breath20k

Don't forget Luigi. He's going on that explosive adventure too.

James Birdsong

Thank you so much!

LiamTheYoshi

I've been there before when my mom's parents passed. They were close to me just as much as my mom.

mariobroultimate

Mario: I'll try to keep that promise, bro. It's just that I love Princess Peach so much and I don't want anything bad to happen to her. But you're right about me staying strong and not giving up. After all, my fans in the Mushroom World and the Real-Life Earth are all counting on me and Luigi.

MarioFan2867

I just reduced the amount of stuttering in Bobbery's story. And I promise I'll keep it to a minimum from now on.

Mario bros fan4ever

I can't guarantee that they'll go somewhere else after the adventure. Maybe they'll relax at their home for a while.

Nataly Guardado

Really bad, indeed.

Chapter 36: Shipwrecked

It's July 26, 2004 at 12:15 AM. As of right now, the SS Flavion was way in the middle of the sea, continuing south toward Keelhaul Key.

To keep the mood happy, Flavio sung one of his favorite sea shanties, "Skull captain casts his gaze! Red jewel shines and plays! Boom-bassa-boom festival! The 'Stache brothers, best of friends! Three times Red 'Stache lands on his end! Blue Stache's belly four times is whacked, so let's hear those fireworks go BOOM! At the boom-bassa-boom festivaaaal!"

But since Flavio had been doing it at the top of every hour, Mario eventually got annoyed since the song got stuck in his head.

"Hey! Flavio! Can you cut it out?!" Mario demanded. "That earworm's just about eaten my whole brain!"

But Flavio didn't listen. Mario let out a frustrated groan.

"Mario, Flavio's just excited about the ride," Luigi told Mario. "You know how pirates pass the time."

"Whatever..." Mario laid his head in his hands as Flavio continued to sing.

A half hour later, Flavio noticed a distant island up ahead.

"Yes, now we are talking! 'Land ho!' Flavio says! Nothing to fear, no! The island is right before our eyes!" Flavio announced. Everyone else turned to see the island.

"Look at that!" Vivian squealed. "We're getting close!"

"You bet," Mario said with a smile.

"Do you not see it? It is a mountain of treasure! Ohoho! I feel fabulous!" Flavio continued. "Shall I tell you one of my many tales of raw bravery? No, it is no trouble at all! There I was, locked in deadly combat with a sea serpent..."

The crew members sans the Mario Bros and Vivian turned their backs, not wanting to listen to Flavio's tale. Even Pa-Patch looked down at the deck.

"Great. He's started again. A 'tale of bravery', right? I heard this one last evening..." Pa-Patch murmured.

"What's he even saying?" Mario asked Luigi, not being able to make out what Flavio was talking about.

"You asked the wrong person," Luigi replied. "But it looks like everyone is just as annoyed as you are."

Mario went up to Pa-Patch while Luigi and Vivian stayed behind the ship's wheel.

"What story is Flavio telling?" Mario asked Pa-Patch.

"It's the same story he told three times before. This is the fourth time," Pa-Patch said. "There's nowhere to escape to. We just have to listen until he's finished."

"Well, good thing I finished dinner first before he started," Mario remarked.

"Lucky you. But if you interrupt him midstory, he absolutely loses it."

"Flavio's not alone," Mario said. "I also have temper problems, and no one wants to see me blow my stack. Trust me, it'd be a lot worse than you think."

Just then, the ship started to slow down, confusing Mario and Pa-Patch.

"Wait. What's going on here? The ship's stopping," Pa-Patch replied.

"Aye, Flavio!" Luigi called out in a pirate accent. "The ship's stopped!"

Flavio stopped his tale, having heard Luigi. "Ah? Stopped, you say to me, after interrupting a story of passion and fury? Well, Captain Luigi, it is your job to keep the ship moving, yes?"

"I swear I didn't touch a thing!" Luigi said before turning to Mario. "First mate Mario, come up to the helm!"

Mario rejoined Luigi and Vivian and scanned the sail above. There was no wind blowing against it.

"I don't see anything wrong. Maybe the wind just stopped for a moment," Mario said.

Meanwhile, Pa-Patch climbed the middle mast to investigate the sail up close.

"Aye! Wait a tick, Flavio!" Pa-Patch said. "I'm gettin' on it, right quick!"

Right as Pa-Patch started working on the sail, an Ember appeared behind Pa-Patch's back and tapped his shoulder; the Ember didn't burn Pa-Patch.

"Yeah, yeah! I'm workin' on it, ya scallywags!" Pa-Patch said, thinking it was one of his crewmates getting his attention.

"What is that blue fireball?" Mario asked, having spotted the Ember. "Where did it come from?"

Pa-Patch turned to see who was behind him, only for the Ember to disappear.

Hm?

Pa-Patch returned to work on the sail, but the Ember reappeared and tapped him again.

"OY! Quit shovin', eh?! I'm workin' over 'eere! I said QUIT SHOVIN'!"

"I don't like this, Mario..." Vivian said with concern. "What if there are more of them?"

Pa-Patch was quick enough to turn around, finally seeing the Ember before his eyes.

"AARGH!" Pa-Patch exclaimed before clambering down to the deck. Everyone stopped what they were doing, having heard Pa-Patch. "Th-they're 'ere!"

"What is this ruckus, now? Who is here? Will someone tell me what is going on?" Flavio questioned.

In quick succession, dark clouds engulfed the night sky and dozens of Embers appeared around the SS Flavion, making ghostly noises.

"N-no! They're upon us!" Pa-Patch yelled amongst everyone screaming with fright. "The p-pirate GHOSTS! All them rumors were true!"

"What do we do?!" Vivian cried. "We're doomed!"

"You'll be fine, Viv!" Mario said. "I promise!"

"We gotta get outta here now!" one of the Toad crewmates shouted.

"D-do not panic yourselves! This is just a dream...that we are all having...awake!" Flavio murmured out loud. "Now... Q-quickly... M-move the boat..."

Suddenly, a lot more Embers appeared, covering the surrounding waters. And a larger Ember appeared in front of Flavio, making him stand in shock.

"Oh...ghostly oohing thing! Are you...really...the savage pirate king?"

The large Ember oohed louder than the other Embers, causing the entire ship to vibrate.

"AIIIIYEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE! HEEEEELP MEEEEEEEEEEEEE!"

Hearing Flavio screaming for help, the person with the blue and white striped cap and purple horns stood in the middle of the deck and announced in a British accent, "Buck up now, everyone! Remain civilized! Relax! Don't panic!"

But everyone continued to panic, not listening to the person.

"Relax, relax, relax, I say! You must simply take it easy!"

"Privateer Four Eyes, this is insane!" another Toad crewmate responded. Unbeknownst to everyone, Bobbery leaped into the sea.

"Excuse me! Listen, everyone! If we could form an orderly line without shoving... Forget that! Make a path!"

Everyone started to form a jagged line toward the starboard side of the ship. Vivian was shaking so much that she couldn't move at all.

"We're gonna jump into the water!" Mario told Vivian as he held her hand. "It's the only way out!"

"I c-can't...!" Vivian stammered, fearing the worst. "I'll d-die...!"

"No, you won't, Viv! Trust me!"

"Hurry, guys!" Luigi said before jumping overboard.

"Look alive!" Four Eyes said. Just then, large waves started to rock the ship violently, slowly cracking it apart. "WE MUST GET OUT OF HERE! EVERY RICH, MARVELOUS MERCHANT FOR HIMSELF!" Four Eyes jumped into the sea too. "ABANDON SHIIIP!"

Upon hearing Four Eyes' command, everyone else immediately leaped off the ship, which rapidly sunk underwater.

Since there were so many Embers hovering a few feet above the water, it was hard for Flavio and his crew to stay afloat. Not to mention the waves throwing everyone all over the sea.

Finally, a bigger wave nearly the size of a tsunami rose up with more Embers coating the wave. There was nothing everyone could do as the wave crashed down at full speed.

For Mario, everything went black in a split second.

There was the sound of rushing water in the background, albeit faint. The sound slowly grew louder as Mario started to regain consciousness.

Mario found himself lying face down on a sandy surface and propped his head up. He looked to his left and right; there were thick trees and rocky walls all around, resembling an open jungle. It was still night out and the skies weren't cloudy anymore.

But no one was around, making Mario the only one washed up on the beach. He quickly picked himself up, worried about Luigi and Vivian's conditions.

"LUIGI! VIVIAN!" Mario yelled. "WHERE ARE YOU?!"

Suddenly, he heard some distant voices up ahead and slowly walked toward them, taking a narrow path between two rows of trees. The path eventually ended with a giant tree in front and bushes on either side. By now, the voices had gotten a bit louder.

Mario peeked through the bushes and noticed most of Flavio's crew pacing in an open area. He emerged from the vegetation, seeing there was nothing but thin patches of grass over a vast bed of sand. There were also four campfires forming a giant square on top of the Moon illuminating the whole place.

At least they remembered to light everything up.

"Mario!" a familiar voice called out to Mario's left. Mario turned to Vivian rushing up to him. He immediately embraced her, relieved she was okay.

"Oh, thank God you're still alive, Viv!" Mario exclaimed. "I literally thought everyone died for a second!"

"Me too!" Vivian answered.

Just then, Mario noticed Luigi behind Vivian and hugged him too.

"Luigi! I was so worried about you!"

"Where were you, bro? It's been thirty minutes since we washed up," Luigi said.

Mario checked his phone's clock, which read 1:20 AM. "That's how long I was out? But why?"

"Maybe you were knocked out and-"

"Captain Luigi!" a voice cried, interrupting Luigi. The Mario Bros and Vivian turned to see a Toad crewmate next to the bottom-left campfire.

"What's wrong?" Luigi asked.

"Please help us! Flavio and Pa-Patch are in a huge fight!" The Toad pointed to the bottom-right campfire. Flavio and Pa-Patch were in each other's faces, arguing for some reason.

So as to not disrupt the argument, the Mario Bros and Vivian stood between the two campfires.

"And what about you, Squinty? You turned to jelly when you saw all those ghosts!" Flavio demanded.

"What are you talkin' 'bout?! You were the one quakin' in 'is boots, fancy pants!" Pa-Patch retorted.

Flavio became shocked at Pa-Patch's insult. "Wait one moment... Did... Did you just call the great Flavio 'fancy pants'?"

"That's right, fancy pants!" Pa-Patch said with glee.

Mario and Luigi shook their heads with disbelief while Vivian tried her best not to laugh at the fight.

"Fancy pants! Fancy pants! Fancy pants! Fancy pants!" Pa-Patch taunted Flavio, angering the latter more.

"Why, you little CYCLOPS! Flavio demands satisfaction! You! Me! Hammers! At dawn!" Flavio said.

Unbeknownst to Flavio and Pa-Patch, more Embers came in from behind them.

Mario, Luigi, and Vivian noticed the Embers and worried about Flavio and Pa-Patch getting attacked.

"Flavio! Pa-Patch!" Mario yelled. "Behind you!"

But Flavio and Pa-Patch didn't hear Mario's warning.

"Oy, that's right fine by me! I can't wait to put a few dents in those-" Pa-Patch suddenly saw a dim blue light on the grass. "Wait. What is that light?"

"LOOK!" Flavio cried with fear.

Pa-Patch turned to see the group of Embers and became scared too. "THEY'RE HEEEEEEEEEEEEERE!"

As both started to run away, Mario charged the Embers and exclaimed, "SUPAPOW BOOM!" Reciting the Power Lift spell made a dark yellow glow form around Mario, who clenched his fists.

The Embers oohed at the sight of Mario powering himself up. Before they could attack Mario, the latter released a giant fireball bigger than the Ember swarm, instantly vaporizing them.

Luigi and Vivian watched with amazement.

"Wow!" Vivian said. "Where did Mario learn that attack?"

"Mario's specialty is fire while mine is electricity," Luigi explained. "What Mario chanted increases his strength for a short time."

"Oy! First mate Mario!" Pa-Patch called out. Mario approached Flavio and Pa-Patch, who were relieved that the Embers were gone. "Yer a bloomin' BEAST, that's for sure!"

"Thanks," Mario thanked Pa-Patch. "I'll make sure those blue fireballs don't go near you again."

"Too early to celebrate, no? There are surely more of them elsewhere, ah?" Flavio wondered as Luigi and Vivian rejoined Mario. "Someone must investigate the rest of the island. Yes. That is what must be."

"How about we all go together?" Mario suggested.

"Actually, as leader of this expedition, I, of course, should stay here. On this, I brook no argument," Flavio stated.

"No prob," Luigi said. "We'll handle it."

"That is my boy! I knew you would go forth with boldness! We count upon you and your friends!"

Luigi spotted a dirt trail up ahead and beckoned Mario and Vivian to follow him. Where will they end up next? And will they try and find the Crystal Star before dawn?