Near Mt. Lavalava, the five Star Spirits took the team back down into Jade Jungle. Once they landed, the team took off their face masks while Goombario returned the Ice Power Badge to Rolf. Kolorado was still in a depressed state, but Kooper was hiding from him.
"Oh, woe is me...My beautiful treasure..." Kolorado moped. The others ignored him and focused their attention on the five Star Spirits.
"It's all over, everyone," Misstar said. "Who would have thought that Bowser's minions can place this island in great danger. And judging the condition of Mt. Lavalava, it should return back to normal."
Sushie sighed, feeling her weight off of her. "That's a big relief, honorable Star Spirit,"
Misstar looked at Mario and the kids. "Now I shall give the power of first aid."
The heroes, like before, were bestowed with another power from Misstar. "A kiss can take away all your troubles. My Smooch shall take away all your pain with a kiss."
"Choice!" Kevin cheered.
"Sweet!" Eddy added, giving Kevin a high-five.
"Well, it's time to head back to Star Haven," Eldstar said. "Make sure to call us whenever you need help."
"As long as you keep pushing like always," Mamar added, "Peace can return everywhere with joy."
"Klevar and Kalmar are the only two left," Skolar said. "I'm very sure you'll rescue them in no time."
"Seriously," Muskular said, grinning, "How many days did this all happen up until now?"
"This is Day 7," Goombario answered, which some people at him. "I, uh, keep a journal."
"Well, it's good to keep track of things, huh?" Nazz pointed out with a smile.
"It's time to go, now," Misstar said, smiling. "Always have faith everyone, just like that little courageous Goomba."
Goombairo, once again, blushed and laughed nervously. "Oh, stop it! You're embarrassing me!"
"For he's a jolly good Goomba!" Johnny cheered, lifting Goombario into the air. Plank's face even seemed to somehow change to one of pure jubilation, as if he was also cheering with Johnny.
All five Star Spirits twirled around into the atmosphere, leaving trails of sparkles.
"I was so close..." Kolorado said, not caring about the Star Spirits. "The treasure...was at the palm of my hands... All stopped by one kid...and a blooming great starfish."
He walked ahead slowly while the others sighed at him; Kooper, however, was still hiding the treasure from everyone.
Eddy rolled his eyes. "He needs to get a grip."
"Yeah, he should be grateful that he's still alive right now. Being alive is more important than some dumb treasure." Nazz said with a nod of her head.
The team entered back to Yoshis' Village, but saw the village became very lively. To the team, all the Yoshis were having a party, completely oblivious about the recent event.
"Did we miss something?" Mario asked, looking around the village.
"Are they celebrating a sacrifice?" Rolf suggested, only for Sarah to lightly smack him for that comment.
Sushie gasped. "Oh dear, i've totally forgotten today! Today's the Village Leader's birthday!"
"Birthday?" Everyone asked.
She chuckled. "We should relax after all we've been through. We have great exotic foods only in Lavalava Island."
"Sweet!" Bombette said. "Can we stay for a little while, Mario?"
"I would like to stay, too," Bow added. "I need to find a mirror and clean myself up."
"Food!" Ed said, joining the party.
"PARTY!" Johnny exclaimed, holding up Plank as he joined too.
Mario sighed with his arms up but smiled all the same. "Of course! I need to rest too from that battle. We'll leave approximately one hour or so."
Everyone else cheered as they joined up with the party except one. Kooper has decided it was time to talk to Kolorado, who was alone in a strange opened inn. The inn did not have any wall, except for the bushes. Kooper, awkwardly, entered through the door and saw Kolorado moping on the stone table that was actually a flat boulder.
"Kolorado, we need to talk," Kooper said.
"Can't you see that I'm sulking?" Kolorado asked with his voice muffled through his arms.
"About the treasure in Mt. Lavalava... I have it."
Kolorado snapped out of his senses and stared at Kooper. "You don't say! Well, show it to me!"
Kooper took out from his backpack a bright orange vase called the Volcano Vase. "My God! This is the legendary treasure that slept within that fiery wrath! Give it to me!"
Kooper stared at him with a serious look. "Not yet! I want to make things clear! You risked your life for this thing! A vase, for crying out loud. The most valuable thing in the world is your life! Be thankful we've escaped with our shells intact."
"B-but...think about the fame and treasures for going through that inferno!"
"I believe the most important about adventure...is the experiences itself. I was taught by that...about how fun an adventure can truly be memorable. I really don't care about fame, but to explore and discover mysteries is the true passion of adventure."
"K-Kooper..."
Kooper's expression changed. "Also...your wife is really worried about you before I left Koopa Village. You go out for your happiness, but your wife worries about you every day. How will I explain that to your wife if you were dead?"
"...You've got a point, Kooper." Kolorado clasped his hands on the stone table. "I love two things in the world: archaeology and my wife. I can't do both things at the same time, but I want to keep them forever in my beating heart. Once we go back to Toad Town...I visit her and take a break."
"Even if she yells at you, she'll be very happy deep inside." Kooper smiled and finally sighed, relief to vent out his troubles and doubts. With the Volcano Vase in his hands, he pushed it forward to Kolorado, who became confused.
"Kooper, this is your award. I cannot accept this because of my brash and foolish moves."
"Then...how about a gift to your wife? Maybe you could add water and flowers from this place."
"...Very well. I'll accept this...for my wife only. Just...let's keep a promise to never tell anyone about this. Promise?"
"Promise." Kooper and Kolorado shook each other's hands in agreement. Then they hugged each other as if it were a father-and-son relationship but quickly dismissed it.
"Yeah... Uh...Let's really promise about this."
"Yeah, good idea..."
They exited the empty inn, joining in with the Yoshis and the team. Eddy sat with a nice long chair with several fruits on his head; Bombette joined with Eddy, too. They acted like they were the king and queen of Lavalava Island. Our favorite Boo was drinking lemonade in a cup. Ed, Johnny, Rolf, and several Yoshis were having an eating contest. With a "start" from the Village Leader, they all started to eat their foods. Unfortunately, the three boys could not keep up with the Yoshis' power of eating several foods at once, but he did get the award of being the fastest human to almost win. Sushie ended up playing around the five Yoshi Kids and Watt. She strictly advised them to play only in the village. After what happened from the hide-and-seek incident, they immediately took her advice and played around with Sushie.
Double-D joined in on the dancing along with Jimmy, Sarah, Nazz, Kevin, Parakarry, and Merlow. Lastly, Mario and Goombario had a private conversation on the shore.
"I'm really proud of you, Goombario," Mario said, smiling.
"Aw...Isn't this getting repetitive?" Goombario asked, grinning sheepishly.
"I'm serious. If it weren't for your Charge Technique and your appearance, we would have been crispy ravioli by now."
"Haha. Yeah... To tell you the truth...this whole problem started with you and Sushie."
"Hm?"
Goombario lowered his head. "I admit: I was jealous, a jerk, and foolish. I thought I could be your only partner in this adventure...until Sushie took my so-called spotlight. I become your biggest fan because you would always defeat Bowser and his minions. I think you could say I was a bit...obsessed."
Mario blinked his eyes. "Oh..."
"But then I realized that my problem revolves around you. That's why I was acting like a stranger after Sushie came in. So I decided to remove you as a role model, but replace it as a friend."
"Goombario..."
"Yeah. I like you and respect you as a friend, but not your biggest fan anymore. I should become more independent for myself." He waited for Mario's response, wondering what will happen after all his troubles and doubts he vented out to Mario.
"I understand, Goombario. To tell you the truth, being famous feels weird when people recognize me. It feels like a heavyweight in my mind, but Sushie rescued me and told me she doesn't know me. I was happy that she treats me like a normal person instead of a celebrity. So...I'm sorry, Goombario. I'm also at fault, too."
"I-I never knew..."
Mario stared directly at Goombario. "So from now on, let's treat each other equally with respect as a normal person, along with Sushie."
Goombario closed his eyes and smiled bigger than before. "You're right, Mario. You're right." Both tilted their hats in the same manner back in Goomba Village while grinning at each other. Double-D and Nazz were also watching with smiles on their faces at the touching scene.
"So you're going to leave now?" the Village Leader asked. All the Yoshis came together to see the team depart. The Whale was surprised and relieved to see Mario and Nazz alive, and the whale was ready to move.
"Yup," Mario replied. "We're feeling homesick."
"As much as I admire this beautiful landscape, I feel it's time to go home," Double-D said with a smile.
"Well...I guess so. Feel free to come here anytime you want. We will welcome you with open arms instead of that last unfortunate event."
"Sushie!" all the five Yoshi Kids said. "We're gonna miss you!"
"Just make sure you stay out of Jade Jungle...and then you'll be fine without me," Sushie said.
"Wait!" someone said. It was the Bub-ulb who Mario and Sushie met before. The Bub-ulb quickly gave Mario an orange Magical Seed. "It's finally ready, so please plant it in a nice place."
"Oh great!" Eddy said, groaning and putting his hands in the air. "Another useless seed!"
"Shut up, Eddy!" Sarah said, punching the insensitive boy over the head before turning to the Bub-ulb apologetically.
"It's time to go, team," Mario said as the hero and Kolorado hopped aboard on the whale's back. The Whale moved forward into the sea, but the team forgot one thing, which they looked back to the Yoshis.
"Happy Birthday!" the team said. All the Yoshis waved back but suddenly noticed someone swimming to them.
It was none other than Jr. Troopa, who began to pant really loudly.
"Whew...Finally...I...swam...all the way here!" He looked directly at the Yoshis, who looked back to him. He stared directly at the Village Leader, who backed away from him. "You! Chubby guy! Where's Mario? I bet he's hiding right here at this very instant!"
"He's on that whale...leaving the island," the Village Leader answered.
Jr. Troopa quickly turned around and saw the team leaving. "N-no! Come back here at once, you chickens!"
He dove down into the sea and literally chased after them, which left the Yoshis being perplexed.
Goombario and Kooper sighed next to each other. After all that happened, they finally had no regrets.
"Finally, I can relax both mind and body," Goombario said.
"I know," Kooper agreed. "It feels weird that we let go of our role models and became independent."
"I know what you mean."
Sushie looked behind and saw someone following them. "Um, guys? Who's that swimming behind us?"
Everyone looked behind the whale and saw Jr. Troopa trying to catch up. Mario, Ed, Eddy, Kevin, Johnny, and Rolf all gasped together.
"You've gotta be kidding me!" Eddy said. "It's that Egg Stalker!"
"Egg Stalker?"
"His name is Jr. Troopa," Mario said. "He's been chasing us since Day 1, trying to take revenge for trespassing on his playground."
"But he fails every time," Goombario added.
"It's getting annoying at this point..." Kevin growled.
"Let's all laugh and point at him for this stupid move of chasing us," Eddy said as he, Bombette, Ed, Kooper, Kevin, Johnny, Rolf, Jimmy, and Kolorado did what Eddy told. That only made Jr. Troopa mad as he swam faster. The rest did not bother, since they believed he will never make it.
"Anyone got something to throw at him?"
"I have these rocks," Ed said, having a bag full of rocks from Lavalava Island, which Eddy stared at him.
"...I have no idea why, but that'll work." The five began to throw rocks at Jr. Troopa where Eddy became the closest to hit Jr. Troopa. They continued on for most of the trip with laughter.
"YOUR GARDEN IS OVERGROWN AND YOUR CUCUMBERS ARE SOFT!" Rolf shouted as he actually managed to hit Jr. Troopa in the eye with a rock.
Everyone's laughter soon died out and was replaced with awe when they saw that Jr. Troopa still wasn't letting up, even after having rocks pelting all over him. Soon, they arrived back at Toad Town.
"I'm honestly surprised he hasn't died of exhaustion yet!" Double-D exclaimed.
Everyone got off the whale as Kolorado bid farewell and left to head home for Koopa Village.
"Aha!" Jr. Troopa said, landing on the port. The team was startled that Jr. Troopa actually swam all the way back and forth from Toad Town Harbor to Lavalava Island. He hyperventilated really loudly and roughly as he stared at the team with his intimidating eyes.
"Wow, that was some hardcore swimming, dude," Kevin said with a modicum of respect.
"I'm a little scared now, Sarah..." Jimmy whimpered.
"I...will never...swim again...for the rest...of...my life! Now...now...I will totally pulverize you all completely! More...power!" Jr. Troopa transformed with wings last time in Forever Forest, except he has a spike on his head now. "I know...every one of your...moves! With this...transformation...you cannot...possibly defeat...me!"
"Get a life!" Eddy shouted as he wrapped his yo-yos around Jr. Troopa and slammed him into the ground. Kevin and Rolf then beat him to a pulp with their wrench and staff respectively before Ed took a large arrow, tied Jr. Troopa to it with some thread, and then shot him off into the distance.
"Farewell, Egg Mutant!" Ed said, waving the screaming Jr. Troopa off with a smile.
"Plank says 'So Long, Gay Troopa!" Johnny laughed.
"Well, now that that's all taken care of..." Double-D then perked up when he noticed the Ultra Stone pulsing in his hand.
"What's up, Double-D?" Goombario asked.
"I don't know why, but I believe this Ultra Stone is trying to lead us down into the sewers..."
"SEWER TRIP!" Ed and Kooper cheered.
The team navigated back to the entrance of the sewers. Mario stopped in front of a wooden panel, which was similar to before. He used his Spin Jump move to destroy it, which allowed them to divulge deeper in the sewers. There were two paths to take, one across the sewer water and the other passage. For their own sake, they took the passage. When they entered, the entrance and the exit sealed off.
"We're trapped!" Jimmy screamed. The team turned around and saw 8 Koopa Troopas with purple shells and shades. They cackled evilly, being all hyper.
"Those are Dark Troopas!" Goombario explained. "They live in dark places underground. They're stronger than a normal Koopa Troopa and can inflict dizziness."
"Dizziness, huh?" Kooper said, then smirked. "I bet mine is better!"
"You got it, Kooper!" Ed laughed as he swiped a Modify Card. "MODIFY! DIZZY SHELL!"
Kooper went into his shell and performed his Dizzy Shell attack. As he zipped through, only four were inflicted with dizziness. The remaining four began to assault Kooper, but a huge explosion damaged all the Dark Troopas. That explosion came from Bombette's Power Bomb, Eddy grinning as he flashed the Modify Card he used to activate it.
"Coming in, dudes!" Kevin said, using his Quake Hammer Badge to inflict damage to all the Dark Troopas with a tremoring slam of his wrench.
"HOT SOUP!" Nazz said, delivering a massive barrage of punches to several of the Dark Troopas.
"HERE'S THE BIG ONE!" Sarah yelled, roaring as she spun her Chomp Flail over her head before slamming it on top of all the Dark Troopas at once, creating a massive shockwave that defeated them instantly.
"Well done, fellows!" Double-D praised as a blue switch appeared next to Rolf, who smacked it with his staff, making a blue pipe appear.
"Hey, it's another blue pipe," Kooper said, examining the name of its destination. "And this pipe goes to Bow's Mansion."
"What?" Bow said, shoving Kooper down to see the name on the pipe. "It does. Well...this is one way to take a shortcut."
"This sewer is connected all over the Mushroom Kingdom," Goombario added. "I can't believe no one discovered this."
"But that's not what the Ultra Stone is telling us," Mario said as the path unlocked itself. The team continued further inside when they reach a room with a dead end. However, there was a treasure chest waiting for them but it seemed to be out of reach.
"I see something, everyone!" Watt said. Jimmy decided to activate his Zap Tap Badge and hold on to Watt. He saw several invisible blocks that could be used to jump on across. When they looked down, they saw a blue block that could act as a stool. With Double D's help, Mario positioned the block to successfully create a path. Some traveled across since it was unnecessary for all of them to be there.
Opening the chest, they saw it was a circular badge with a heart in the middle of it. Goombario quickly opened up his book to look it up and smiled when he found it.
"That's the HP Drain Badge. It lets you sap the vitality of enemies you damage!"
"I shall take it, thank you!" Ed laughed as he plucked the badge and equipped it on his jacket with pride.
"Guys!"
As everyone returned to Toad Town, they saw none other than Twink flying into view.
"Twink! Hello!" Nazz waved with a smile.
"Hell to you too! I've got news today!"
"Let me guess," Eddy said. "The next location of the Star Spirits?"
"Yes! We somehow gained knowledge of the next location of the sixth Star Spirit. It's in Flower Fields."
"Flower Fields?" Bombette asked.
Twink nodded. "Uh-huh. Have you seen a garden filled with flowers and a gate? It should be south of the Post Office."
"Now that you mentioned it...We did!" Mario said.
"I know that place, too," Parakarry added since he worked at the Post Office.
"Well," Twink continued, "we've found out that if you all pass through the gate, it will warp you to Flower Fields."
"I see..." Mario said. "Thanks for the update, Tw-"
"Mario!" someone said. Everyone saw Minh T. running towards them. "Mario! There's an emergency that requires you and your friends' help!"
They saw her hyperventilating, so Mario, Nazz, and Double-D tried to calm her down.
"Easy, take deep breaths, what's going on?"
"Mother Earth is dying! Follow me!" She ran off to the north. Everyone was confused by what she stated.
Twink began to leave. "That's all I have, everyone. "Good luck saving Mother Earth!"
With Twink flying back to the castle, everyone followed Minh T. to her garden and saw a Bub-ulb and one unexpected person.
"Bombette!" a blue Bob-omb said with joy.
Bombette recognized him in an instant and groaned. "Hello, Bruce..."
Eddy scanned at Bruce, then he switched to her. "That's the Bruce you've been telling me?"
"Help me, Eddy! I don't know what to do!" Bombette half-whispered, half-hissed. Suddenly, she turned around and saw Bruce presenting a bouquet of colorful flowers to her.
"My love for you is deep like the southern sea!" Bruce said. "Even being dumped constantly won't discourage me! Ba-bomb!"
"Uh...um...uh..." Bombette nervously accepted it while everyone stared at the two Bob-ombs. "Th-thank-" She noticed something wrong with the flowers. They began to wither slowly; evidently, the petals began to fall apart.
"Do you see that?!" Minh T. asked. "Those poor flowers are dying! Mother Earth is dying!"
Double-D and Sushie gasped. Jimmy even up and fainted.
"What's going on?" Mario asked Minh T. "Why is...Mother Earth dying?"
The Bub-ulb stepped in. "I'll explain the whole story. I came from the flower-filled land called Flower Fields."
"How original," Eddy murmured with a slight frown.
"Eddy..." Nazz said in a warning tone as he flinched.
"My land was once a beautiful place covered with warm sunlight, exhilarating air, and lively plants. Suddenly, dark clouds swept through the entire land."
"And let me guess," Bow said, "Bowser and Velhallen Beo?"
"Uh...kind of. The one who'd terrorized my land is a cloud demon called Huff N. Puff."
"You mean I'll huff and puff until I blow your house down?" Ed asked.
"That's the Big Bad Wolf, Ed..." Double-D said with a roll of his eyes.
"Exactly! Except he'll blow away our flowers down! If Huff N. Puff succeeds, plants over the world will wilt like that lover boy's bouquet!" The team decided what their next move will be.
"I..." Mario said, then paused, "Guess we can't ignore this, especially since the Star Spirit is at Flower Fields. We could rescue another Star Spirit today."
"Then you'll help us?" She saw everyone agreeing to this. "Oh, thank you so much...but...there's one more problem. The gate to Flower Fields isn't ready. We have three Magical Seeds planted that you gave them to us this weekend...but we're missing one more."
"You mean this?" Mario presented his orange Magical Seed. The flower girl and the flower creature gasped together.
"Wh-Wh-when did you get this?! Never mind! We have the last key to Flower Fields!"
"I'll plant it immediately!" Minh T. said. She swiped the seed from Mario's hand and rushed over to the last fresh patch. After planted the seed, it instantly bloomed into several patches of fresh flowers. This caused the arch gate to glow in bright white light with several flowers popping out with a wooden door.
"A door appeared out of nowhere!" Kooper said.
"THE GATES TO EDEN HAVE RISEN!" Rolf cried, getting on his knees in prayer.
"Amazing...I never thought I'd see it with my own eyes..." Merlow breathed in wonder.
"It's the mouth of Wise Wisterwood!" the Bub-ulb said in a surprised tone. However, the team was skeptical about the strange wooden door.
"But..." Watt said, examining both fronts of the door. "If we go through the door...won't we, um...still be here?"
"It's a magical door," Goombario said. "It will warp us to Flower Fields."
"Let's find out for ourselves," Mario said, opening the door. When he opened the door, everyone gasped that it did lead to Flower Fields.
"That's it!" the Bub-ulb said, hopping up and down. "That's my home!"
Mario smiled. "All righty! Let's save some flowers, everyone!"
One by one, everyone entered through the gate and found themselves in Flower Fields.
"Do not worry, Bombette!" Bruce said that displeased a few people around. "I shall go with you and protect you from Huff N. Puff!"
"Wait, what?!" Bombette said as Bruce seized her hand and dragged her to the gate. Eddy remained there for a second, wondering if Bombette really needed help. As he went through, Minh T. talked to the Bub-ulb.
"By the way," Minh T. said, "I've never heard of your name."
"I...uh...don't have a name," she responded sadly. "Wise Wisterwood has a tough time remembering all the names, so we don't have names."
"Can I name you?" The Bub-ulb quickly looked at her while Minh T. closed her eyes, trying to think of a good name. She snapped her fingers. "How about...Centaury?"
"Centaury?"
"Your flower resembles a centaury, which has small clusters of pink or red flowers. There's a rumor that a centaury has medicinal properties...or so I heard. I think it suits you perfectly."
"Centaury, huh? I love it!" Both ladies giggled as they walked toward the gate. The door closed itself, sealing the blinding white light.
Next Time: Love in Flower Fields!
-Current Badge Collection-
Mario: Power Jump, Shrink Stomp, I Spy
Ed: Close Call, Mega Rush, Fire Shield, HP Drain
Double-D: Refund, Damage Dodge, Power Plus
Eddy: Feeling Fine, Money Money, Multibounce
Rolf: Dizzy Attack, Power Rush, Ice Power
Kevin: Smash Charge, Quake Hammer, Defend Plus
Johnny: Hammer Throw, Spin Smash, Power Quake
Nazz: Power Bounce, D-Down Jump, Spike Shield
Sarah: D-Down Pound, Power Smash, Happy Heart
Jimmy: Pretty Lucky, Zap Tap, Dizzy Stomp