10C - The Volcanic Venture
"Let's go over this again," Yellow Yoshi said after finishing a drawing of the outskirts of Jade Jungle and what he thought the inside of Mt. Lavalava is.
"I'll have Apple get the chainsaw and chop down the nearest tree to the volcano. That way, it'll serve as a bridge for you to cross the wide lava river separating the jungle from the volcano. You have to walk slowly and NOT look down, or else you'll get scared enough to accidentally fall off the trunk. Do you understand?"
"Yes," Mario and Luigi replied.
"As I said earlier, I have absolutely NO idea what Mt. Lavalava is like inside because not only did I make a commitment to not roam around in there, but I ordered the Yoshis not to do that either," Yellow Yoshi continued.
"Do we need gas masks, Yellow Yoshi?" Luigi asked. "I heard that volcanoes produce sulfur dioxide, which is bad for your lungs."
"I don't think so. You're probably thinking about the volcanoes from your original world. The air in Mt. Lavalava should be safe to breathe." Yellow Yoshi proceeded to draw a path around Mt. Lavalava's interior. "My theory is that after you go in, there will be a small pool of lava with a couple platforms forming a line. There might be similar pools flowing into a giant one in the middle, which is obviously the one that builds up during an eruption. And that Lava Piranha you mentioned might be hiding in the giant pool."
"I know you're probably asking, 'How are we gonna get out after saving the Star Spirit?'," Yellow Yoshi went on. "There are two options: you can hurry back the way you came, or wall jump up the throat before sliding down to the jungle below."
"What about the treasure?" Dr. Kolorado asked.
"I'll hold on to it while we escape the volcano," Mario said. "I can wall jump and carry items at the same time."
"Well, it looks like you, Luigi, and Dr. Kolorado are ready," Yellow Yoshi stated.
"Do you want to come with us?" Mario offered.
"I'd love to, but... Umm..."
"Oh, don't start with me about an injury you're probably faking," Mario retorted.
"I'm not. The Yoshis need me because I'm their leader. If I go in there and die, who's gonna take over Yoshi's Village?" Yellow Yoshi asked. "None of the other Yoshis look fit enough to be in charge."
"You're right. It makes sense to stay at the village."
"Okay. Are you officially ready?" Yellow Yoshi asked the group.
"Let's do this!" Mario and Luigi exclaimed. Without hesitation, Yellow Yoshi led Mario and friends out of the dining hall and had them wait next to the Inn while he went to call up his cousin Apple.
"Did you hear what he said?" Dr. Kolorado whispered to Mario. "A Yoshi using a chainsaw?"
"They're just as human as we are, Doc," Mario replied. "It's not like they're domestic animals like dogs, for example."
After three minutes, Apple, a Yoshi whose color resembles a Red Delicious apple, approached the group with a giant chainsaw.
"I heard you're going to save a Star Spirit in Mt. Lavalava," Apple remarked. "How many have you gotten so far?"
"Four out of seven," Luigi replied. "I bet by tomorrow night, we're gonna take down Bowser once and for all. It takes time to save all the Star Spirits, you know."
"I understand. Well, follow me to the lava river." Apple proceeded to lead the group through the eastern part of Jade Jungle and stopped at the edge of the lava river.
"All right... Let me see here..." Apple wondered out loud as he started searching for the perfect tree to cut down. He eventually found one with a thick trunk and a dark green leaf canopy; the tree was about twelve feet from the edge.
"Stand back, guys!" Apple started up the chainsaw and tested the blades for a couple seconds before sawing the trunk slowly. Just as the chainsaw went through three-fifths of the trunk, the tree began to tip over.
"TIMBER!" Mario and Luigi cried out. The trunk barely filled the gap above the lava river with the branch tips extending two and a half feet across the stone platform leading into the volcano.
"Wow. That barely made it over," Mario pointed out. "But we'll manage it, Apple."
"I know you will. Me and the Yoshis wish you the best of luck," Apple said before starting off back to Yoshi's Village. "Bye now!"
"Oh, mamma mia," Luigi murmured after taking a deep breath. "We're actually going inside a volcano. I've never done that before."
"I know what it's like. There was this underground volcano in Lethal Lava Land that I had to get a couple Power Stars from back then," Mario said. "Luckily, it didn't erupt. Besides avoiding the lava pools, it should be straight-forward."
Without further ado, Mario led Luigi, Dr. Kolorado, and Watt across the tree trunk slowly and reminded them to look ahead while crossing. They then walked into the first part of Mt. Lavalava, which was a steep slope leading to a long lava pool with several stationary platforms in a line. However, the center platform moved back and forth quickly, which meant the group had to time it right without falling into the lava.
Before jumping to the first platform, a Putrid Piranha rose from the ground and announced, "IDENTIFIED AS...SUPER MARIO BROS! ALERT! REPORT TO BOSS! ALERT! ALERT!"
"Oh God. I have a feeling no one wants us in here," Mario said with shock, having been startled by the Putrid Piranha's loud voice.
"Indeed," Dr. Kolorado agreed. "All adventures are dangerous, so what of it? We must press on toward the glory of the Volcanic Vase!"
Dr. Kolorado was the first to traverse the platforms, but the first one started to sink quickly into the lava, prompting him to leap to the second platform, which didn't move.
"Ruddy heck! What's wrong with that rock? It sank right into the lava!"
"Maybe some of the rocks aren't connected to the bottom," Mario responded. He and Luigi used their Spin Jump technique to reach the second platform before they led Dr. Kolorado to the other end of the lava pool. They had to avoid various Lava Bubbles that floated around some of the platforms; they couldn't fight them with regular attacks.
"I think now would be a good time to find some water powerups," Luigi said. The next area was a deep chamber with a swing seat connected to a zip-line that traveled all the way to the bottom.
"This should be exhilarating!" Dr. Kolorado exclaimed. "Who would've known zip-lines existed in a volcano?" Mario sat in the swing seat while Luigi and Dr. Kolorado clung to the rope hooked to the zip-line cable.
"Three, two, one!" Mario counted down before pushing the seat down the cable with his legs. Everyone screamed with thrill during the ride to the bottom, but as soon as the swing seat abruptly stopped at the end, they fell forward.
"Holy shack... That was the coolest zip-line I've ever been on," Luigi said as everyone stood back up. "I guess this volcano isn't as bad as I thought it was gonna be."
"Only for now," Mario added in. "We haven't gotten to the dangerous part yet." The archway ahead led to another steep slope, which ended in a large room with three lava falls. There was a giant treasure chest in the center behind the middle lava fall, a metal block to the right of the chest, and three Lava Bubbles on the other side of the lava fall.
"How are we able to make it to the treasure chest?" Dr. Kolorado asked. Mario took a moment to study the Lava Bubbles and the lava fall and suddenly threw Dr. Kolorado toward the Lava Bubbles, extinguishing them in the process. Mario and Luigi then used their High Jump technique to rejoin Dr. Kolorado.
"Before you ask, I think that chest holds a stronger hammer," Luigi said, pointing at the chest. "Remember back at Dry Dry Ruins?"
"Yeah. The Ancient Artifact was also in the chest, so what if the vase is in this one too?"
"That's possible," Luigi agreed. After the group approached the chest, Mario opened it and found a red and yellow tungsten hammer with a golden handle. He picked up the hammer and flicked his finger against one of the flat ends; it had a firmer texture than the iron hammer.
"This may be stronger than the iron hammer," Mario said before walking to the metal block, which he destroyed easily. "Wow. This is even better than I thought."
Mario proceeded to toss the iron hammer into the middle lava fall, which burst into flames and slowly sunk into the lava. "Buh-bye, iron hammer!"
"Excellent, Mario!" Dr. Kolorado exclaimed before he, Luigi, and Watt rejoined Mario. "Now, no time to hang about! Onward to glory!"
Just as Mario and friends started up the slope back to the zip-line chamber, the cave began to rumble violently.
"What's going on?" Luigi wondered out loud. After three seconds, he saw a Spiny Tromp rolling toward down the slope. "AAHH! Run for it!"
Instead of running away, Mario took out his Invincibility Star and crushed it in his hand to become invincible. While Luigi, Watt, and Dr. Kolorado ran back into the lava fall room, Mario ran up to the Spiny Tromp and punched it three times before destroying it. His invincibility wore off at the same time, given that it lasted only ten seconds.
"It's gone, guys!" Mario called out, prompting Luigi, Watt, and Dr. Kolorado to meet up with Mario again. "Good thing I had the Star with me, or else I would've ran with you."
The group resumed going back into the zip-line chamber before continuing through the archway in front. The next room was like the one near the volcano's entrance, except there was an elongated central platform with three Fire Bars rotating 360 degrees nonstop.
Having seen similar Fire Bars in past adventures, Mario and Luigi knew not to jump over them, as they would risk setting themselves on fire. So, they had to wait until the Fire Bars were well away from the platform before sprinting. Upon reaching the end of the lava pool, everyone sighed with relief.
"We're getting close, old boys!" Dr. Kolorado declared. "My treasure-hunting senses are going simply mad right now!"
Having traversed through most of Mt. Lavalava's interior, Mario and friends wondered where the Volcanic Vase was, but also anticipated Lava Piranha's entrance. How will they retrieve both the vase and the next Star Spirit?
