16C - Rescuing an Old Friend
"Doesn't this foyer look the same as the one we went through earlier?" Mario asked, having entered another foyer with the same appearance.
"It kinda does, but if you want to remember where you're at exactly, we came in through the bottom east door if you look up the stairs," Luigi answered.
Again, Mario and friends decided to see what was downstairs in the bottom west section. Just as they began walking down the stairs, they heard loud cackling from down below.
"Who's laughing?" Watt asked.
"I don't know," Mario replied before he led Luigi and Watt downstairs again. Like the second dungeon cell, there was a single Koopatrol guarding the cell bars. But instead of walking back and forth, he was scolding whoever was laughing.
"This is the fourth time I'm telling you to shut up, man!" the Koopatrol demanded. "King Bowser said for the prisoners to not make noise!"
"W-who...g-gives a...f-flip...! Hehahahaha!" the laughing voice argued.
"Let's take out the guard first," Luigi whispered, prompting Watt to do what she did earlier; Watt snuck above the guard before slamming on his head, electrocuting him in the process.
"Wow...! H-he went...F-Frankenstein...!"
Suddenly, Mario and Luigi recognized who was laughing. "Jim...?" "Why is he laughing...?"
They ran up to the unconscious guard before Mario took a gray key out of the guard's uniform pocket. Meanwhile, Luigi looked up to see Toadsworth and his fellow Toads sitting on the bench; Toadsworth was holding his head with pain since he couldn't stand Jim's insanity anymore.
"Toadsworth!" Luigi called out. Toadsworth and the Toads turned to see Mario and Luigi.
"Mario! Luigi!" They ran up to the cell bars, knowing that they're gonna escape from Bowser's Castle. Mario unlocked the cell, allowing Toadsworth and the Toads to run out.
"Are you okay, Toadsworth?" Mario asked.
"I would've been happy to see you and Master Luigi if it weren't for Jim back there!" Toadsworth cried before pointing to Jim hunched over the sink.
"Let us handle this," Luigi said before he and Mario entered the open cell. Watt stayed outside with Toadsworth and the other Toads. "Act casual, bro. Don't overreact."
Mario and Luigi tiptoed a few steps before deciding to start talking to Jim.
"Hey, buddy! We're here!" Mario said with delight. Jim slowly turned around, having heard Mario's voice. Instead of Jim having a joyful look on his face, he was angrily smiling at the Mario Bros.
"Whoa! What happened to you?!" Mario asked with shock.
"What's wrong with me is..." Jim answered while smiling bigger, creeping out Mario and Luigi. "You two showed up when you weren't supposed to be here..."
"Jim, that's no excuse why you're acting weird," Luigi said. "There's got to be a better reason."
"Come on, Jim. Admit the truth," Jim said in his Mij voice, causing Mario and Luigi to scream with fear.
"What the heck?! He's lost it!" Mario exclaimed.
"I've lost it...? No, I haven't..." Jim answered in his regular voice. "Why take a detour to me when you have Princess Peach...?"
"But we needed to save you!" Luigi protested. "If you just calm yourself down, we can talk things over!"
"Something's messed you up," Mario added in.
"Mario's right. Think of what made you this way," Jim told himself in his Mij voice.
"I swear, Mij, if I hear your voice again..." Jim threatened himself.
"You'll do what? Dig inside your brain to kill me? That's impossible!"
"Jim, quit talking to yourself!" Mario demanded. "Look at us!"
"You're not faking it, are you?" Luigi asked.
"Faking what...? Me being the victim...?"
"You're kind of the victim thanks to Bowser, but-"
"Oh, Bowser made me the victim...? No, he didn't... He made me his ally..." Jim responded. "He just hasn't come to get me yet..."
While Jim calmly argued with Luigi, Mario started tapping his foot with impatience. He felt his temper rise.
"Why would Bowser come to get you, Jim?" Luigi questioned. "You know he never does good to anything-"
"He does too show good!" Jim finally yelled. "You two are completely and utterly worthless! All you care about is-"
Suddenly, Mario slapped Jim in the face in an effort to snap him out of it. Jim charged Mario to fight back, but Luigi quickly pinned him to the ground.
"Get your hands off of me..." Jim requested with tranquil fury.
"Listen to yourself, Jim!" Luigi urged Jim. "You literally lost-" Suddenly, Jim pushed Luigi off him, throwing him against the cell bars.
"I SAID, 'GET YOUR HANDS OFF OF ME!'" Jim started laughing like mad again before reverting to his Mij voice. "How dare you touch Luigi like that?!"
"Mario, why did you slap him?" Luigi asked.
"He needs to snap out of it," Mario answered with frustration.
"That's not the way to handle it!"
Again, Mario and Luigi approached Jim, who stood back up.
"Don't you dare...lay a finger on me..." Jim threatened Mario while pointing his finger at him.
"Look who's talking! You were about to tackle me!" Mario argued.
"You started it!"
"No! You wouldn't calm down when we asked you to the first time!"
"Guys! Stop fighting!" Luigi butted in.
"I DON'T WANT YOUR HELP! BOWSER'S MY IDOL! NOT YOU!" Jim roared.
"What?! I'm not your idol?!" Mario asked with shock. "I thought you were me and Luigi's biggest fan!"
"YOU DON'T HAVE ANY FANS! BOTH OF YOU HAVE NOBODY TO SUPPORT YOU! NOT EVEN PRINCESS PEACH, OR YOUR PARENTS, OR-"
Mario immediately punched Jim to the ground, having been angered by Jim's rant. Before he could attack Jim again, Luigi grabbed Mario's torso and pulled him against the cell bars.
"MARIO! YOU DON'T PUNCH ANYONE LIKE THAT!" Luigi angrily scolded Mario. At the same time, Jim lifted himself up.
"Oh my God..." Jim groaned before feeling his left eye in pain; he placed his left hand over it. "Ow... My eye..."
Jim suddenly looked around the cell with confusion. "Wha- What happened? Why is-" He looked up at Mario being held back by Luigi. "Mario? Did you just punch my eye?"
"He didn't mean it!" Luigi grunted while Mario tried to struggle out of Luigi's grasp.
"But why? What did I do wrong?"
"I'll tell you after Mario calms down!" Luigi turned to Mario. "Mario! Stop struggling! Look at what you did!"
"He deserved it!" Mario shouted. "He insulted us and Princess Peach!"
"Mario, I didn't say that!" Jim begged as he stood back up. "What the freak is going on right now?!"
"You lost your mind, Jim!" Luigi answered. "I don't know how it happened, though!"
"Me neither! Can you let go of Mario, please?" Luigi didn't want to let go of Mario because he was worried Mario was gonna attack Jim again, but decided to after ten seconds.
"Mario, listen to me. I-" Before Jim could explain more, Mario immediately grabbed Luigi's left arm and literally dragged him out of the cell.
"I don't want to hear you anymore!" Mario yelled at Jim. "You're full of crap! That's what you are!"
"No, I'm not!" Jim exclaimed; he started to tear up a bit.
"Stop that crying and go away with Toadsworth! Me and Luigi are gone!" Mario proceeded to pull Luigi upstairs while Jim tried to go after them.
"NO! MARIO! COME BACK!" Jim cried.
"Mario, let go of me!" Luigi ordered Mario, trying to pull Mario's hand off his arm. "Rethink this!"
"I've thought about it already!"
"LUIGI! TELL HIM TO STOP!"
"I'm trying!" Luigi responded. "Mario, cut it out!"
"Stop talking to that childish brat!" Mario shouted. "We're saving Princess Peach by ourselves!"
"MARIO! LUIGI!"
"I'm sorry, Jim!" Luigi apologized to Jim with despair. "Bro! Please stop dragging me!"
"You stop babbling too!"
"GUYS! PLEASE! I'M YOUR NUMBER-ONE BUDDY!" Jim wailed, having broken down in tears. "I CAN EXPLAIN EVERYTHING! TURN AROUND!" But Mario didn't listen and continued to pull Luigi with him.
"Watt! You're coming too!" Mario ordered Watt, who hesitated for a moment before catching up with Mario and Luigi.
"PLEASE...! MARIO...!" Jim sobbed, having seen Mario and friends disappear to the left. "FUDGE...!" Jim slowly walked up to the wall next to the cell bars and laid his head against it before covering his left eye again.
"W-what have...I-I d-done...?! W-what d-did...I d-do...to d-deserve th-this...?!"
"You didn't do anything wrong, Jim," Toadsworth reassured Jim. "I'm also frustrated that Master Mario hit you in the face. I mean, look at that black eye." By now, there was a black bruise underneath Jim's eye.
"I-I'm s-sorry...Mr. T-Toadsworth...!" Jim sniffed. "I'm s-sorry...I m-mistreated you...a-and y-your friends...!"
"It wasn't you, Jim," one of the Toads said. "Something must've taken you over."
"I t-tried telling M-Mario that...! He j-just doesn't l-listen...!" Toadsworth went and hugged Jim's leg.
"It's okay, Jim. I understand you," Toadsworth said softly.
"Obviously! Nobody has my back except for you, your friends, and Luigi!" Jim shouted.
"Jim, lower your voice," the second Toad said. "Calm down."
"Calm down?! How can I calm down when my two best friends abandoned me?!"
"I guess you're right..."
"I'll be honest, Jim, I've seen Master Mario lose his temper," Toadsworth said. "But not like this. He would never punch anyone if he doesn't get his way."
"I thought so too!" Jim replied. "But how did I lose it?" He stopped to think things over while taking a few deep breaths.
"Wait. I know why."
"What's the reason?" the third Toad asked.
"The last thing I remembered was me saying how I didn't want to miss the first day of school and I was worried Mom and Dad were gonna ground me," Jim said.
"Yes. I remember it too," Toadsworth agreed. "You even smashed your phone because of the stress you were putting up with."
"I know. That's another thing I remember doing." Jim let out a sigh, having calmed down completely. "I can't believe it. All because of me worrying about school, I went insane. And I pushed Mario and Luigi away because of that."
"You didn't push them away, Jim," Toadsworth said. "Master Mario lost his temper. He pushed himself and Master Luigi away from you, which was uncalled for."
"Yeah." Everyone stopped talking for five minutes before one of the Toads broke the silence.
"Are we gonna stay down here forever?"
"You can't," Jim said. "Mario and Luigi came here to free us. That's what they wanted to do before saving Princess Peach."
"So, how do we get out of the castle?" the fourth Toad asked.
"I can't answer that."
"Why?" the third Toad asked.
"I wasn't the one who traveled a million miles from the Mushroom Kingdom," Jim exaggerated. "How would I have done so? Using special powers?"
"That's true."
"Look, the obvious way is to go back the way Mario and Luigi apparently went, but I wouldn't do that. There are tons of guards walking around down there," Jim explained. "They'll lock you up again if they see you, and... Umm... I don't want this to offend you, but you can't fight for yourselves."
"We're not offended," Toadsworth responded. "I'm totally aware I can't fight the guards. What about you?"
"I guess I could, but-" Suddenly, Jim stopped himself, having realized something else. "Wait a second... I can't go back home..."
"Why? You don't want to be here anymore."
"It's not that, Mr. Toadsworth. It has to do with Mario and Luigi." Without him knowing, Jim blinked his left eye, hurting himself a bit. "Ow! I can't even blink!"
"I'm sorry. I would get you an ice pack, but there's none here," Toadsworth apologized.
"Don't worry about my eye. I'm fine for now. What was I saying?"
"You were saying why you don't want to go home yet," the second Toad reminded Jim.
"Thanks. Mario and Luigi can't fight Bowser by themselves. What if Bowser made himself stronger than last time?"
"That's possible," Toadsworth replied.
"I know Mario's angry and all, but he and Luigi are in deep... Uh... I can't say that word in front of you guys."
"Good choice," the first Toad said.
"Anyway, they need my help regardless."
"Are you sure about that?" Toadsworth asked. "What if the guards get you again?"
"They won't. I'm my own... Wait... I was gonna say, 'I'm my own man', but I'm not a legal adult for another six months. But whatever. I'm my own man," Jim stated. "Mr. Toadsworth, I appreciate you giving me the offer to get outta here, but I can't let down Mario and Luigi."
"Of course, you can't. You're their best friend."
"And Princess Peach needs me just as much as she needs Mario and Luigi," Jim said.
"How are you gonna fight Bowser, though?" the fifth Toad asked.
"There's gonna be some powerups along the way," Jim replied. "They'll help me out."
"I hope so," Toadsworth said.
"All right. Enough talk. I gotta go now," Jim said before starting to run upstairs.
"Okay! Good luck, Jim!" Toadsworth called out while the Toads waved goodbye.
"Thanks!" Despite his black eye, Jim ran as quick as he could. "Don't worry, Princess Peach. I'm coming."
