's an alligator doing in the sewers?!
Tails and Knuckles were carrying the workers on their backs.
Tails- I don't know, but Knuckles and I can't fight it while we're holding on to these guys! You'll have to fight it!
Knuckles- Just turn into that fire form to beat it quick!
Mario- I can't! This place is full of methane! If I use a fire flower to shoot fireballs, the sewer would light up like the fourth of July! I'm gonna have to try something else.
The alligator tried to bite Mario, but Mario jumped over it and landed on its back. Mario grabbed hold of the alligator's mouth, forcing it shut. Then the alligator began bucking around like a bull in a rodeo. It bucked around so hard, it jumped and hit the ceiling, and so did Mario. Mario thought he heard something get crushed when him and the alligator hit the ceiling. After they both hit the floor, Mario got back up, grabbed the alligator's tail, and threw just as he had thrown Bowser in Super Mario 64. The alligator hit the wall, got back up, and ran away.
Mario- I did it, and without using any fire flowers.
Tails- Uh, Mario…
Mario looked at his back pocket and saw one of his four remaining fire flowers crushed.
Mario- Oh no! When I hit the ceiling, the fire flower didn't make it! And I didn't even get to use it!
Knuckles- You still have three left, don't you?
Mario- Yes, but what will I do when I run out?
(Tails' Workshop in the Mystic Ruins)
Mario was lying in a bed in the room Tails let him sleep in. After they got the workers to safety, they returned to Tails' workshop. Mario was trying to get some rest while Tails was trying to locate the portal Silver told them about.
Mario- Luigi and the others must be worried sick about me. Sure, Sonic is probably kicking Bowser's ass, but I can't help but worry. Silver told me worries me even more. What is hiding behind that portal?