Author's Note: Here comes episode 2 of Ricco Harbor!

Super Mario Sunshine Adventure

Episode 2: Blooper Surfing Safari

"Pauline, wake up!"

Stirring and groaning a bit in mild pain, Pauline allowed her eyes to flutter open and she found herself in a motel room while lying on a bed. "Where…where am I…?" Pauline asked drowsily, wondering what was going on.

"Mario! She's awake!" Sonic enthusiastically hollered at Pauline's bedside.

Mario rushed over while holding a plate of pasta that he had been devouring. "Pauline, I'm so glad that you're awake now!" the plumber exclaimed with his mouth filled with delicious pasta and whatnot. "We thought something terrible had happened to you!"

Pauline sat up in the bed, rubbing the back of her head in a drowsy manner. "What happened? I remember touching the Shine Sprite and then I just felt dizzy and passed out! I don't know why…" she seemed very concerned with her wellbeing. "I think there's something wrong with me. I feel kind of weird."

Hearing her familiar words, Sonic and Mario both exchanged knowing glances. "Pauline, when I touched the Shine Sprite for the first time, something happened to me," Sonic let her know, taking a seat beside her on the bed. "By touching it, I somehow obtained the ability to control water."

"Really?" Pauline questioned, eyes getting wide. How was that even possible?

"Watch," ordered Sonic as he lifted a gloved hand, summoning his odd powers and making the water drift out of a glass cup that had been resting on a desk. The blob of water floated into the air and right in front of Pauline's eyes. "Neat, huh?"

Pauline was amazed at this as she stared at it in awe. She reached out and poked the water, her finger going right through it. Then, without warning, she sneezed. This sneeze was a very large sneeze and it was incredibly abnormal! Her sneeze was so strong that it blew Sonic and Mario back. Mario landed on the ground with his plate of pasta in his face and Sonic was on the ground, water splashing down onto his face.

"Oh my! I am so sorry!" Pauline gasped, covering her mouth with her hands.

"Heh, no problem," Sonic replied while getting up, shaking out his fur with a frown crawling around his features.

Mario got to his feet and sighed, disappointed that he didn't get to finish eating his pasta. "Well, I think we should head on back to Ricco Harbor. That way, Pauline can discover her new abilities, seeing as how that sneeze literally blew us away…" he trailed off.

"Sound like a plan!" the blue hedgehog simpered.

"Alright then," Pauline appeared to be a little bit uneasy.

So the trio left the motel and made their way through Delfino Plaza, heading back to the hut-like structure with the M painted across it. They got pulled into the M as soon as they got close enough and then appeared back in good 'ol Ricco Harbor!

A blue Pianta sauntered over to them before they could even do or say anything. "You know, there sure are some odd folks out there…" he was saying to them. "Taming little Bloopers is bizarre enough, but riding on their backs? I tell you, some folks are just plain looney!"

"Huh, what are you talking about?" Mario wondered, flummoxed.

"I have no idea, Mario," chirped Sonic.

"Maybe he's talking about that guy over there at the pier," Pauline suggested while pointing to their right. Sonic and Mario instantly peered over in that direction.

"Who is that guy?" Sonic asked, seeing a Pianta standing over there and minding his own business on the pier.

An orange colored Pianta male stepped over to them while the blue one trekked away. "That guy on the pier?" he talked. "He's the Big Daddy of Blooper-surfing. That's nothing to sneeze at, I'll tell you that much!"

"Well, do you ride Bloopers?" asked Mario, coming to the conclusion that all of this Blooper-surfing business was kind of odd and illogical.

The Pianta guffawed. "Me? No, I do NOT ride Bloopers! No, thank you!" then he was through talking, turning away from the trio and walking off somewhere else, muttering something about crazed maniacs.

"Well? What do you two say we go see if we can actually ride a Blooper?" Mario questioned his teammates, grinning from ear to ear. Sure, he thought it was strange, but he'd like to give it a try. Plus, he had a feeling that he'd be getting a Shine Sprite out of it.

"Sure! I'd like to give it a try," Pauline responded with a firm nod of her head.

Sonic looked at them as if they were insane. "Have you two lost it? I am NOT riding one of those things and I am DEFINITELY not getting on the water!" he yelled defiantly.

"Why?" Pauline appeared puzzled.

"He's terrified of water, Pauline," Mario informed her with a shake of his head, rolling his eyes at the blue hedgehog. "He will not join us."

Pauline frowned at this. "Sonic, how can you be afraid of water?"

"I can't swim, okay? And I just don't like it!" Sonic answered, viciously shaking his head. "I won't get on the water and you can't make me! I'll just stay right here where it's safe and DRY!" he ranted.

"Alright, alright…"

Mario gave Sonic a look and then walked away from him followed by Pauline. The two individuals crossed over some long longs that were floating in the water and then reached the pier, confronting a brownish Pianta who was sitting underneath and umbrella.

"Excuse me, are you the Big Daddy?" Pauline wanted to know politely.

The Pianta grinned widely and nodded his head, happy that he was recognized. "That's right! I'm the Big Daddy of Blooper-surfing! You like surfing? Hop on a Blooper and give it a whirl!" he gestured towards the little Bloopers that were floating in the water while being lined up symmetrically.

"Great! We don't have to pay for it or anything?" demanded Mario.

"Nope!" Big Daddy answered, jubilant. "Oh, but one thing! Big Daddy waives all liability for accidents. Now, hang loose, bud and bud-ette!"

"Bud-ette?" Pauline yawped.

"I think that's a girl version of 'bud'," Mario answered slowly, finding it to be rather weird.

"Oh…"

Anyway, Mario and Pauline walked over to the Bloopers. Mario picked the green Blooper while Pauline took the pink one, leaving the yellow one. They took one last look over their shoulders at Sonic who was as far away as possible from the water and everything before their Bloopers took off like rockets, sprinting through the water at an alarming rate.

"YAHOO!" Mario cheered as he swerved around boats and other obstacles, collecting the coins on the water and putting it with the rest. He leapt up into the air and even snagged a Blue Coin!

Pauline released an unrestrained burst of laughter as she went along. She jumped over a yellow boat and then landed back in the water on her pink Blooper, easily getting the hang of Blooper-surfing. Getting a Blue Coin that was in the air, Pauline discovered a hidden cave with black goop spilling out of it and contaminating the water.

"Mario! Look!" Pauline pointed ahead of them at the hidden cave.

Mario zoomed over on his green Blooper and spotted the cave too. "I see it! We should go investigate quickly!" the plumber stated, wishing Sonic had joined them.

Once inside the cave, Mario and Pauline found themselves no longer on water and their Bloopers were now useless as they wriggled around on the concrete they were now standing on. They were in some kind of odd place that looked like something built for racing. There was a Pianta standing off to the side and when he saw them, he rushed over excitedly.

"Wahoooo! You wanna go for a ride, bud, girl?!" he queried from them. "Go ahead and jump on the Blooper you like best. Go on!" he urged them forward, showing them the other Bloopers that they could use that was floating in the water up ahead. There were three of them; green, pink, and yellow.

"Wow, okay," Mario said.

"We were just riding Bloopers, but I don't mind. Riding Bloopers is fun!" exclaimed Pauline with her hands clasped tightly in front of her chest.

"Show me some super Blooper-surfing, and win yourself a prize!" the Pianta dude told them.

Mario had a feeling that this 'prize' was none other than a Shine Sprite, but he kept that opinion to himself and sprinted forward, jumping onto the green Blooper. Pauline chose the pink one again and the duo zoomed off on the water, quickly making a sharp left.

"Wheeee!" Pauline leapt into the air, soaring over a large orange block that tried to get in her way. Mario zipped between the two orange blocks and then Pauline landed right beside him. Next, they simultaneously made another left.

"This is easy and fun!" Mario commented as he and the pretty woman dodged orange cones scattered along the water. They made a right after that.

Pauline nodded her head in agreement. "I so agree with you, Mario!"

Suddeny, just when they were about to reach the Goal, something whizzed past them extremely fast in a blur of blue and yellow. Shocked, Pauline and Mario lost their balance on their Bloopers and crashed into the water below, their Bloopers zooming off without them.

"AH!" Pauline sputtered, splashing about.

"What was THAT?!" spat out Mario as he flailed his arms about in the water.

"I have no idea! Let's swim back!" Pauline said and started swimming past the Goal. Mario followed her, frowning in confusion.

When they reached the concrete, they were met with the sight of the Pianta guy handing Sonic a Shine Sprite! There was a yellow Blooper wriggling around beside him too, which was obviously what he rode.

"You, bud, are what I like to call super-deluxe cool!" the Pianta told Sonic cheerfully, totally impressed. "You are fast! To commemorate the birth of a Blooper-surfing legend…this is for you!"

Sonic grabbed the Shine Sprite while whistling. "That was cool!"

"Sonic?!" Mario and Pauline both blurted out at the same time, shocked to see the blue hedgehog there when he made it very clear that he was terrified of water!

Sonic turned his attention on them, grinning. "Hey!"