Chapter 6: Table for Three
"Look, Hiroto! We're here in Super Tokyo City!" Mario exclaimed in excitement while looking out of the train's window.
Hiroto turns from his seat to see the early morning skies of Super Tokyo city. "Yeah, I see it now. It looks gorgeous."
"Do you think we might find Princess Peach and your brother in this city? I mean, this city is enormous!"
"Never hurts to try."
Mario and Hiroto then hear the announcement on the speaker. "Ladies and gentlemen, we are now arriving in Super Tokyo. We will reach the station in approximately 5 minutes."
"Look at that. We're already near the station." Hiroto said.
Kirby stated, "Poyo!"
"Mario, do you know which route we should take?"
Mario placed his thumb and finger on his chin and began to think. Then an idea popped into his head. "Can I see your map, Hiroto?"
Hiroto took out the map of Super Tokyo City from his pocket and gave it to Mario. He glances at the map to see which location they are now heading to. He continued to look until he saw the route to the stadium. "Look, if we take this area, we'll be headed towards the stadium."
"Which area are you thinking about?" Hiroto asked.
"Take a look. It's this route, the one near this restaurant and a few shops."
"Sounds good to me. What do you say, Kirby?" Hiroto queried.
"Poyo!" Kirby agreed.
Mario nodded at Kirby's approval. "Alright then. I say we take it!"
Mario handed back the map to Hiroto, which he put into his pocket.
The train stops at the tracks of the station. Once again, an announcement was made on the speaker. "We have arrived at Kesshou Station. Please remember to bring any of your belongings as you leave the train."
Having taken the advised route from Mario, they eventually arrived at Super Tokyo's central area.
"Wow… Early morning and already everyone's so busy…" Hiroto surmised, astounded by the crowd of people.
Mario chuckled at his companion's reaction. "It's a pretty big city, so it's not all that surprising. They probably have to go to work. Anyways, I think we should head that way."
The three of them continued to walk until Hiroto stopped and looked up at the enormous TV screen on the building. "Mario! Kirby! Check this out!"
Mario and Kirby paused and looked up to see the TV billboard showing a news anchor next to an image of the red plumber himself.
"While the ongoing search for Princess Peach continues, Mario, the hero of the Mushroom Kingdom, has been spotted at a train station near Michiya Metropolis. Pictures show him on the train, accompanied by former champion Kirby and a mysterious young man. More details at 7."
"Wow… You guys are making me famous," Hiroto spoke, clearly amused by the news.
Mario only rolled his eyes. "That's-a the paparazzi for you. They got us without us knowing."
"Comes with the fame, huh?"
"Yup. You get-a used to it after a while."
Hiroto nodded, but they were getting off-track. "Anyways, I say we get back to business."
"Okie-Dokie!"
Kirby responded with another, "Poyo!"`
Hiroto, Mario, and Kirby carry on walking forwards. There were plenty of shops as they passed by, which was to be expected, given that this route to the stadium was chock-full of them.
Well, Hiroto felt extremely indifferent seeing a shop or two, but Mario and Kirby were trying their best not to enter one of the shops, since they were focused on finding Peach and Katsuro.
Suddenly, Mario felt a growl from his stomach. He stopped and looked down. Hiroto turned around, wondering why he stopped. "Mario? Something wrong?"
"Hiroto, I'm sorry, but I feel a bit hungry," Mario responded, feeling famished.
"I see. Well, since you haven't got something on the way here, let's try to find something to eat, shall we?"
"Poyo!" Kirby agreed.
Hiroto, Mario, and Kirby turned around to look at the buildings.
"Huh, just regular shops. A manga shop. No way that will be my breakfast," Hiroto said, unamused until he heard music in the background. "Huh, this song is pretty catchy. Ugh, I'm getting off topic!" Hiroto was trying to snap himself out of it.
They continued to look around until Mario came across a restaurant named Cooking Star.
"Look right there!" Mario pointed at the sign of the restaurant. "Cooking Star."
"Poyo!" Kirby effused.
"Yeah, I won't mind eating there. I say we should proceed." Hiroto responded to Mario.
The trio walked towards the building and entered the door. Upon arrival, a girl greeted them from behind the cash register. "Hello! Welcome to Cooking Star!" The group walks near the cash register in order to see the menu close up.
Hiroto glances up at the menu and starts to become fascinated. "Man, I've never seen this sort of stuff before."
Mario quickly looks at him "Wait, you haven't?!"
"No. My family is kinda well off, so we don't really eat these types of things. In fact, this is the first time I've properly heard of most of these foods."
"Oh, well, have a look. Find something interesting." Mario said.
The food that catches his attention is curry, and he relays this information to Mario. "I'll try this. Beef curry and rice?"
"Beef curry, eh? Well, I'm getting some pepperoni pizza. What about you, Kirby?"
"Poyo!" Kirby points at the hot dog choice on the menu.
"Well then. Let's order, shall we?" Hiroto walks towards the cashier.
"Are you three ready? How may I take your order?"
"Um… yeah, can I get beef curry with rice, pepperoni pizza, and one hot dog."
"Coming right up! That'll be 700 credits!"
As soon as Hiroto heard "credits," he searched his pockets. However, there was nothing in them. He chuckled nervously. "Um… funny story: I don't have any money on me."
"Wait, you don't?" she asked, blinking in surprise.
Mario only chuckled. "Don't worry. I should have some extra money… with me…" His voice trailed off as he checked his pockets, finding nothing. Panicking slightly, he immediately turned to Kirby, and all but begged, "Kirby, please tell me you have some credits on you…!"
The little puffball simply blinked in response.
"W-we're broke," Hiroto murmured despondently.
The cashier gave a sympathetic smile. "I'm sorry, but I can't take your order if you don't have any money."
Mario exclaimed out of panic. "What are we going to do now?"
"Wait!" A woman from the other side of the building walks up to the group. "My apologies, Mario and Kirby. This is Rinako. She's new to our restaurant. Rinako, they're regulars here."
"Wait, Cooking Mama, you know them?!" she said, perplexed.
"Of course! They always come here and eat."
Hiroto started to become a little confused about Mario and Kirby being a regular at Cooking Mama's restaurant. "Mario, I never knew that you and Kirby were a regular here."
"Yeah, I always come here after training, but I'm not sure about Kirby coming here." Mario answered.
"Poyo!" Kirby responded in a way where Mario understands that he too comes to the restaurant.
"Mario-san, I heard that your friends don't have any money. So that's why I'm letting you eat here for free." Cooking Mama announced.
"Wait, really?!" Mario was shocked to learn that she wanted to give out the food for free.
"Yes, you can. Consider this as my thank you for coming to this restaurant often."
"Oh, thank you so much, Cooking Mama!"
"Anytime. Now, you said you wanted beef curry, pepperoni pizza and a hot dog?"
"I said I wanted a pepperoni pizza. Kirby wanted a hot dog while my friend Hiroto wanted beef curry with rice."
Cooking Mama looks up to see Hiroto. "I see that this person is new to this restaurant. Welcome to Cooking Star. We are here to serve you anything you like."
"Thank you, Ms. Cooking Mama."
"I'll go ahead and make the food. You guys wait okay." Cooking Mama walks away to the kitchen and starts preparing Mario, Hiroto and Kirby's food.
"I'm sorry for my misunderstanding. I didn't know you guys go here all the time," Rinako felt guilty.
"Yeah," Mario chuckled. "I should've mentioned that."
"Anyways, if you have any questions, please feel free to ask me or Cooking Mama."
"Okay, thank you!"
The group turned around and saw a table in front of them. They decide to take a seat.
"Can you believe it? Free food!" Mario exclaimed.
"Mario, I'm amazed she recognized both of you guys."
10 Minutes Later…
The girl, Rinako, walks up to the trio with a cart. "Here is your food." Rinako places the 3 plates of food on the table which are pepperoni pizza, a hot dog, and beef curry with rice.
"Thank you so much, miss!" Mario said.
"Call me Rinako-san. You're welcome."
Rinako walks away with the food cart.
"Okay then, let's eat." Mario getting ready to take a slice of his pizza.
Hiroto muttered to himself. "Itadakimasu."
"What did you say, Hiroto?"
"Oh, just a cultural thing. It means, 'Thank you for the food'."
"Oh, that's a pretty nice sentiment."
"Yup. If you wanna try it, just put your hands together and say 'itadakimasu'."
"Okay." Mario puts his hands together. "Itadakimasu!"
"There you go. Wanna try it out, Kirby?"
Kirby nodded eagerly, put his hands together and said, "Poyo."
Hiroto chuckled. "Okay, let's eat."
For the next hour, Hiroto, Mario, and Kirby enjoyed their time eating breakfast together.
1 Hour Later…
"Aw, I'm so full," Mario complained, patting his stomach.
Hiroto casually took one last bite of his curry and placed the spoon down on the table. "Yeah, I think I'm finished here."
"Poyo!" Kirby expressed his enjoyment of his meal.
"Ah, where should we go next?" asked Mario.
"Remember? The stadium."
"Ah yeah, the stadium, I remember. Man, all this food in my stomach is making me forget."
Hiroto chuckled. "Alright let's go."
The cashier, Rinako, walks up to the trio. "So, how did you guys enjoy the food?"
"It was great. Thank you so much for the food."
"Well, thank you guys for the business. I hope to see you all again!"
Rinako walks away back to the cash register while Mario's group stood up from their seats and walked over to the entrance. Hiroto opens the door for Mario and Kirby and then himself. They all left the building, feeling full from the food. Mostly Mario.
"Man, I'm still so full after that." Mario reflected.
"Hey, maybe walking around can help the food dissolve from your body. By the way, if we continue walking in that direction, we might be able to see the stadium."
"Alright then, let's-a go!"
Mario, Kirby, and Hiroto dash off and follow the directions on where the stadium was. Occasionally, they would take out their map to see where they are.
However, as they passed by one of the city buildings, they saw the stadium far ahead.
"Look, it's the stadium." Mario called out.
"Sweet! Just a little bit further then."
They continued following the direction of the map until they got to the main stadium entrance. Hiroto opens the door and lets both Mario and Kirby go in first.
As the trio entered the main stadium lobby, they saw it was empty. It seemed that the stadium was closed for the day.
"Mario, since you were in this stadium before, do you know where the main stage is?" Hiroto queried
"I know where it is. I'll show you." Mario guided both Kirby and Hiroto.
Suddenly, as they walked, black smoke started forming in front of them.
"Ah damn. Here we go again."
Hiroto, feeling threatened, took out his sword and pointed at the smoke. After waiting a bit, 3 Xenos spawn in front of them. Kirby magically takes out his hammer while Mario conjures fire from his hands. The Xenos screeched at them and ran up to attack them. Hiroto pushed his hand in the front, which released a force from it, causing the Xenos to be knocked back. Mario ran up to them and spun himself towards them, which threw them up in the air. This allowed Kirby to jump up and hit them with his large hammer. The Xenos dissipated into purple, blackish dust as soon as they hit the ground.
"Come on, let's get moving!" Hiroto alerted and turned around, thinking the battle was over.
However, Xenos appeared behind them. Having no choice, Hiroto ran up to them and slashed them horizontally with his sword. The Xenos were once again appearing, but this time in front of them. Mario ran up to them, and using his fists, punched them back. Taking this opportunity, Kirby jumps up in front of him and magically spawns a sword replacing his hammer. Taking a stance, he then charged towards the Xenos, blade at the ready. In a flurry of slashes and cuts, each Xeno was meticulously shredded, each one vanishing.
"Alright, let's continue on!" Hiroto yelled out to both Mario and Kirby. All three of them ran off from the lobby and continued to make a run towards one of the stage doors.
Hiroto tries to pull open the door to the stage, but the door refuses to open. "Dammit, it's locked! Where do we go now?!"
"This way!" Mario points to one of the doors, which leads to another lobby. 2 Xenos, however, were blocking it. Mario threw a few of his fireballs at them, but it only did minor damage. They screeched, and quickly sprinted towards him. Hiroto steps in and slashes their heads horizontally with his sword. He dashes towards the door and attempts to open it. Thankfully, it successfully opened this time. He first let in Kirby and Mario, and then himself. Closing the glass door out of relief, Hiroto takes a deep breath.
"Man, that was close." Piercing wailing and the sounds of scratching could be heard from the door. "...Maybe a little too close."
He turns around to see an enormous lobby. Looking confused, he turns to Mario "So, where are we now?"
"It looks like we're in the waiting area." Mario dashes towards the other side of the stadium, while Hiroto and Kirby attempt to catch up with him. "I think we go this way!"
They stopped near a door with a sign saying, "Staff Only." The trio ignored it and proceeded.
"Where are we right now?" Hiroto asked, wondering if the place that they're in was the way into the stage of the stadium.
"We're in the staff area. This is where all the fighters usually go. I'll continue to show you where the stage is." Mario continued to walk until he saw double doors. "Okay, this is it. Let me just open this." He opens the door, and it lets out the air. Mario went in first, while Hiroto and Kirby followed. They were now on the stage of the stadium.
"So this is what stepping on the stage feels like in a Smash Tournament…" Hiroto muttered to himself.
"Hello? Anyone here? Princess? King Bowser?" Mario yelled out.
"Huh, I hear nothing but echoes," Hiroto responded.
Mario turned to Kirby. "Kirby, please turn on the stadium lights."
"Poyo!" Kirby runs up the stairs of the stadium and sees a control room for the lights. He pressed the buttons of the lights and immediately, every single light on the stadium turned on.
Even though the lights were now on, there was nothing but the sound of cars from the outside of the stadium. No sign of Peach and Bowser.
Hiroto, not wanting to give up hope, told Mario and Kirby, "Hm… let's look around. There might be something around here that could give us a clue to where they are."
Hiroto, Kirby, and Mario walk around the stadium for what seems like hours, trying to see if Peach and Bowser dropped something. What came out of it was nothing.
"Damn… still nothing," Hiroto muttered to himself. He looked around again until he saw a man coming out of the stage doors.
"Hey!" the man yelled out
Mario and Kirby turn around to see the man and they decide to walk up to him.
"What are you boys doing here?" the security guard asked. "The stadium is closed for today and-" He paused and saw Mario. "Mario? What the?! You've returned!"
"Aw… yes. I know."
"You were on the news and everyone was worried about you. Oh, thank god you're still alive"
"Yeah, yeah, I know about that." Mario chuckled nervously.
"Anyways, do you remember the fight that happened earlier today?" Hiroto questioned. "You know the fight between Mario and Bowser and the creatures."
"Yes. What about it?"
"Mario and I were wondering if Peach or Bowser had left anything behind during the event."
"From what I recall, yes. I have it with me right now." The security guard took out the item. "Does this look familiar?" He handed over what appeared to be a handkerchief to Mario. He inspects it and comes to a fascinating realization.
"This is… Peach's handkerchief! She always carries it with her!" Mario explained.
"Where did you find the handkerchief?" Hiroto asked the security guard.
"I found it after everyone left the stadium that day. I was looking around and saw it on the stage."
Hiroto begins to think a bit. The handkerchief was Peach's, but there wasn't any evidence left. "Are there any more things left behind on the stage? Like marks or anything like that?"
"Nope, that's it."
"Well, I have another question: what happened after Princess Peach was kidnapped?"
"I don't know. I mean, a person randomly spawned at the stage. He took Peach and magically disappeared. And Bowser and his son, who knows where they went. Thankfully, no one was harmed."
Hiroto starts to feel a bit suspicious. "Strange, I never knew the Xenos wouldn't attack the civilians," he muttered.
"Xenos?" the security guard heard Hiroto.
"Don't worry about it." Hiroto said. "Thank you so much for your time."
"Yeah, you guys take your time. If you need anything, you can find me in the stadium security room." The security guard walks away.
Hiroto felt very curious about the Xenos and was slightly disappointed to know that the information he's getting was going nowhere.
"Wait a minute," Hiroto muttered to himself. He closes his eyes and vividly remembers the Smash Orb and the unexplainable events that happened to it. He sprints to Mario.
"What is it, Hiroto?"
"I just realized something. If you think about it, he won't just go for the Princess. He's targeting the Smash Orb too."
"Who?" Mario almost panicked.
"Katsuro," Hiroto whispered, but Mario and Kirby heard him.
"Mama-mia," Mario gasped. Kirby, too, had a similar reaction.
"Wait… if Katsuro kidnapped Princess Peach, then it might be possible to find the Smash Orb pieces and her at the same time. Mario, we need to find the Smash Orb in order to get Katsuro's attention."
"Really? Isn't that a little too much to deal with?"
"I know, but this is the only way to find Princess Peach and the Smash Orb pieces at the same time. This handkerchief is proof of that."
"I see. In that case, if nothing else, this is our best shot at finding the princess!"
"Poyo!" Kirby equally agreed.
"Okay, I say we head off to the outside of the stadium. That should be our first main point. Did you see where we should head first?"
"Let me see on the map," Mario takes out the map from his pocket and glances through it. "Oh… I don't think that the Smash Orb pieces are here in this city."
"Turn to the other side of the map. Maybe there is something."
Mario turns the map around. He sees a bunch of planets listed as, "Smash Orb Location."
"I think the Smash Orb pieces should be near… NEAR THE MUSHROOM KINGDOM?!"
"Mushroom Kingdom?! That's your place!"
"I know! What a coincidence!"
Hiroto chuckled a bit. "Well, I don't know how we can get there without transportation. I guess we should explore this place a bit before we get a proper way of transporting to your place."
"Sounds good, Hiroto!"
"Okay, let's get out of here. Are you all with me?"
"Yeah!" Mario agreed.
"Poyo!"
Hiroto, Mario, and Kirby dash off from the stage and into backstage. Hiroto's mind is still heavily focused on the Smash Orb and his unfortunate brother, Katsuro, while Mario and Kirby are both focused on the Smash Orb and getting back Princess Peach. However, their journey is just getting started.
It wasn't a pleasant day for Skyworld. Palutena looked extremely busy. She was overthinking on whether or not she should come with Pit in this next mission. Pit walked in, having finished a training session with the centurions. He immediately noticed his goddess's unpleasant mood. "Lady Palutena, is there something wrong?"
"Ah, it's nothing." She tried to wave off his concern.
"Are you sure about that? Your face kinda says it all."
Struggling for a moment, she gave in and expressed her worries, "...Pit, I have a request for you. Are you willing to accept?"
"Of course! Anything for you, Lady Palutena!"
"There is another goddess beyond the pantheon, Pit. Her name is Hana, and she's requested for you to assist Mario and his companions."
"Mario?! We haven't seen him since the last tournament!" However, the request eventually caught up to his brain. "Wait, 'assist'? Did something happen?"
Of course, his worries were expected, so she attempted to abate them: "No, no. Nothing's happened yet. At the moment, they're off looking for Princess Peach and any pieces of the Smash Orb. Would you mind joining up with them?"
"I mean… I know about Princess Peach, but what's this about a Smash Orb?
Palutena, feeling hesitant, had to break the news to Pit. "Pit, do you remember the 3 Sacred Treasures? The Smash Orb acts in a similar fashion. The only difference is that it can give a power boost to virtually anyone it pleases."
"Anyone?! Wait, you said 'pieces', Lady Palutena. Did it break or something?"
"It's actually been shattered for quite some time now. Maybe a few years ago." Somewhat ashamed, she continued on, "I didn't want to tell you this because I know how you are. And after the incident with the Chaos Kin…" She trailed off.
Pit winced at the vivid memories, but he gave a comforting smile, "Lady Palutena, it's fine! Besides, after taking down that jerk, Hades, I think I'm more than ready to defend the honor of Skyworld!"
Palutena giggled, "I'm sure you are. It probably won't be all that much of a challenge for you then?"
"Obviously! It'll be as easy as floor pie!" She smiled fondly at his odd preferences in food.
"Anyhow, as you know, the Smash Orb has been shattered. It's pieces have been scattered across the universe. Surely, with enough time, we'd eventually be able to gather all of the pieces and reform the Orb." With an exaggerated sigh, she continued on, "...But as you know, the others aren't as patient."
Pit smiled good-naturedly, having caught onto the joke. "We have all the time in the world."
"That we do. The others have already begun to move forward with gathering the pieces, so we'll join up with them."
Pit nodded along until he heard one particular statement, "Wait, 'we'? You're coming along, Lady Palutena?"
She only laughed in response, "Don't be silly! Someone has to keep watch over Skyworld AND grant you your ability to fly. This doesn't make us any less of a team though."
"O-oh. Right." Admittedly, he'd hoped that he would have been able to work alongside his goddess on the field during one of his missions.
The comfortable atmosphere suddenly dissipated as Palutena continued on with a more serious tone in her tone, "Be on the lookout, Pit. We aren't the only ones searching for the Smash Orb pieces. There is an organization intent to gather those pieces for themselves. Whatever their plan is if they take hold of the Smash Orb, it probably won't be very beneficial for any of us. Even Hana has taken great care to warn me about them."
Admittedly, Pit was worried. If two goddesses had expressed their worries, then this was something big that he would have to help deal with. Of course, the confidence boost he gained from defeating the lord of the underworld continued on as he gave his resolute answer, thumping his fist to his chest, "By your will, Lady Palutena! These bad guys won't even see it coming when we gather those pieces by next week!"
"Even a week might be too slow for the hero of Skyworld," Palutena teased.
"T-too slow?! Th-then, I'll find them all by tomorrow!"
She laughed at his outlandish response. Pit quickly caught on: "Hey, wait a minute… Are you making fun of me, Lady Palutena?!"
Letting out a dramatic gasp, she held her hand to her mouth and replied, "Me? Make fun of you? I would never!" Still, Pit held onto his blank stare. With a chuckle, she conceded, "Okay, maybe a little…"
"Ugh… I'll just get going then…" He turned to the entrance of the building, unfurling his wings. Just before he took off, his goddess spoke up once more.
"Oh! Before you go, Viridi's sending Pittoo to help out. He'll be meeting up with you sometime later."
At the news, his eyes widened. With a grin, he pumped his fist, "Awesome! With the two of us at the ready, there's no way those baddies can take us on!"
With renewed vigor, he runs out of the building and jumps off the clouds, wings fully unfurling. Pit feeling the tingle of his goddess's blessing, spins himself around and gives out a jovial laugh, his destination in mind.