Chapter 11 Anything and Everything
"This is the game that the whole internet has been rambling on about for the past who knows how long!" said the host. "The trivia game where the questions can literally be about anything and everything!"
Iggy shook his head in frustration. They did not have time for this.
"Come on, guys," he said to his siblings. "Let's get out of here."
Iggy started to lead the other Koopalings toward the door on the other side of the room. Before they could get to it though, a ten ton weight the size of a refrigerator fell in front of the door.
"Nuh uh uh," the host said with the cheesy announcer smile that filled Iggy with annoyance. "If you wish to get out, you have to play 'Anything and Everything!'"
Now Iggy felt like he would explode with frustration. The more time that they wasted here, the more danger Larry could potentially be in. Nevertheless, he eventually decided that this was the right course of action. After all, there was no other way.
"Fine," Iggy said as he turned toward the host. "We'll play your game."
"Excellent!" said the host. "Now, the rules are simple; only one of you needs to answer seven questions in a row. If you guys can do that, then you win the game. If you don't, you lose and…" the host giggled impishly…. "You all get stuck here forever."
Iggy gulped, and he could practically hear the rest of his siblings doing the same thing.
"Alright," the host said. "Mr. Roy!"
"Ooh, I'm going first!" Roy said.
"How many colors are there in the rainbow?"
Roy grinned confidently.
"Pfft," he said. "Even I know this one; it's six!"
"WRONG!"
The grin that was on Roy's face instantly fell off.
"What?" he asked in shock.
The host chuckled condescendingly.
"There are actually seven: red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, and violet."
"What!?" Roy said angrily. "No one cares about indigo! And that last one is supposed to be purple!"
"Nevertheless," the host said, "you got the question wrong. Which means...YOU'RE OUT!"
A force field like bubble surrounded Roy and floated to an area above the stage. Roy tried banging on it but it would not pop.
"Hey, what gives?" he asks. The host chose to ignore him.
"Alright," he said. "Mr. Lemonade!"
Lemmy looked absolutely terrified.
"Oh no; please don't let me go next!"
Once again, the host chose to ignore him.
"Alright," the host said. "What is the square root of thirty six?"
Lemmy looked horrified. Iggy knew that he had always struggled with math, as Lemmy was someone who excelled in the arts.
"Um...six?" Lemmy guessed.
"That's correct!"
Lemmy's face brightened.
"Oh hey; I got it right!"
"Okay, next question," said the host. "What is the term for the performance put on by clowns in the 16th century?"
"Ooh, I know this one; it's the Commedia dell'arte!" said Lemmy.
"That's correct!" said the host. "Okay, next question; what is the tip of a shoelace called?"
Lemmy's face started to fall. He looked scared as he tried to think of the answer.
"Oh, I don't know this one!" Then he gasped. "Wait. Is it the tip?"
"WRONG!" said the host. He smiled, his teeth glimmering under the lights. "The term we were looking for is 'aglet.' And that means...YOU'RE OUT!"
A force field surrounded Lemmy and brought him up to where Roy was. Roy smiled at his older brother.
"Hey, Lems. How's it going?" he asked.
The host chuckled as he turned toward…
"Mr. Morton!"
"Mmm?"
"What is the name of the fourth world in Super Mario Bros 3?"
Morton looked at the host incredulously.
"Do you accept 'I don't care' as an answer?"
"WRONG!" the host exclaimed. "The actual name of the level is Giant Land!"
"Oh, come on, Morton!" Iggy said. "We made our debut in Super Mario Bros 3; this should be general knowledge for us!"
The host laughed evilly, an action that was really starting to grate on Iggy's nerves.
"YOU'RE OUT!" the host said to Morton. He then turned toward Wendy. "Okay, Miss Wendy. Everyone of the gentlemen who have answered so far have gotten out. Are you ready to test your knowledge?"
Wendy looked like she would wet herself. She took a deep breath and stepped forward.
"Remember, you're doing this for Larry," she whispered to herself. The host smiled at her.
"Alright Miss Wendy, here is your first question. What is the Japanese term for anime aimed at girls?"
Wendy started to smile a little bit, and Iggy did as well. The two of them knew this answer; they loved to watch shows like this together.
"Shoujo."
"That is correct!" said the host. "Okay, next question; what color is opposite yellow on the color wheel?"
"Purple!" Wendy said. The host beamed.
"That is correct!" From up above, Roy gawked.
"What? You accept purple as an answer for her?"
The host ignored him, almost as if he were deaf to his protests.
"Okay, next question; who was the first king of the Koopa Kingdom?"
"King Cosmo!"
"Correct! Okay, fourth question, and this is a toughie: name the days of the week in Spanish in the order that they appear on the calendar.
Wendy closed her eyes as she tried her best to concentrate.
"Lunes, miercoles, martes, jueves, viernes, sabado, and domingo!"
"WRONG!"
Wendy looked stunned.
"What?"
"You got the days of the week right. However, you messed up on the order. You mixed up martes and miercoles. Which means….YOU'RE OUT!"
The force field surrounded Wendy and carried her up to the others. The host grinned.
"Okay, there are only two Koopalings left. Mr. Ludwig!"
Ludwig took a deep breath and stepped forward.
"Alright," he said. "Hit me with everything you've got."
"Oh, I plan to," said the host. "Okay, first question; what is the most common element in the atmosphere?"
"Nitrogen!"
"Correct! What element is represented by the symbol Gx on the periodic table?"
"Galaxium!"
"Correct! What is the term for a cancer causing substance?"
"Carcinogen!"
"Correct! What year was the game Mario and Luigi Superstar Saga released?"
"2003!"
"Correct! And what platform was it released on?"
"The Game Boy Advance!"
"Correct! And what was Koopethoven's crown jewel?"
"Symphony number 5!"
"Correct! Now, for the last question. If you get this, you all win."
Ludwig smirked.
"Bring it on!" he said confidently.
"Okay," the host said. "Here is your last question. Name the first twenty digits of pi!"
All of the confidence fell from Ludwig's face.
"What?!"
"In thirty seconds."
Ludwig looked nervous as he started to rack his brain for the answer.
"Umm, okay! 3.14158…"
"TRY AGAIN!"
"3.1415..6?"
"GUESS AGAIN!"
Ludwig closed his eyes, concentrating as hard as he could.
"3.1415926535….Oh, forget it."
"TIME'S UP!" said the host. "Okay, the answer was…"
The host started to name off the first twenty digits of pi. Once he was done, Ludwig stared at him incredulously.
"Hey, buddy, I think you left out a sequence. I believe it goes…" Ludwig started to sing…."this is the song that never ends!"
The host laughed.
"Oh ho! You think you're funny! Unfortunately, that won't get you another turn!"
The force field surrounded Ludwig, leaving only Iggy left on stage.
"Alright Mr. Ignatius. Are you ready?"
Iggy took a deep breath to calm his nerves. He knew that he could do it. After all, he was very intelligent. However, that didn't change the fact that this whole thing now rested entirely on his shoulders.
"Yes sir!" he said.
"Good! Okay, what is eleven squared?"
"One hundred and twenty one!"
"Correct! Which group of elements doesn't tend to form compounds?"
"Group eight!"
"Good! How many power stars are hidden in Peach's Castle?"
"One hundred and twenty!"
"Correct? What game did Mario make his debut?"
"Donkey Kong!"
"What year was the year of Luigi?"
"2013!"
"Correct! Okay, what are the scientific levels of organization?"
"Domain, kingdom, phylum, class, order, family, genus, and species!"
"Correct!" the host beamed. "Okay, you've got six out of seven questions. And this last one is the hardest one of all. Would you look up at the screen?"
Iggy looked up at the screen. His siblings must have done the same thing, because they all gasped. There were Japanese words written there!
"Your job, Iggy, is to read me what that says and then give me the English translation!"
Iggy squinted at the words, studying and dissecting them. He could practically feel the tension as his siblings stared at his back.
"Oh, please know this Iggy!" said Lemmy.
Iggy smiled, as he did know what it said. He turned toward the host.
"That says 'Watashi Iggy Koopa.' Which translates to 'I am Iggy Koppa!'"
The host beamed.
"That is correct! Which means you all win!"
The weight in front of the door disappeared, and the other Koopalings were released from their bubbles. As they made their way toward the door, the host waved at them.
"Thank you so much for playing my game!" he said.
