Published on June 11th, 2011.
Replaced (ver.1) on November 19th, 2015.

Chapter 34/60
Partner Up! Mario and Sushie!
Hot, Hot Times on Lavalava Island Arc (2/5)

"...up!" Mario still felt himself in eternal darkness. The sounds kept ringing in his wet ears. His whole body felt numb, and he felt that he cannot wake up. He tasted some sea water, and he did not have the energy to do anything. "Come on! Wake-"

He heard noises, or rather a voice, he thought. He deduced now that he was starting to regain his energy. He could tell he was still floating on the calm sea, meaning the weather was calm now. He was being carried away, almost as if a fish was carrying him. One thing for sure was that he was still alive.

"We've got to find Mario now!" Goombario said in exaggeration, causing others to cringe. "It's all my fault! I was too weak to save Mario!"

"C-calm down, Goombario," Bombettte said.

"Don't talk to me like that! Mario could be forever lost in the ocean! I curse the ocean! Curse!"

"Knock it off, already!" Eddy said. "You've been yelling ever since Mario disappeared!"

"I'll knock some sense into him!" Bow said, having already been fed up with Goombario. She slapped Goombario's face five times hard.

"T-thanks... I needed that..." Goombario said, groaning in pain.

"Anytime." After the storm had calmed down, the Whale stopped in front of Lavalava Island. The island was full of green forests, grasses, and strange plants around. Ashen cliffs and rocks were bigger than normal. The water around seemed to be crystal clear with white smooth sands. All seven members jumped off the whale.

"This is it," Kooper said. "Lavalava Island..."

"Now that we're here, what do we do now?" Eddy asked.

Bow turned toward the whale. "Listen, you whale," she said, "Mario has abandoned ship before we got here due to that storm. I want you to find Mario around this island."

"That's not a bad idea, Bow," Kooper agreed, turning to the Whale. "Could you please find Mario?"

"I will try," the Whale answered. "But the sea is vast around here, so it will be hard to find Mario. If he's not in the water, than he must have drifted to this island here. Once I leave, however, you can't go back to Toad Town for a while."

"That's fine by us," Bombette said. "It will take a long time to find what we need here on this island."

"Have fun with the ocean, tuna," Ed said, waving at the whale.

"I'm a tuna-I mean... I'm a whale!" the Whale said, being embarrassed by his silly mistake. The Whale plunged himself into the water and swam away from the team.

"It's time for some adventure!" Kolorado said. "Look at that! Mt. Lavalava!" Everyone looked at the far distance and saw an ashen volcano with black smoke raising in the air. "We must hurry! Make haste, everyone!" He dashed away from the team.

"H-hang on! Wait!" Kooper said, but Kolorado was too far away to hear Kooper's shouting. The team ran on the white shore, following Kolorado's footprints.

Suddenly, Kolorado screamed in pain. "I require assistances! Help! Help!" Everyone saw Kolorado on the ground, being attacked by two yellow Fuzzies.

"I will save you!" Ed said, taking out his Super Hammer. He charged forward and managed to hit one on the head. Unfortunately, it was Kolorado's head.

"Ow! Have you gone crazy, you old bean? It's me, you dimwit!"

"Whoops. Sorry..."

"Ed! Behind you!" Kooper said. Ed turned his head and saw the yellow Fuzzy jumping to him. Ed, however, counterattacked by slamming the Fuzzy into the sands, thus knocking it out.

Bow noticed Goombario in a blank state. "Now would be the perfect time to tattle that other creature, Goomba!" she said, slapping him in the process.

Goombario snapped out of his senses and scanned at the Fuzzy. "I-it's called a Jungle Fuzzy," he stammered. "They suck your health and duplicate themselves."

"Duplicate?" Bombette asked.

"Like I'll believe that!" Eddy said. The Jungle Fuzzy started to shake rapidly until a new Jungle Fuzzy appeared before them. Eddy and Bombette blinked their eyes in confusion. "Okay... Uh, I believe ya."

"I'll take care of this!" Kooper said, going inside his shell. He spun around and performed a Dizzy Shell attack. The Jungle Fuzzies were inflicted with dizziness. Bombette and Bow came in and took them out with their respective powers. All the Jungle Fuzzies were knocked out, and Kolorado was saved.

"That was too close, my friends," Kolorado said, breathing in relief.

"Uh...Kolorado," Kooper said, "I think it would be wise if we stay-"

"We must keep going! Mt. Lavalava! Hustle!" Kolorado dashed away from the team again, leaving Kooper with a strange expression.

"...Together."

"We're sure gonna miss him," Eddy said with a bored tone. The team continued forward while gathering items around the beach. Ed found a coconut and attempted to bite it, but Kooper and Bow stepped in the way. Eddy and Bombette salvaged some coins around.

Goombario, however, still believed it was his fault for letting go of Mario. If only I was stronger, he thought. I want to be strong like Mario, but...it's so hard being a Goomba. What if I fail to impress my family?

"Knock knock, Goombario," Ed said, knocking Goombario's head. Goombario regained his senses. "They already went that-a-way, my Goomba friend."

"Oh... I'm sorry about that." Ed and Goombario regrouped with the team and entered a new area. It was a coastal village filled with strange dinosaurs roaming around. Up ahead were houses made up of straws, bamboos, and other nature materials.

The dinosaurs, that looked almost like a Koopa Troopa, itself stood out the most in this village. They had big eyes and a nose that seemed adorable (from Bombette's point of view), and they had different color skins. They had arms like humans, and they were all wearing boots for some strange reasons. On their back was a red saddle like a horse saddle.

"Are we on Earth?" Eddy asked, dumbfounded. "It's looks like we time-traveled to the dinosaur age."

"Those are Yoshis," Bombette said. "It's another common species here in this world, but they're rare at the same time, too."

"Dinosaurs!" Ed said, grabbing the Yoshis' attention. Ed ran through the village and hopped on a green Yoshi. "I am Ed, king of dinosaurs!" The poor green Yoshi ran around, trying to shake Ed off. Ed continued to hold on to the Yoshi. Later, the Yoshi began to hyperventilate and fell down to the ground. "Giddy up, horsey! The fun is not over!"

Eddy and Bombette laughed at them while the others either chuckled silently or remained stoic. Suddenly, they were surrounded by mad Yoshis, licking their lips as well. The team held up their hands as if they were caught by the police.

"Who dares to insult the Yoshis' good name?" someone asked. This Yoshi carried Ed and threw him into the group. It was another green Yoshi, but he was obese compared to the rest. The team thought this Yoshi was the leader of this tribe. "Speak up, for I am the Village Leader!"

"Uh..." Eddy said, sweating. "Don't mind Ed. He just in one of his happy places that really irritates us, but that's Ed. Right, Ed?"

"I am Ed!" he said, though he was still lying on the ground. "Peace, love, and dinosaurs!"

"We're not dinosaurs!" one of the Yoshi said. "We're Yoshis!"

"Tell me your names!" the Village Leader said to the grup. Each one introduced themselves respectfully. "Now... What brings you here to this island?"

"Uh...we can explain," Kooper began. "You see-"

"Help! Help!" someone said. Two Yoshis came in with Kolorado hanging down. Each Yoshi grabbed his legs.

"Village Leader," the red Yoshi said. "This crazy Koopa Troopa broke through the entrance to the forbidden Mt. Lavalava!"

"Our children are missing! He must pay for his treachery!" the blue Yoshi said in anger. All the other Yoshis glared at the team, licking their lips more feverishly than before as they stepped forward.

Where's Mario when you need him the most?! Goombario thought in a panic state.

Mario grunted as he opened his eyes slowly. He closed his eyes, due to the piercing bright colors. He slowly adjusted his eyes and could see where he was. He was lying down on an uncomfortable grass with a giant leaf as his blanket. Mario got up and saw himself in a small island, surrounded by water not from the sea. A brown tropical tree stood behind Mario. "Is this...Lavalava Island?"

"Hey, you!" a woman's voice said. Mario moved his head around, trying to find the source. "Yeah you! Look up at the tree!" Mario looked at the top of the tree and saw a big round fish on top. Mario blinked his eyes three times to see if he was not imagining things.

"How did...?"

"Uh...can you help me help out somehow?"

Mario nodded and looked around for his hammer. Unfortunately, his Super Hammer was nowhere in sight. Oh-no! It must have been that storm! My hammer is lost in the ocean! Nevertheless, Mario leaped up to several branches and rescued the fish. He leaped down to the ground and set the fish down.

More specifically, this fish was a Cheep-Cheep, which looked like a round fish. She had blue skin while her stomach looks dirty white. She had an orange mohawk hair, orange tail fin, two white fins, big eyes, and orange lips. "Whew! Thank you so much, handsome mustache guy. It's a good thing you'd recovered."

"Are you...the one who saved me?"

"Why yes, dear. I was swimming around, playing hide-and-seek with the Yoshi boys until I saw you floating in the middle of nowhere. I pulled you out and tended you here. I must say, you recovered fast."

"I've been through lots of things. My name is Mario, by the way."

"Mario?" The Cheep-Cheep put her fin on her chin. "Hmm... I've never heard of you before. You must be very far away from here, I guess."

Mario opened his mouth in shock. Mario, hero of the Mushroom Kingdom, was standing in front of someone who has never heard of his famous heroic deeds. However, he smiled at that fact. "And yours?"

"Call me Sushie. Would you be a dear and help me find five young Yoshis around here? While I was playing around, I fell right into their trap, flew into the air, and landed on that tree. I have to find them fast before they go deeper into the forest."

"Why?"

"This forest here is dangerous. We have set posts around the village so that they won't pass through, but I fear they will go deeper into the forest. The deeper they go, the more dangerous it is. It's filled with dangerous Piranhas, hostile plants, and a few Shy Guys along the way."

"Maybe we should check your village. They could be there."

"I suppose so. Anyway, Mario, let's-a-go."

"Right!" Mario nodded and gathered up his items. He still had everything, except of his Super Hammer. However, his two hammer badges ended up with him. Mario thought the Badge Points must be connected with him like spirits. For now, he was going through this without a hammer. He noticed they were surrounded by deep water.

"You know, you were kind of light when I carried you here. You can hop on to my back so that we can swim together." Sushie entered into the body of water. Mario grabbed on to Sushie as they traveled through the water. They went to a particular small island that had one flower. They jumped out of the water and inspected it. A Bub-ulb popped out of the ground, which looked more greenish. "Oh my!"

"Hello!" it said. "This place here has the perfect temperature to nap, right?" Mario nodded, which he had a similar experience. "If you want the seed...I'm afraid you'll have to come back later. It's not ready yet."

"Oh well," Mario said, sighing. "Let's go, Sushie." Mario hopped on to Sushie, and they continued on. After landing on a new land, they headed through the bushes (which can be moved very easily), and headed to Yoshi's Village.

Mario and Sushie finally reached the village, but were greeted quite a sight. In the center of the village was a big bird's nest with six wiggling eggs in it. Ed was jumping up and down like an idiot.

"My turn! My turn!" Ed said, laughing. One Yoshi stood in front of him and swallowed him his with its long red tongue.

"Mamma mia!" Mario said, gaping. Then again, Mario already knew the Yoshis' power. The Yoshi laid out an egg that was the size of Ed. He picked it up and put it in the nest.

"Must be violators if they're this mad," Sushie said as they ran into the center of the stage.

"Wait! Stop! Those are my friends! Release them!"

"And who are you?" one of the Yoshi said, ready to swallow him.

"Hold!" the Village Leader said. He took a closer look at Mario. "Red hat, red shirt, blue trousers, and that bushy mustache..."

I know mine is bushy, but still... Mario thought with a hidden frown.

"I believe you are...Mario from the Mushroom Kingdom?" Mario nodded in response. All the Yoshis muttered one another about the great Mario on Lavalava Island. "O-oh! Pardon me, but we thought your friends have committed a crime here."

"If you're talking about your children," Sushie said, "they are not the ones who did it."

The leader gaped. "Oh no! Please forgive us for our foul accusations. Release Mario's friends!" Five Yoshis gathered in the bird's nest and opened them up like cracking an egg.

"It's a long life..." Ed said with a daze.

"Go back to sleep," Eddy said, shaking his head off.

"I changed my mind," Bow said, grunting while cleaning herself and her bows. "I'm not going to have a vacation here."

"I feel like a bomb egg," Bombette murmured, grunting.

"I will never be swallowed by a Yoshi again," Kooper murmured, rubbing his head.

"I thing I've started a new life," Kolorado said, getting off the nest.

"Mario!" Goombario said, hugging Mario's right leg. "You're alive!"

"Heh," Mario said, smirking. "It'll take more than a storm to beat me."

Once everyone settled in, the Village Leader began to speak. "As you've all been aware," he said, "five Yoshi Kids are missing right now. We want you to rescue them before it is too late."

"Wait, wait!" Eddy said. "We have something to do like going inside Mt. Lavalava. We're not babysitters!"

Sushie cleared her throat. "Actually, I am a babysitter," she said as Eddy eyed at her.

"Who the heck are you?"

"Eddy, manners," Bombette whispered, frowning.

"I'm Sushie," she said. "I was the one that rescued Mario. If it weren't for me, Mario would have drowned."

"S-stop talking about that," Goombario said, shuddering. "What matters is that Mario is safe."

"Young siblings are more important than that fiery mountain. We must make utmost haste before...the Putrid Piranhas."

"P-p-piranhas?" Kolorado stammered, biting his fingernails (if he had any).

"Kolorado?" Kooper asked, staring at his idol. He bit his lips, but no one noticed.

"Putrid Piranhas," Sushie continued, "are the main enemies lurking around in Lavalava Island. They lurk in the forest, and even inside that cursed volcano."

"Aw, no worries," Goombario said, smiling. "With Mario on our side, we can take them."

"So you all agree?" the Village Leader asked. "Here's the deal: If you can rescue all the missing Yoshi Kids, then I shall present you an item that will lead you further into the Jade Jungle. When you travel deeper inside, you'll meet an old friend of mine called Raphael the Raven. He lives in the most biggest tree in this entire island. I'm sure he will help you secure a safe route to Mt. Lavalava."

"We accept these terms," Mario said. Some of the team members disagreed, but they would not dare speak a word.

"Please, Mario! You're our only hope!" The Village Leader and the other Yoshis began to beg and sob at the same time. "If anything happens to them, we would not be the same anymore! I beg of you! We beg of you!"

"I promise! I promise!" Mario tried to calm them down. By the time everything was settled (not really), the team was ready to move. Kolorado decided to stay, much to Kooper's disappointment. "All right, team. Let's-a-go!" The team headed down into Jade Jungle, with determination to save the five Yoshi Kids.

Mario, Sushie, and the rest entered the same area where Mario and Sushie were. In the center was a small island with a lone Shy Guy training by himself. He appeared to be wearing a grass skirt and wielding a spear. There was a floating red question mark block above him.

"Check out these plants," Bombette said. The plants had two leaves with a stem shaped into a question mark.

"Those are Heart Plants, my dear," Sushie said. "They heal you it you touch them with its sweet aroma."

Bombette touched the stem and it gave out a red mist. She sighed in relief. "That feels good!"

"Lemme try," Eddy said, going over to the second plant. When he touched it, the stem almost bit off Eddy's hand. "Ahh! What the heck?!"

"Those are Hurt Plants, my dear," Sushie said. "They're hostile creatures that resembles the Heart Plants."

"You should have warned me next time!" Eddy slammed down the Hurt Plant, thus destroying it.

"Check out this weird plant," Ed said, examining another strange plant with its leaves as cymbals.

"That is-" Goombario said.

"That is a Cymbal Bush," Sushie said. "If you step on it, you'll be crushed by those cymbals."

"Cool!" Ed said. "Let's give it try!"

Before he could step on it, Bow pulled his ear. "How about you act like a good dog before your brain gets squished?" she said as Ed nodded like a dog. The team now focused on the Jungle Guy on the lonely island.

"Let's take him out quick," Eddy said. Everyone crossed the water, by jumping over or swimming, and knocked the poor helpless Jungle Guy into the water. "That was easy. And our prize is..." Eddy hit the red block and revealed a hammer badge.

"That's a Power Quake Badge!" Goombario said, finally gaining the spotlight. "It's a stronger version of your Quake Hammer badge."

"Pfft! I don't need something that's identical to my Quake Hammer Badge. You keep it, Ed." Eddy tossed the badge to Ed.

"Ho ho ho. That was a bad move, Eddy," Ed said, wiggling his index finger.

"What the heck are you talking about?" Once Ed equipped his new badge, Mario noticed a purple Yoshi Kid sleeping on the top of the tree.

"Look, everyone!" Mario said. "There's the first one. I'll get it." He leaped across the water and landed on the top of the tree. He slowly carried the Yoshi Kid and jumped back to the ground. Finally, he leaped back to the small island where the team was.

"Nice job, Mario!" Goombario said.

"Someone should take him back to the village."

"I'll do it," Bombette said, jumping. "I wanted to rub that cute nose of his." After Mario gave the sleeping Yoshi Kid, Bombette carried him and left the scene. The rest turned west and realized they had to swim across.

"Uh... I've never swam before," Kooper said, looking at the water.

"Me...too," Goombario added.

"You two can climb up onto my back, dears," Sushie said. "I may not look like it, but I can carry both of you at the same time."

"All right, team," Mario said, stretching his legs. "Let's-a-go!" He, Ed, and Eddy dove into the water and swam across. Bow merely floated across. Kooper hugged Sushie for dear life while Goombario stood on Kooper's shell. After 30 seconds, they reached their new small island connected with two tree branches.

"We're finally here!" Kooper said, jumping on the small island in relief. Sushie was the last one to hop on the island.

"Hey!" Eddy said, pointing at his direction. "Check it out!" The team looked where Eddy pointed and saw another blue Star Kid in another small land.

"We could upgrade Sushie," Mario said with a smile.

"Upgrade?" Sushie asked.

"You'll see what I mean when we get there."

"Hey, those red guys want to play with us," Ed said. The team, except for Ed, went on alert when two Jungle Guys charged forward with their spear pointed. "Can I play?"

"Get a hold of yourself, Ed!" Bow saod, grabbing Ed. "Let's do it!"

"Ghost Ed!" Ed and Bow turned invisible. The Jungle Guys suddenly stopped, moving their heads around to find them. Meanwhile, Ed took out his hammer and slammed both of them into the water. They returned visible afterwards. The team traveled across and reached the Blue Star Kid. Mario hit the block, which sent the Blue Star Kid to Sushie.

"I could feel the power flowing within me," Sushie said, embracing herself with this upgrade. "My Water Block skill can boost anyone's defense."

"It's just like Watt, right, Mario?" Goombario asked. "Only this time, it's for defensive purposes." Mario agreed with Goombario.

Bow suddenly heard a faint sob coming from the west. "I think there's another Yoshi Kid in those bushes," she said, pointing at another land at the west. The team swam across and went through several movable bushes. Just as Mario was about to move a gray bush, Sushie suddenly attacked it with a Belly Flop. The bush screamed in pain, recoiling back.

"Whoa!" Mario said, stepping back. "What is that?"

"That's a-" Goombario said.

"That's a M. Bush," Sushie answered in her fighting stance.

"Uh, did you say, 'Ambush?'" Kooper asked, but the enemy attacked back.

"Talk later!" M. Bush attempted to bite Sushie, but Mario jumped in front of her and grabbed it. Mario slammed M. Bush into the ground, following it up with Eddy's hammer attack.

"Oh yeah!" Mario said, slapping his right hand to Sushie's right hand two times. "Thanks for the heads-up, Sushie." While Sushie responded back, Goombario scanned the two of them with a worried look all over again.

Kooper examined the last bush and found a red Yoshi Kid crying. "There, there," he said to comfort him. "The bad guys are all gone." The red Yoshi Kid stopped crying and looked up to his "savior".

"Oh, thank you so much!" the red Yoshi Kid said, hugging his "hero". He turned to Sushie, who had a stern look while crossing her fins. "I'm so sorry I disobeyed you. This jungle is dangerous, but that scary plant managed to trap me here."

"Well..." Sushie said, remaining stoical, or without emotion. In a quick flash, she put up her kind face. "I guess I can forgive you. Now you run along and head back to your village. Your parents are very worried about you."

"I will!" With that, Kooper decided to tag along with the red Yoshi Kid. They took a secret path that led back to where the whale dropped off the team. The team walked down north, admiring the Bellbell Plant along the way. Sushie explained there was a hidden treasure near it, but they did not have Watt right now because she had the ability to find hidden boxes. In the next area, there was a big ledge with three Jungle Guys roaming on top of it. A river cut between the other side. Ed and Eddy noticed a strange bulgy flower with a single coin on it.

"Get the coin, Ed!" Eddy said. Ed walked on to it, seized the coin, and threw it to Eddy. Suddenly, the flower constricted Ed tightly.

"It is devouring my very soul!" Ed said, alerting the rest. Bow gasped and grabbed Ed in order to make him transparent. Ed escaped from the sucking flower.

Eddy ran up to him with a warred look. "You okay, Ed?"

"I love chickens, Eddy!"

Eddy frowned. "Yep. You're okay." Everyone swam across and landed there, but the ledge was too high. "Isn't there any way to reach there?" Goombario noticed another new flower.

"Look, everyone!" Sushie said, pointing at the big rotating blue flower. "That's a Spinning Flower. We can spin on it so that we can reach the top."

"What?" Eddy had doubts as he climbed on it. "How does spinning yourself can make you-" While he was spinning, he propelled up into the air with a scream and landed on the Jungle Guys' territory. Thanks to his Feeling Fine Badge, he was immune to dizziness. Three Jungle Guy saw Eddy and stepped closer to him. "Uh... I have a hammer. Hammer crushes spears."

Mario and Ed joined up with Eddy, but they were dizzy instead. After recovering their vertigo, Eddy and Ed slammed two Jungle Guys' spears. Mario leaped forward and kicked the last Jungle Guy out. Everyone else managed to reach the top. They found two things: a pipe and a small flower that resembled a light bulb.

"What is that?" Mario asked, examining the strange flower.

"It's a beautiful plant, especially at night," Sushie said, smiling. "It's-"

"That's!" Goombario said, startling everyone. "That is a Light Bulb Plant! It glows in the dark!" Dead silence echoed in the air.

"Goombario...are you feeling okay?" Mario asked in concern.

"Okay? Okay?! I'm perfectly fine! Why wouldn't I be?" Again, more dead silence. Goombario panted silently under his breath.

"Um..." Bow said, feeling awkward. "Maybe we could use these plants as flashlights when we go in the pipe. It could be dark inside."

"I...agree," Mario replied, still looking at Goombario. "The flashlight I have is dead because of the sea water."

"I'll go ahead by myself, then." Bow plucked two Light Bulb Plants and entered through the warp pipe.

With Bow's "flashlights", the small room illuminated inside. There were only a few plant roots and rocks, so it was not interesting in it. Bow heard a faint sob, and went closer to the source. She finally found the third one: the green Yoshi Kid. Bow expected a cry of horror from him because she was a Boo, and the fact they were in a dark room. This was the opposite, however.

"Oh my gosh!" he said, being astonished. "It's a real live Boo! Can I have your autograph?"

Bow mentally slapped herself. It's hard to scare against two people. She changed her voice to make her seem more caring. "What are you doing here?"

"I saw that spinning flower and I thought it was cool, so I got on it. But it lifted me off too far and I ended up in here. I cried for a while, but then you came along. I'm a big fan of Boos! I've always wondered what it would be like to be a Boo!"

Bow smiled. "That's so thoughtful of you. Come with me and we'll get out together." The green Yoshi Kid held on to Bow's free hand and left the room.

"Who'd knew that little fella could end up in there," Eddy said, crossing his arms.

"I'm going to take him back to the village," Bow said. "Don't do anything stupid, Ed."

"I should do something stupid?" Ed asked. "Roger that!"

Bow slapped Ed five times. "You already did!"

The green Yoshi Kid asked about Bow's personal life, which she smiled to herself because Bow herself was the princess of Boos. Once they left, Sushie noticed a blue Yoshi Kid at the western island. Mario, Goombario, Sushie, Ed, and Eddy swam to the west. They reached a small island with a tree stump.

"You sure he's around here?'' Eddy asked, looking around.

"Sukiyaki!" Ed said, pounding his hammer on the tree stump. With the sudden force, the stump popped out of the ground. Startled, Eddy motioned forward and flicked the upright log, which it fell down to the opposite side. While it fell down, the log split up in two perfectly, creating a bridge.

"Do you both...know this?" Mario asked Goombario and Sushie. They shook their heads, though. They crossed over and found a blue Yoshi Kid crying.

"There, there..." Sushie said with a sweet tone, patting the Yoshi Kid.

He quickly stopped when he saw his babysitter. "Sushie!" he said. They both hugged each other. "Thanks goodness you're here! I don't know how I ended up here!"

"We'll make sure we won't make the same mistake twice."

The blue Yoshi Kid noticed the others, but looked up at Mario. "Are you Mario?" Mario nodded. "Oh boy! I'm very grateful to see you! Perhaps we can play hide-and-seek and you'll be 'it'."

"When I have the free time, I will," Mario replied. Ed decided to take the blue Yoshi Kid home while talking about his comic books he kept. With one Yoshi Kid left and four remaining in the team, they set off to the east. The area they are in was most likely the center of Jade Jungle. At the northern part was a gray statue that resembled a raven. Eddy pounded another stump, which created another bridge. They walked forward and found the last Yoshi Kid.

"Somebody help me!" he said. The orange Yoshi Kid was surrounded by two Putrid Piranhas. They were bigger than a normal one, and their teeth was dripping with purple goo.

"Careful with them!" Goombario said. "They're strong, and they can inflict poison." As one of the Putrid Piranhas opened its mouth, Eddy jumped in and rescued the Yoshi Kid.

"I'm sorry, but you can't have this! Thank you!" Eddy said, running away in fear.

"Nice job, Eddy," Mario said. "I'll take care of this!" He clasped his hands and focused his Star Power. "Star Storm!" Skolar appeared above Mario's head. He chanted a few words as their surroundings grew dark. Suddenly, multiple falling stars hurled down to the Putrid Piranhas, inflicting major damage. Skolar disappeared; the Putrid Piranhas fell down.

"The heaven has placed its judgement!" Sushie said, astonished by its power.

Mario wiped off some sweat coming from his forehead due to the heat and the concentration. "We did it, guys! That's all five of them."

Sushie hopped forward to the orange Yoshi Kid, who was set down by Eddy. She crossed her fins. "I hope this event teaches you a lesson, young one."

"I'm sorry for disobeying you," he replied, lowering his head. "I swear I'll listen to you. Thanks for saving me, everyone."

"All right, then. Now that it's settled, let's go back to the village."

"Three cheers to our heroes!" the Village Leader said. "Hip-hip!"

"Hooray!" the Yoshis said.

"Hip-hip!"

"Hooray!"

"Hip-hip!"

"Hooray!" Everyone around cheered for the team. The team and the Village Leader stood in front of another raven statue, only smaller. All the Yoshi Kids were besides their parents.

"I must thank you, everyone! Thanks to your efforts, the children has been saved. As promised, I shall give you the item that will help you." The Village Leader walked in front of the Jade Jungle and took out a raven that was embedded on the statue's belly. The stone raven was made out of jade, or yellowish green. "This is the Jade Raven. You must have seen a statue of a raven, yes?"

"We did," Mario replied.

"The Jade Raven is the key to access further into Raphael the Raven's territory. In some cases, we would meet him should there be trouble."

"Who is Raphael the Raven?" Kooper asked.

"He is the island's master. Picture him as a raven, only bigger instead. It'll be hard along the way because the jungle's trees and shrubs are thick. Once you find him, he can help you all enter Mt. Lavalava."

"Thank you so much, Village Leader," Mario said, nodding. "Now let's go!"

"Wait just one minute," Sushie said, widening her eyes. "Why are you all going inside that mountain? It's suicide to go in! It's very hot and dangerous! I do not approve this!"

"We have to go in because..." Mario summarized their story about the Star Spirits, Bowser, and Princess Peach.

"Ah... That is a very interesting tale. You're going in that volcano because you want to save the princess from the bad guys?"

"Yes."

"What...a touching story!" Sushie's expression lit up. "Romantic stories like that...just touch a soft spot in this heart of mine."

Mario blushed and started to scratch his head. The others wondered if it was a romantic story. "Uh..."

"That does it! I can't let you all go alone without me! I, Sushie, will be by your end until the very end!"

Mario smiled. "Then...welcome to the team, Sushie!" He grabbed Sushie's fin and shook it. She responded to his shaking.

All the others had no objection except for one Goomba, who had a big gaping mouth. Are you...starting to forget me...Mario? he thought. With a new additional member, Sushie, the team finally set off into Jade Jungle. Goombario lingered behind.

"This is it," Kooper said. The team stood in front of the statue of Raphael. Mario placed the Jade Raven into the hole on the statue. The statue moved to the left, revealing a hidden path. The place was more thicker, denser, and stuffy than before; the vegetation were bigger than normal. A Jungle Guy spotted them and charged directly, but Ed repelled him back with his hammer. Some bushes were actually movable, thus the team can travel deeper.

There was no hidden path in the next area. The trees and bushes were too thick and heavy; the boulders were too big to climb up. In this area, several small blue blocks and holes were scattered around. A small geyser leaked through one of the holes.

"I have this crazy idea."

"Oh? Do tell, Koopa," Bow asked, raising her right eyebrow.

"We should block all the holes with those blue blocks. If my adventure senses is right, then something should happen here."

"Let's give it a try," Sushie said. Everyone around rolled one block and covered their holes. Once that was taken care of, Kooper rolled the last block onto the geyser. The water flowed underground to escape through the holes, but the blocks and the weight of each member were too heavy to push through. Everyone saw one of the boulders moving little by little. The boulder shook violently until it was thrust into the air by the giant geyser. Kooper rolled his block out to reduce the high pressure of the geyser.

"That was amazing!" Bombette said, which Eddy agreed. The team went through and entered their next trial. Five trees had vines that can be pulled.

"I think we should pull those vines...simultaneously."

"We only need five people for this," Mario said. Mario, Ed, Eddy, Kooper, and Bombette chose their vines and pulled them together. The bushes ahead moved to reveal another hidden path.

"Look what I won, guys!" Ed said, gaping. "A chicken egg!"

"I...got this stupid Fuzzy on my head!" Eddy said. Indeed, a Jungle Fuzzy was biting his head. "Get off of me!" He managed to pull it off and threw it away.

"Here, Eddy," Mario said, tossing a Mushroom. "This landed on my hands." Eddy swallowed the Mushroom as his wound slowly began to heal.

"Wah! Help!" Kooper said. Apparently, he also had a Fuzzy on his head. Ed seized the Jungle Fuzzy and did the same thing as Eddy.

"Guess I'm the one who opened the path to victory," Bombette said, giggling. The team continued forward and halted what they saw. Two Putrid Piranhas stood in their way, along with a boulder in the middle from before. A white Magikoopa was besides them, too. The Putrid Piranhas barked at the team.

"Uh..." Mario said. "It looks like we took out one of their friends...indirectly."

"And there's that Magikoopa," Kooper added. "From what I've heard, he's a healer."

"Then we should take him down fast!"

Kooper retreated inside his shell as Ed prepared their assault. "Power Ed Shot!" Ed said, sending Kooper to the White Magikoopa. Kooper inflicted major damage to him due to his poor defense. Eddy and Bombette charged to the first Putrid Piranhas.

"Take this, you stupid plant!" Eddy said, jumping forward with his hammer. The enemy responded with its putrid breath attack. Eddy saw this and managed to roll away from the breath attack, but his hammer was caught in it. Some parts on the hammer itself began to dissolve. Eddy quickly took out his Quake Hammer Badge. "Why you! Bombette, get him!"

"Roger that, Eddy!" Bombette replied, jumping forward to the enemy. On impact, she exploded the Putrid Piranha, ending its life. Sushie stepped in the battle and performed a Squirt attack. She blew out a piercing line of water at the Putrid Piranha, which damaged it. The White Magikoopa waved his wand and healed the Purtrid Piranha. It counterattacked by attempting to swallow Sushie, but Bow appeared behind her and made herself and Sushie transparent. Mario tapped his Power Jump Badge, jumped on the enemy, and inflicted major damage. The White Magikoopa tried to attack them with a spell, but Ed jumped on to its head with the Shrink Stomp Badge activated. Ed picked up the shrunken guy and threw it away.

"Nothing bad, so far," Mario said.

"As if!" Eddy said, gritting. "My hammer melted!"

"Look, everyone!" Sushie said, pointing a humongous tree. "There it is!" The team took a closer look around. The giant tree had giant roots that was sticking out of the ground. The vines add a decorative touch in this scene while the butterflies roamed around the colorful plants. Kooper spotted a hole that looked like an entrance inside the tree.

"We can get inside through there," Kooper said. "I guess we have to climb up."

"C-climb?" Ed asked. His eyes moved up as he scanned the tree and imagined the tree could go up into space itself. "I don't wanna go!"

"Wh-why?! We have to, Ed!"

Eddy groaned. "Oh great..." he said, putting his right hand on his forehead. "It's his height problem. We're going to have to force you like before, Ed."

"You can't make me!" Ed said, sweating.

Almost everyone in the team had to drag Ed as he scraped on the ground. The team went inside the trunk and were surprised how hollowed it was. They climbed around the hollowed trunk and reached outside. They still had to continue, since the path was connected along the trunk. However, Ed screamed, taking every peek down and closing his eyes.

"Shut up, Ed!" Eddy said, gritting.

"We're just halfway up there, Ed," Sushie said, trying to comfort him. Ed's body began to shake, which made everyone who was carrying him shake as well.

"Quit shaking around, Ed!" Bow said. Along the way, Mario found a Happy Heart Badge, which healed Mario at a slow rate. Once again, they went inside the trunk and continued climbing and carrying Ed to the top. Finally, they made to the top where they found a giant bird's nest with a giant black raven with a yellow beak and claws. It raised its brow when the team fell down to the ground with Ed on the top. Ed saw the giant raven, and his acrophobia disappeared.

"Chicken!" Ed said with joy. He hugged the life out of the raven, but the team was able to restrain him.

"Uh...this is an unexpected welcome," Raphael the Raven said. "First I see a group of people carrying a boy, then the boy gave me a death hug."

"Forgive him," Mario said, standing up. "We're here for your assistance."

"Oh? In that case, spit it out and I'll help you."

"We want to enter Mt. Lavalava without getting burnt."

"I see. Don't worry, er..."

"Mario."

"Mario, that problem can be easily solved. We'll make you a path to Mt. Lavalava. To be honest, I knew this would happen because I received a message from the Stars. I've got something for you all that will help you all."

"Looks like we're heading to Mt. Lavalava, everyone." The team began to smile until they were interrupted.

"Caw! Caaaaaw!" Raphael the Raven turned dark red, calling his small ravens. Five small ravens descended down in front of Raphael. They talked to each other in "raven" language. "Let's move, Ravens! Follow me!" Raphael and the ravens jumped all the way down to ground level.

"D-do we really have to jump down there?" Eddy asked, looking down the edge.

"I'm a flying chicken!" Ed said, grabbing Eddy and jumping off the nest. Their screams echoed around the jungle.

"I'm...taking the long way down," Bow said, going back down. The rest agreed with her and followed her down. After the team reached the bottom, they saw Eddy and Ed slumped on top of a tree. Mario and Bow took them down to the ground.

"Granddad, I believe chickens and I can fly..." Eddy said in a daze.

"Where they go?" Ed asked as if the deep fall did not affect him.

"Over here, everyone!" Raphael said, standing next to a giant root. "I've been waiting for you all, but my Ravens had already left to build the path to Mt. Lavalava. Now then..." Raphael turned deep red and lifted the root so that the team can go through. "We're taking a shortcut to Mt. Lavalava." The team followed him to where the entrance to Mt. Lavalava was. The Ravens had already begun their work.

At the same time, Kolorado entered the scene. "What in blazes...?" he said. "What's with these ravens?"

"Kolorado!" Kooper said, gaping with happiness. "We're about to enter Mt. Lavalava very soon."

Kolorado jumped off the ground. "Are you sure about that, Kooper?! We can finally claim all the treasure to myself!"

"Uh...sure..." After ten minutes of preparation, one of the Ravens spoke to Raphael.

"The job is finish, everyone," Raphael said. "Look." The Ravens made a pulley with a large basket and a zip-line to the entrance of Mt. Lavalava. "This pulley will take you to the top of that tree, and you can use the zip-line to reach across the lava river."

"It took all that work around 10 minutes?" Sushie asked.

"My Ravens are very hard workers. Also, I have this gift for you all." Raphael gave Mario a red stone that gave off an aura of fire and ice. "That's an Ultra Stone. I've found it a long time ago in this jungle. The Star Spirit told me in a dream about this stone. If you find a Super Block with a Blue Star Kid, your partners can upgrade even more!"

"Nice!" most of the partners said, eagerly waiting for their new stronger power.

"It also gives off fire and ice resistant. Mt. Lavalava is very hot; you'll burn in a crisp in a few minutes in a room with lava. The same applies when you're in a cold environment."

"This is a very useful item," Mario said, smiling. "Thank you, Raphael."

"It's time to take my leave. Over and out!" Raphael and the Ravens flew away from them, returning to their tree.

"All right, everyone. Touch this stone before we get in." Everyone placed their hands on it, which everyone was radiating off with the same aura before dying away.

"I shan't delay another moment!" Kolorado said. "The ancient treasures are calling me! Onward!" He quickly stepped inside the basket and used the pulley to reel himself up.

"Kolorado! Wait" Kooper said, but Kolorado did not stop. The basket came back down without Kolorado. It took a while for everyone to reach the top because of the basket's capacity. When everyone reached the top, Kolorado was already at the another side.

"That guy sure is bold and a maverick!" Bow said with narrowed eyes.

"D-don't say it like that..." Kooper murmured. The pulley suspended on the cable reeled back to the team's position. A maximum of two people could go together.

"Let's give it a shot, Bombette," Eddy said.

"It looks fun!" she said. Eddy and Bombette hooked on to the pulley and held on to each other. They slid down with excitement until they saw a river of lava down below. At first, they screamed in horror until they reached the entrance to Mt. Lavalava. Once they unhooked themselves, they began to laugh heartily.

"I once did the same thing before," Ed said, remembering his time as a secret spy to infiltrate a birthday party.

"Was it fun?" Kooper asked, already being hooked with the pulley.

"I slammed into a wall."

"I...I hope that doesn't happen to us." They slid down, but their hooks broke off and they slammed themselves on the wall. They fell down together, leaving their body prints as Eddy and Bombette laughed even more. Bow saw the scene and slapped her forehead.

"I could just fly, you know," Bow said, which she flew there.

"We're going together, Sushie," Mario said, readying his hook.

Goombario gasped. "C-can we ride the pulley...together?" he asked.

"I have to help Sushie because I can't attach a hook on her."

"Y-you're right..." With that, Mario hooked himself on the pulley and grabbed Sushie. They slid down with laughter as Goombario was in a more depressed state. When the pulley reached to him, he hooked himself on it and slid down without a sound coming from his mouth. The team used the Heart Block they had found to energize themselves. Redness, heat, and steam came out of the mouth of Mt. Lavalava, but that did not stop the team as they went in.

In the original, the whale did not leave to find Mario. Mario and Eddy do not lose their hammer. Mario found Sushie. Goombario did not panic. The Yoshis were not violent. Partners do not carry the Yoshi Kids to the village. Light Bulb Plants do not exist. The boulder did not kill the Putrid Piranha. The Ultra Stone does not have fire and ice resistant.

Level 9

Mario [20 HP | 20 FP | 15 BP]
Badge Points left [3]
Badges equipped [Power Jump (1), Smash Charged (unequipped), D-Down Pound (unequipped), Damage Dodge (3), Spike Shield (2), Multibounce (1), Power Rush (1), I Spy (1), Happy Heart (3)]

Ed [25 HP | 20 FP | 12 BP]
Badge Points left [2]
Badges equipped [Hammer Throw (2), Close Call (1), Shrink Stomp (1), Power Smash (1), D-Down Jump (2), Mega Rush (1), Power Quake (2)]

Double D [20 HP | 15 FP | 18 BP]
Badge Points left [6]
Badges equipped [Pretty Lucky (2), Refund Badge (1), Zap Tap (4), Defend Plus (5)]

Eddy [15 HP | 15 FP | 21 BP]
Badge Points left [5]
Badge equipped [Feeling Fine (3), Dizzy Attack (2), Power Bounce (2), Quake Hammer (unequipped), Money Money (7), Power Plus (unequipped), Ice Power (2)]