"All right..." Happosai sighed. "Now that you told me of that little problem, maybe there's something else we can do to trap that Luigi... you stay here and keep a close eye on him. You don't have to look into his face for that. I, on the other hand, will try to find his room. I don't suppose you know where he sleeps, do you?"

"What? Of course not!" Boonita shook her head. "No Boo has ever been in Princess Peach's castle before... what gives you the idea I should know?"

"All right, all right, just don't lose him. I'll come back as soon as I can."

"What are you gonna do once you find his bedroom?" Boonita asked curiously.

"Well, I'll think of something. Maybe I can surprise him when he enters. I have it under control, girl, you can trust me on that. After all, I have the experiences of a very long life."

Boonita looked at him strangely. "Um... life? You're a Boo! We're ghosts, remember?"

"It's a manner of speaking," the transformed martial arts master hastily said. "Now make sure that green guy doesn't go anywhere... I'll be back soon!"

And he floated upstairs, right through the ceiling.

Boonita crossed her arms. "Well," she muttered. "I guess watching him like this isn't that bad... as long as he doesn't have that vacuum cleaner with him!" She shuddered.

----

Happosai came out of the ground inside a long corridor. He looked into both directions the corridor was going and saw a huge number of rooms that looked all identical. Experimentally, he stuck his translucent head through one of the pink doors.

"Looks like a guest room..." he murmured. "A wardrobe, a bed... but it doesn't look like anyone has been living in here for some time. Oh well, let's check out the other rooms."

He looked down the long corridor and sighed when he saw the huge number of identical doors. "That might take me some time..."

The next room he looked into looked nearly like the first one... only was this one definitely inhabited. A table cloth and a vase with fresh flowers was standing on a table, a few clothes hangers with red skirts were hanging from the wardrobe, and what looked like an open magazine was lying on the bed's pillow.

"Well, this room certainly has a feminine touch..." Happosai mumbled as he floated into the room. "I don't think this Luigi guy sleeps in here..."

Then something clicked within his head.

"Feminine...?" he murmured. "Feminine touch? A room... which is most probably occupied by a member of the female occupation? That means..."

A broad grin appeared on his pale face as he flitted over to the wardrobe and the chest of drawers, and he shouted: "GIRL'S UNDERWEAR!!"

He opened a drawer... and stared at the big collection of panties and bloomers. His eyes turned into shiny sparkles.

"Beauuuuutiful..." he whispered. He barely even noticed how his tongue was hanging out of his mouth. He took a pair of panties and took a good sniff. "Hmmmm, this refreshing fragrance..."

Then he blinked. "That's strange..." he said. "According to my acute underwear senses, these panties aren't worn by a mature woman... but by a young girl. And I mean YOUNG girl!"

He quickly opened the lower drawer and was faced with an equally impressive collection of bras.

Training bras.

Pink with white spots on them.

Happosai groaned. "Oh well..." he sighed. "I guess it's better than noth..."

"HEY!" a loud voice behind him shouted. "What are you doing in my room?"

Startled, Happosai turned around... and saw a little girl with a huge mushroom head standing in the now open door. She had a pair of pink pigtails, and her mushroom hat was equally pink, with white spots, just like the training bras in the drawer.

Toadette fumed. "I don't believe it!" she shouted. "Can't a girl run an errand for the princess without finding perverted Boos in her bedroom upon her return? You have 5 seconds to get out of here, before I call the Mario Brothers!"

"Ooooh, the Mario Brothers!" Happosai chuckled. "I'm so scared now. You should really talk to your elders in a more respectable way, little girl!"

"I have no respect for Boos!" Toadette yelled. "Especially not for wrinkled ones that sneak into my room to steal my panties! Now give them back!"

Happosai grinned. "You'll have to catch me first, little one!" And with a mad snicker, he grabbed a few more panties and bloomers from the drawer, zoomed past her and fled down the corridor, panties still in his stubby arms.

"What a haul, what a HAUL!"

"COME BACK HERE!" Toadette angrily yelled while running past the perverted ghost.

"Toadette?" a surprised voice coming from the other direction shouted. "What's going on?"

Toadette turned around. Toad jumped back in fright when he saw how mad his girlfriend was. She was literally steaming. "A thief broke into my room!" she shouted. "And not just any thief... it was a PERVERT! Toad, you must help me catch him!"

"Um... okay..."

----

Happosai zipped along the corridor, bumped against a few Toads that had come out of their rooms in surprise after hearing the commotion.

"Careful there, boys!" Happosai cackled. "Coming through!" He looked back and saw that Toadette didn't catch up with him. He snickered. "She probably gave up already."

Then he heard a strange noise. It somehow sounded like... a lawnmower. But it was coming from behind him. He frowned. A lawnmower inside a building? And it sounded as if it was coming closer, too.

He looked back over his non-existent shoulder... and sweat-dropped when he realized what was coming after him.

"Faster, Toad!" Toadette yelled as she jumped up and down in the backseat of the pink-painted kart that was speeding down the corridor, after the escaping ghost. "Closer, go closer!"

"I'm t-t-trying..." Toad muttered as he swerved to avoid a few of his fellow mushroom retainers. Spinning the steering wheel wildly around, the little guy nearly got a heart attack. Then he gestured ahead. "There! That's him, right?"

"Yeah, that's the crook!" Toadette yelled. "Keep on course, I have a surprise for him... TAKE THIS!"

Happosai barely ducked in time to avoid the green, wildly spinning, but empty Koopa Shell the pink mushroom girl had thrown at him.

"Those two are crazy..." he muttered. "Driving such a vehicle inside a building... driving such a vehicle at SUCH A YOUNG AGE... just wait until I tell your parents!" he shouted back. And then he tipped over a potted plant that was standing nearby.

"What are you doing?" Toadette screamed as Toad swerved wildly to avoid the potted plant. "Aw, what the heck, let me take over... here make sure this thing gets faster!" And she handed her boyfriend a certain item while they switched places in the middle of the drive.

"O-okay," Toad nodded as Toadette continued to drive after the fleeing Boo. Toad gulped... and then slammed the mushroom he was holding into the exhaust pipe of the kart's engine.

The sudden turbo boost made the Toadette Kart shoot forward, and Toad nearly lost his balance.

Happosai noticed how his pursuers were coming after him. "Annoying little brats..." he mumbled. Then he realized something and chuckled.

"How stupid of me..." he murmured. "I'm a ghost now." And he dove right through the floor.

"He got away!" Toad shouted.

"I can see that!" Toadette grumbled. "Don't worry, we'll catch up with him. Hang on tight!"

"Wh-what are you doooooo...?" Toad yelled when all of a sudden, his pink, female counterpart yanked around the kart and drove down the stairway that was suddenly in front of them. Toad's teeth clattered during the bumpy ride, and then they shot out into the castle's big main lobby.

"I can see him!" Toadette shouted and gestured ahead. "Now we got him!"

"He's heading for the kitchen!" Toad commented.

"Them again?" Happosai grumbled. "Damn, this isn't fun anymore... time to get out of here. Oh, where's that blasted girl?"

He zipped straight through the kitchen's door and shouted as loud as he could: "BOONITA! Where are you? We gotta split!"

"YAAAAAAAHHH!" screamed Luigi, who was standing with his back to him. He just wanted to cut off a piece of the huge, delicious cherry cake Peach had baked a few days ago.

"YAAAAAAAHHH!" Boonita screamed as well as she dropped out of the chandelier, where she was hidden. "Wh-what's the matter with you, gramps? You can give a Boo a heart attack... if we had one!"

"B-b-boos!" Luigi stuttered. "Again? Cannelonis and tortellinis, where's my Poltergust?"

Just then, the kitchen door opened forcefully, as a pink kart, manned by two mushroom kids, shot through the air with roaring engines. For Luigi, everything seemed to move in slow motion.

"LOOOOK OOOUUUUUUTT!" Toad and Toadette screamed while they were flying through the entire room, past a shocked Boonita, directly through the body of the still ghostly Happosai, knocking Luigi's cap off his head... and landing in the middle of the big cherry cake!

SPLOOOOOOOSH!!!

The engine sputtered a few times, then he died down. Everything was silent.

"What's going on here?" the agitated voice of Princess Peach shouted as she came around the corner and appeared in the door. She gasped when she saw the interior of the kitchen.

Kasumi, Nabiki and Toadsworth appeared behind her. "Oh... oh my..." Kasumi murmured.

There wasn't a single spot on the wall that wasn't plastered with cake remains. The Toadette Kart was sticking in the middle of the huge mess, with two mushroom heads sticking out. A tiny Boo girl was flailing around wildly while trying to get out of the sticky mess. A wrinkled, elderly Boo was crying over some panties that were now coated with cherry jelly. Luigi was crouching on the floor, shaking wildly, while his hair looked like it had a confrontation with a real lawnmower. His trademark green cap was nowhere to be seen.

"What... what in the world...?" Peach muttered again and again. She shook her head. "What happened here? Oh, just what happened in here?"

"Um... oops!" Toadette grinned a bit bashfully. "H-hello there, princess... I guess I got a bit, ahem... carried away..."

----

Kamek opened his eyes and blinked. "Blazin' Bullet Bills, for how long have I been asleep?" he murmured. He fumbled around his night stand until he found his glasses and put them upon his beak. "Damn, I completely overslept the last ten episodes..."

He then glared at the readers. "Hey, I can break the fourth wall whenever I like to, you hear me? Now, time to get back to work!"

He rubbed his scaly hands with glee as he approached his cauldron. "I still need my grandson's bandana to complete this stew..." he said as he shivered with anticipation. "Then it will turn me into the most powerful Magikoopa ever seen. Still, I could already take a sip to increase my powers a bit... it can't hurt..."

He reached out for the ladle, but hesitated. Pulling his hand back, he shook his head. "No, I must resist the temptation... I don't want to cause any unnecessary attention, not as long as the potion is not complete. Once I'm at full power, nobody will be able to stop me... but until that moment, I need to restrain myself."

He pulled out his wand and waved it around. A few colorful sparks flew from its tip and created a huge, empty block that was see-through. It spun around in the air a few times, then it fell down on top of the cauldron, encasing it from all sides. Another wave of his wand, and the old Magikoopa nodded with satisfaction. "There, that should keep anyone from touching it."

He sighed. "I just wonder how I can get the bandana, now that King Boo and Wario have been captured... I can't sneak off all the time, Bowser will suspect something if I do that. He's already peeved enough that I haven't started that camouflage dust he wants... I probably should get to work..."

Just then, the door to his study opened op. Kamek was already starting to groan, but then a tiny head with a propeller and a pair of goggles looked inside. "Hello? Master Kamek? Is it safe to come in?"

Kamek sighed. It was just Igor, his bumbling little Toadie minion. Like all Toadies, he was wearing a compact suit that had a propeller on its cap, only was he wearing a pale yellow one, instead of a dark red one. "Come in, Igor!" Kamek grumbled. "Did you see anyone on your way down here?"

The Toadie shook his head as he came flying down the stairs. "No one, Master! And you know I always polish my spectacles."

"Very well! Did you get what I sent you for?"

Igor nodded. "Yes, Master! Star Dust, fresh from Shooting Star Summit!"

Kamek patted him on his head and twirled around the propeller with his finger. "That's a good little minion! I can use this for the camouflage dust Bowser wants... just to keep the old reptile off my skin. Listen up, Igor, I have another task for you."

Igor sighed. He had looked forward to a nice soak in the bathtub in the minion's quarters, and now his master was sending him out on another mission. But as Kamek said, he was a good little minion and would never displease his master. "I'm ready, Master!"

"Good! Now, I need you to take this letter to an old friend of mine. I'm gonna ask a little favor of him. I wrote his address on the envelope, so be careful not to lose it, okay? After he read it, ask him if he's willing to do this little favor for me. Do you understand?"

Igor nodded and took the envelope. "Yes, Master! I will do as you wish." He looked at the address and paled. "M-master... this place is..."

"Not exactly around the corner, I know!" Kamek nodded. "Still, I know you can do a good job, so hurry up and don't dawdle."

"I will comply, Master!" Igor saluted and put the letter in his pocket. Then twirling his little propeller, he zoomed out of the room, closing the door behind him.

"Well, hopefully my old pal is willing to help me out..." Kamek murmured. "I really should start working on that dust now, before the old tyrant gets angry..."

With a flick of his wand, another cauldron appeared in front of him. Just as he was going to take the ingredients from his poison cabinet, the door slammed open again, and an irate Koopa girl came stomping down the stairs.

"KAMEK!" Wendy yelled. "Where's that beauty cream you promised me?"

The old magician paled. No, this really wasn't his day...

----

Elsewhere, a pink-spotted mushroom with a short ponytail sighed. "This really isn't my day..." she murmured.

The orange flower next to her glared. "Not your day? And what about me? If you hadn't insisted on 'defending our honor', we'd be safely back in Diamond City by now. And now look what that Koopa Kid did to us."

Kat wriggled around comfortably. "How was I supposed to know... that he was able to do such things. Wario never told me that Bowser Junior knew those tricks... and he met him often enough. On the racing track... during the tennis match... on the soccer field..."

"A big comfort that is!" Ana huffed. Then she groaned. "How will we ever get out of this predicament, sis? If we only could send a message to Mona and the others..."

"Now calm down," her twin tried to console her. "I'm pretty sure someone will find us sooner or later. And maybe that person can inform our friends. And you'll see, Dr. Crygor is bound to have a solution for this. And if not him, than his granddaughter will find a way. You know, Penny?"

"Yeah..." Ana said tearfully. "But I sure hope that this 'someone' will come soon..."

Kat was actually right, there was someone on his way to where they the two ninja girls were now rooted to the spot. But unfortunately, that certain someone would only increase their problems.

Kat and Ana blinked when suddenly, the ground beneath them started to shake, in short intervals. Behind them, they could hear heavy breathing.

They turned around... and gasped when they saw a massive mountain of flesh in front of them. It was a belly as huge as a Sledge Bro... and the owner of this tummy was equally massive. When they looked up, they could see a white napkin and a round, white mask with emotionless eyes.

The humongous Shyguy leaned forward as best as he could. "Hmmmm?" he wondered. "What's this? A flower and a mushroom? How very unusual... they normally don't grow this close to each other."

"Ummm... good day, Mr. Shyguy, sir!" Ana said politely, but also a bit nervously. "Could you please... help us?"

"And they're talking, too!" the massive Shyguys said while scratching his head. "Very, very unusual..." He then smiled. "But that's okay... I can always use a mushroom for lunch. My name wouldn't be Gourmet Guy if I couldn't find a use for that flower, too. Heck, maybe I can use it in combination with the mushroom for a recipe from that cook book Miss Tayce T. gave to me..." And he reached down to pick both of the transformed girls.

"NO!" Kat screamed. "I don't wanna end up in a stew! Stop it!"

"HELP!" Ana cried. "ANYBODY, HEEEEEELLLLLPP!"

Gourmet Guy didn't listen to their pleas and almost touched them... when out of nowhere, a bonbori and a giant spatula came flying into his face and smacked him backwards.

"OW!" he shouted and rubbed his face. "That hurt!"

Shampoo and Ukyo pulled their respective weapons back. "You no hurt talking mushroom and talking flower if they don't want to be part of stew," she angrily said.

"Yeah, you better keep your hands off them, sugar!" Ukyo nodded as she hefted her spatula. "Back off!"

"You're mean..." Gourmet Guy sniffed. "All I wanted was to have a nice meal... does nobody respect that? WHAAAAAAAHH!" And crying, he ran away as fast as a fat tub of lard as himself could.

Ukyo knelt down next to the two plant-girls. "Are you all right?"

"Y-yes..." Ana said in a shaky voice. "That was close... thank you, Miss..."

"The name's Ukyo!" the okonomiyaki chef grinned. "Ukyo Kuonji. And this is Shampoo!"

"Nihao!" the amazon said with a smile and waved.

"Nice to meet you," Ana nodded. "I am Ana, and this is my twin sister Kat. We are ninjas from the Diamond Dojo in Diamond City."

"You are ninjas?" Ukyo wondered. "You look like normals plants to me..."

"Only because we've been transformed by that Koopa brat..." Kat grumbled. And we've been stuck here ever since."

"We certainly don't want to impose, but could you please take us to the next town?" Ana asked. "We need to find someone who can take this spell from us. I'm afraid Diamond City is a bit too far away from here..."

"Sure, no problem, right, Shampoo?" Ukyo asked.

Shampoo nodded. "Problem is, spatula girl and Shampoo don't really know where they are. They were searching for Airen, found strange pipe, went through weird tunnel full of colorful pipes and then came out in middle of forest."

"You must have used the Warp Zone," Kat realized. "There are many entrances and exits spread all over the Mushroom World. But don't worry, just go east, and you'll reach Toad-Town, just a short distance from here. We only need too reach Goomba Village, follow the Goomba Road, and there we are. And I'm sure someone in town might know where your friend Airen is. Quite an unusual name, though..."

Ukyo chuckled. "Actually, he's called Ranma and he's my fiance."

"Is not!" Shampoo protested with a frown. "Ranma is Shampoo's Airen!"

"In your dreams, amazon!" Ukyo growled.

"Um, excuse me..." Ana interrupted the discussion. "But... we're still kinda stuck here..."

"Oh, right! Sorry 'bout that," Ukyo said sheepishly.

"Shampoo too too sorry," Shampoo apologized as well, and together, they reached down to pick up the pink mushroom and orange flower.

Ukyo thought that the surface of the cute, pink-spotted mushroom was kinda ticklish, and for Shampoo, the orange flower was warm to the touch. But when they actually picked the two plant-girls from the ground, their clothes suddenly changed color with a bright flash, and Kat and Ana vanished.

"What? What?" Ukyo shouted in surprise as she stared at her bright, yellow cooking clothes. "What happened to me?"

"Aiyah!" Shampoo exclaimed. "Why Shampoo clothes all white? And where did little flower-girl go?"

"Oh, I got it," Ana's voice suddenly shouted. "My sis and I actually got turned into power-up items. And when you picked us up, our powers got activated."

"Huh? But where are you?" Ukyo asked in confusion. "We hear you, so you can't have vanished just like that."

"Spatula girl look, did she always have little face on ribbon?"

"Huh?" Ukyo tried peering at her ribbon, but of course she could not look at it without taking it off. Then she looked at the white-clothed amazon. "Shampoo, you also have a ribbon around your head. And there's Ana's face on it..."

"That must be it," Kat's face soke up from Ukyo's ribbon. "When you used our powers, we became part of your costume. And since Shampoo had no hat or ribbon, Ana turned into a bandana."

"As long as someone finds a cure for this, I don't mind..." Ana mumbled.

"But what kind of power-ups did you turn into?" Ukyo asked and looked down at her yellow costume. "What can we do now?" She took one of her little spatulas and was surprised when suddenly, a spark of electricity danced across its surface. "Whoa! What happened?"

"It seems like I didn't turn into a Super Mushroom, but instead into a Volt Shroom," Kat said. "They normally charge up your body with electricity, but you seem to be able to charge your weapons with it."

"And I think I have become a Fire Flower," Ana told Shampoo, who suddenly was holding a flaming bonbori in her hand. "You can use it to shoot fireballs at your enemies."

"Not any attack Shampoo would have used before, but this is fun!" the amazon giggled as she used her weapon to hurl a fireball at a brick block that was floating nearby. It broke into pieces and revealed a big, golden coin. "Wow, what happened now?"

"Your fireballs seems to be more powerful than those that are usually created by using a Fire Flower," Ana said. "They can even destroy those brick blocks. Go on, take that coin. Everyone in the Mushroom Kingdom can pick up any coin he or she finds."

"So that's where we are right now?" Ukyo asked. "The Mushroom Kingdom?"

"Yup, close to Toad-Town, as we said," Kat explained. "I'd be happy if we find someone there who can help us, but until we arrive there, I'd be glad to help you out with my new mushroom powers."

"Me too," Ana nodded, which was weird, since she didn't really have a head, just a painted face on Shampoo's new bandana.

"Okay, which direction did you say again should we go, sugars?" Ukyo asked.

----

"Looks like normal paint to me," murmured Goomama as she looked at the grey stuff on Goompa's foot. "But if the grey color is just painted on her body, how can she have those ears and the tail? And how can she produce bombs just like a Mouser?"

"This paint must be magical," Goombario said. "Mario already told me about his adventures on Isle Delfino, and about the magic brush that Koopa brat used to pollute the entire island."

"That's right," Daisy nodded. "Bowser's youngest son is the most terrible kid I can imagine, and I don't just say that because he turned me into a rat."

"But wait a minute," Goombaria said. "If it's just paint... why can't we just wash it off her body?"

"Goombaria, dear..." her mother sighed. "I doubt magic can be just washed off your body like that..."

"But... but why not?" Goombario asked. "Mario told me that he used a water pump to battle all those paint creatures Junior had summoned up on Isle Delfino. Why shouldn't water help this time?"

"It's worth a try," his grandfather nodded. "Son, would you please prepare the garden hose..."

"I'm on it, Goompa!" Goompapa nodded and hurried outside.

"Dear, are you okay with this?" Gooma asked the transformed princess.

"Of course I am," Daisy replied. "If it means I can turn back to normal, I'm ready to give anything a try."

She followed Goompa outside. the rest of the Goomba family came along with her. Goompapa had already taken the water hose. "Princess, would you please stand over there?" he asked.

Daisy nodded. "Spray me!" she shouted and spread her arms.

"Wait a minute, son!" Goompa shouted. "Maybe we should give her..."

Too late! Goompapa was hosing her down. And it really worked, as they all could see. The grey paint that had transformed Daisy was dripping down into the grass, along with the paint that used to be her tail and mouse ears.

And in the end, she stood there, wearing nothing but her crown.

"Oh... oh my..." Goompapa murmured as he turned as red as Mario's hat. "Umm, sorry about this..."

"Kids, don't stare that way, it's impolite!" Gooma said as she covered Goombaria's and Goombario's eyes. "Goompa, hurry and get a blanket for the princess. She must be freezing."

Daisy winced as she tried to cover her intimate parts with her arms. "I wonder if Peach ever got into a situation like this...?" she groaned.

----

"When does that road end?" Ukyo sighed. "I could use a break."

"Shampoo tired too," the amazon nodded. "Didn't flower ninja girl say there was house on way to town?"

"Well, maybe we missed it," Ana said. "I don't really know the area around Toad-Town too well, we rarely leave Diamond City."

"I wish we could just take a taxi..." Ukyo mumbled as she sat down on a yellow block.

"Yeah, our friends Dribble and Spitz would be a great help now," Kat agreed. "But just like us, they don't leave Diamond City too often... Ukyo, don't forget to release that block of its contents."

"Oh, all right, I forgot," Ukyo said. She stood up and whacked the yellow block hard with her big spatula, which was still crackling with electricity. A few more coins popped out of the block.

"Well, at least we can use these to buy a nice drink in town," Ukyo sighed as she put the coins into her pocket. "I doubt they would accept yen..."

"Hey you!" an annoyed voice suddenly yelled. "What are you doing here? These woods are my turf! Get outta here!"

Shampoo blinked. "Spatula girl see what Shampoo see?"

"Well, if you also see a small turtle kid with an eggshell around his body and a nasty look on his face, then yeah, I think I'm seeing the same as you, Shampoo."

"You better beat it, punks!" the egg-shelled Koopa kid shouted. "Or I'm gonna pound you into the ground. I'm Jr. Troopa, and you'll wish you never crossed paths with me!"

"Now that's a rude kid..." Kat frowned.

"But he isn't the one who transformed you, is he?" Ukyo asked.

"No, Bowser Junior is bigger than this brat, and even though he's still the youngest of Bowser's kids, he doesn't wear eggshells any more... I hardly think this guy will be any problem."

"Hey, shut uuuupp!" Jr. Troopa shouted. "I'm the meanest guy around, you got that? Even Mario knows of my power!"

"Yeah, sure..." Kat mocked. "And I'm a Pokey in disguise..."

"You better teach your talking ribbon to be more polite, broad!" the rude little Koopa grumbled.

"Excuse me?" Ukyo glared at Jr. Troopa. "What did you just call me?"

"You heard me, ya stupid wench!" he shouted.

"Shampoo... we really need to teach that guy a lesson, don't you think?" Ukyo tightened the grip on her spatula and charged it with the electric powers Kat was providing her with.

"Shampoo with you, spatula girl!" Shampoo said and set her bonbori aflame. "Little eggshell turtle have any last words?"

Jr. Troopa gulped when he saw the two element-charged girls approaching him. "I'm... I'm not afraid of you..." he said. "Stop! Don't come near me... I'm warning you..."