A/N: Hello, everyone! Sorry for the late update, but if you all saw the one posted on May 12th, 2020, you would all understand I am mainly devoting myself to original content. But that doesn't mean I'm giving up on this story and Sonic Heroes: The Atom Bomb. After playing Luigi's Mansio 3 for the first time (I'm still in the beginning section), I've got the motivation to write this again. And thank goodness too, I now have a lot of new ideas for this and I'm excited to show them to all of you! Speaking of which, thanks for a total of 69 reviews, over 30 favorites, and over 20 follows! You guys keep me rocking! So let's get to it!

Suggested Music:

(1) Piranha Plant's Lullaby (Piano) - Super Mario 64 OST

(2) Lake Lamode 1 - Super Mario Odyssey OST

Without further ado, enjoy the show!

Just Keep Swimming!

Ludwig was always considered the smartest out of the Koopalings, but no one ever knew he was the most musically talented. Everyone else's favorite instrument was either a magic wand, Bob-omb, or some other weapon of mass destruction. Ludwig, he always preferred to play the piano.

Inside his room in Bowser's Kingdom, he sat by said device and strummed his fingers across the keys, playing a harmonic yet energetic melody. With his eyes closed and his toes tapping, he was completely lost in the music with no way of being disturbed.

Well, until he realized that a certain someone was standing behind him.

"Ludwig?"

The blue-haired Koopaling slammed his fists against the piano and screamed, which caused him to fall off his chair. Glancing at the person who scared him, he prepared to make them suffer his wrath. But he held back his fury when he saw that it was his father. King Beret sat directly on top of his head.

"Hi, Father," Ludwig greeted, brushing off his knees. "May I assist you?"

"This is a weird time to notice this now, but have you seen Junior, Wendy, Morton, and Roy?" The soon to be groom inquired. "I've been looking for them all day."

"Knowing those guys, they probably went behind your back."

Bowser laughed at that remark, as he folded his arms. "That's ridiculous! My own children would never go behind my back!"

Suddenly, the Broodals not only entered with the Binding Band but the four Koopalings that sat in Madame Broode's clutches.

"What's up, Doc?" Topper waved.

Bowser turned to his new minions and gasped, gazing at the giant ring. "You did it! You actually got The Binding Band!"

He rushed forward and grabbed it from Topper, noticing it was bulkier than he thought. "Wow, this thing is hefty as heck! I thought it was a tiny, little ring and not this huge thing! It's gonna be a little hard to put this on Peach's finger, but looking at it, it could work as a belt-"

Interrupting himself mid-sentence, Bowser glanced at the four children Madame Broode placed down.

"What are you four doing here?" he asked.

"They went behind your back, Boss," Spewart chuckled.

Ludwig snickered once he heard.

"You did what!?" The King Koopa snarled at his four traitors.

"Look, Dad, we wanted to make amends for screwing everything up before," Junior heavily explained. Sweat poured from his forehead. "We felt bad for not getting the supplies, so I thought I'd help the Broodals with their job."

"And by help, I assume you got angry and decided to beat them up, right?" Bowser clenched his fist.

"Hey, that's exactly what happened," Morton smiled. Wendy nudged him in the stomach.

Bowser slammed his foot against the ground and roared in anger. Placing the Binding Band down, he stormed towards his children and grabbed them by their shells. "That's it! I think it's time we bring back my personal favorite punishment: Lecture Hour!"

All four Koopalings moaned.

"Not Lecture Hour," Roy whined.

"Broodals, go get the other supplies!" Bowser demanded in frustration. "I'll be in touch with you later!"

"Come on, Dad!" Junior pleaded.

"Don't you 'come, on, Dad," me!"

With the door slamming behind the groom, the Broodals shared a gulp.

"Gawrsh, he's kinda scary once you get to know him," Rango scratched his chin.

"Thankfully, we're not gonna get on his bad side anymore," Topper folded his arms. "Come on, Broodals, let's go find those supplies… um, except you, Madame Broode, you stay here."

"What?" the bulky rabbit yelled. "Why!?"

"Well, you see, we… we um… we can't… well, I should say that our battleship can't exactly handle your… your…" Topper snapped his fingers, attempting to sugarcoat his words. "Size. I-it's not that your fat or anything, it's just that you exceed to maximum weight capacity for-"

SLAM!

Madame Broode slammed her fist against Topper's head, which caused his body to stuck in the ground. Stars and Koopa Shells floated around the rabbit's head, as he had his tongue sticking out. The other Broodals jumped into Rango's arms, preferring to keep their mouths shut.

"Fine! I'll stay, but I'm definitely coming aboard the next mission no matter what you say!" Madame Broode snarled. "Come on, Chain Chompikins, you need a bath."

With the giant rabbit exiting, the other Broodals looked down at their leader.

"Do you think she understood what I meant?" Topper asked.

Aboard the Odyssey, Mario and Luigi stared out the window and sipped their cups of tea. The moon was shining and there were multiple clouds in sight. If the window was open, they could let in some fresh, spring-like air into the ship. It was perfect weather to be flying across the globe, but unfortunately, the heroes weren't here to sight-see, all they wanted to do was head to the next Kingdom and rescue their special ones.

Cappy sat down beside the brothers and nodded. "That monster kidnapped Tiara and my father, and now with this Binding Band, he's got a wedding ring! Is he going to steal a whole wedding?"

"That's Bowser for you," Mario leaned back against the chair. "He never does anything responsibly."

"He likes to take-a the easy way out," Luigi added.

"Makes sense," Cappy nodded. "Thank goodness my mother isn't here to witness this catastrophe, but at the same time, I wish she was here. That way, she can help us out. That way, Luigi can have the ability to capture enemies as you can, Mario."

"Oh? Will I be able to capture Boos?" Luigi asked happily.

Mario and Cappy shared a glance before they shook their heads.

Luigi sighed. "I knew it was too good to be true."

"Cappy, where are we going next?" Mario inquired, sipping his beverage.

"Let me see on the brochure," Cappy flipped through his brochure collection. "Thank goodness my father never threw these out when he stopped traveling. Ah, here we go, the Lake Kingdom. It says they're known for their fashion and-oh! There's a famous wedding gown called the Lochlady Dress! Something tells me that's where those Broodals will be heading next."

Mario suddenly yawned. "Let's just-a hope the Koopalings aren't with them this time."

Luigi mirrored Mario's motion and nodded.

"Seems like you guys are getting tired," Cappy chuckled. "Let's get some sleep for tonight. We have a big day ahead of us tomorrow."

"Way ahead of you," Luigi said. Mario and Cappy looked over and saw that he was in purple-colored pajamas and placed a sleep hat with the same color on his head. He pulled out the chair's recliner before he yawned one last time. With Egon cuddling beside him, Luigi went straight to bed.

Mario stretched his arms before he did the same thing. "Buona Notte, Cappy."

"Banana Natta," Cappy answered.

The plumber raised an eyebrow, wondering how Cappy got such a simple Italian phrase confused for something else. He was about to correct him before he saw that the Bonneter was fast asleep. So, Mario shrugged it off and closed his eyes.

As he slept, he was suddenly trapped in a dream.

~Flashback (Mario's Dream)

It was another long yet peaceful day in the Mushroom King and Mario just returned from Bowser's Castle, where he rescued Princess Peach for the umpteenth time. As much as he enjoyed fighting his arch-nemesis, he prayed for a day he could spend time with his girlfriend without witnessing her capture. Speaking of which, the pink princess ventured off into the grassy fields to find some fruit for her picnic with her boyfriend while he laid on top of a red and white spotted sheet. With his arms folded behind his head, Mario released a loud yawn before he closed his eyes.

He figured he could take a quick nap before Peach returned.

Sleeping through a few minutes of his day, the plumber suddenly realized that evil never sleeps.

"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"

The Mushroom Kingdom was met with one of the loudest sounds it's ever heard.

Mario shot himself upward and his eyes opened quickly, wondering what made that sound. When he heard it again, he concluded that Princess Peach was in danger once again. Looking left and right, he searched the environment for her when he suddenly saw her running through the fields with an apple in her hands. She was being chased by two Koopa Troopas and a blue-shelled Koopa Paratroopa.

Mama Mia, he said to himself. Can't I catch-a break?

"Hang on, Peach!" he exclaimed, jumping up on his feet. "I'm-a coming!"

Rushing down the hill at the speed of light, Mario accidentally tripped on a brown block before he tumbled down the hill, somersaulting at a rapid speed. Moaning in pain, he finally caught up to his enemies before he kicked a Koopa Troopa in the chest. He untucked from his ball form and rolled his eyes. Princess Peach hopped into the bushes and covered her eyes, afraid to watch the fight.

Mario leaped upward and stomped on top of the Koopa he kicked, forcing it out of its shell. He grabbed said shell and kicked it forward, knocking both Koopas off of their feet.

The only one left standing was the Koopa Paratroopa.

Fluttering its wings, it dived downward and fired a quick punch across the hero's face. To which, Mario jumped backward and tipped his hat. He then climbed on top of a yellow block and tackled the Paratroopa, kicking it into the ground.

Before he could escape, the Paratroopa was forced out of its shell when the heroic plumber jumped on his head. Like before, Mario grabbed the shell and chucked it into the Paratroopa's chest, knocking him against the grass.

All three turtles gulped, grabbed their shells, and ran away.

"Runaway!" one shouted.

"I'm not dealing with this!" shouted another.

"My wife's not gonna like hearing about this!" the third one screamed.

"Yeah, you-a better run!" Mario shook his fist in anger, as he watched the three turtles disappear. Wiping his hands, he chuckled before he turned around. "That was easy. Hey, Peach. Are you… Peach?" (1)

To his surprise, the pink-dressed princess had her eyes covered and small tears poured down her cheeks.

Mario rushed forward and gently removed her white-gloved hands from her face, seeing that her face was puffy and nearly red. "Hey, Peach. It's okay, they're gone now. I took care of it."

"But I couldn't."

"Hmm?"

Peach closed her eyes for a split second before she looked at her boyfriend. "I didn't know what to do. I wanted to fight them, but I couldn't, and I don't know why! They were just three Koopa Troopas, that's all. It's not like they were Wario or Donkey Kong." She paused, allowing Mario to register what she said.

"Peach, it's okay."

"No! It's not okay! What kind of a princess runs away from her worst enemies!? There's a reason I get captured all of the time and it's because I'm weak! A weak, scared little princess who's only ability is to pray a hero comes to save me. That's all I'm good for! I can't fight, I can't protect my own friends, I can't even protect my own kingdom!"

Mario was surprised to hear such out lash from Peach. He knew that she took her job seriously, but he didn't think it would cause her to break down into tears. Peach wiped her eyes and turned around, sitting on top of a brown block. Folding her arms, she wiped her eyes again and sniffed. "I'm sorry for yelling like that, Mario. I'm not mad at you for saving me if that's what you're thinking… I'm mad at myself for not standing up to Bowser as you can. And it makes no sense, not too long ago you told me you'd teach me how to defend myself, but because of how busy we've been, we've only done basic training… and I've clearly showed you I learned nothing."

The plumber gently smiled and approached her. "Peach, what are you talking about? You stand up to Bowser all the time. Here, remember when he kidnapped Luigi, Yoshi, Toad, and I using the magical Vibe Scepter? That's the first time I've ever been captured."

"What about when King Boo trapped you in a painting?"

"We don't talk about that. But getting back on topic, you always tell Bowser to leave your kingdom and say that you'll never surrender to him, no matter how powerful his forces may be."

"Yes, but actions speak louder than words, Mario. Just because I tell him off doesn't mean I'm protecting my kingdom. My Toads still get injured and I still get captured… I don't even bother to fight."

"But you know how to fight, right? That's why you were invited to the Smash Bros. Melee and Brawl tournaments."

"Those are different. That's more meant for fun. This is serious… if I can't defend myself against Bowser, then what's the purpose of me being a princess?"

Mario replayed that question in his head. How could she say such a thing?

Peach pulled back her blonde hair and wiped her eyes once more.

Her boyfriend watched as she covered her eyes and continued weeping softly; he felt bad that she felt this way. Mario knew Peach wasn't the most skilled combatant, but during Super Smash Bros., she proved herself as a force to be reckoned with. But as she said, those weren't as serious as the battles she's had with Bowser and his army.

Sitting down next to her, Mario wrapped his arm around Peach and wiped a tear from her eyes. Gazing into her bluebell eyes, he smiled and shot a wink. Peach raised an eyebrow, wondering what was happening.

"Tell you what, Peach… how about I-a help you learn to defend yourself more often? I'll take time out of my normal schedule and help you fight against bad guys. Sound like a plan?"

"R-really?" Mario nodded at Peach's question. "You would do that for me?"

"Yep. We'll go back to basic training before we move onto to bigger things. Before you know it, you'll be just as skilled as-a me and Luigi. Whaddya say, Princess? Do you want me to teach you the ways of Mario-Fu."

"That's not a real style of martial arts."

"If you're Mario, then it's real."

Peach chuckled at her boyfriend's lame joke and bestowed a kiss upon his lips. "Thank you, Mario… A princess like me doesn't deserve someone like you."

Mario smiled and shook his head. "No, no… it's I who doesn't deserve you."

~End of Flashback (1s)

~Present Day

"Mario?"

ZZZZZZZZZZ

"Bro?"

ZZZZZZZZZZ

"MARIO, WAKE UP!"

"GAH!" The brown-haired plumber shot himself awake after hearing his brother shout. The scream also scared the Polterpup, Egon, who barked and jumped on top of Mario's head, licking his face. "Hey! Egon, stop that! Ha-ha! Get off of me!"

"Down, boy!" Luigi ordered. To which, Egon leaped off of his owner's brother's face. Mario wiped his cheeks and leaned upward, stretching his arms. "Luigi, why'd you wake me up? I was just having a perfect dream about Peach."

"Sorry, Bro. But we arrived at our next Kingdom. I believe it's called Lake Lamode."

"Really? Where's Cappy?"

"He's outside. Let's-a go!"

"Okay, okay, I'm-a coming! Sheesh!"

Mario and Luigi quickly walked outside of the Odyssey and walked down the bridge. From there, they were amazed by what they gazing at. (2)

Below their brown boots was a shade of dark green grass that gently blew against their ankles. It was soft, luscious, and clean. Not a single piece of litter was in sight. A few bushes were sitting on top of ledges, but that wasn't the only sight to behold. In front of the brothers was a crystal-clear lake with a small castle-like structure all the way in front of it. There were grassy platforms for people to sit on and there were small structures in the water like stairs and ruins. They looked like they were shot down by an explosive.

Mario's jaw nearly dropped to the ground when he looked at the mountains surrounding the kingdom. They were almost rock-like, but they were designed to resemble seashells. Quite a spectacle, huh?

Luigi smiled and ran forward with Egon by his side. Mario looked down and watched the two approach Cappy, who was talking to a creature he's never seen before. She was a mermaid-esc creature with blue skin and a blue dress made of scales. Her hair was as blue as the sand beneath her and she looked to be upset.

Raising an eyebrow, Mario approached his friends and asked, "Excuse me, Miss. What seems to be the problem here?"

The mermaid removed her hands from her eyes and explained. "My goodness! It's terrible! Our precious Power Moons are being stolen by two thieves inside the kingdom. I'm afraid they're going after the Lochlady dress!"

"What do they look like?" Cappy inquired.

"One of them looks like a fat version of this red man here, and the other one looks like a rejected fan character of you, green-hatted man."

Mario and Luigi knew exactly who she was talking about.

"You said they're inside the kingdom?" the former questioned. "How do we get inside?"

"I'd suggest you take the Water Plaza to the Underwater Entrance, but they used Bom-Ombs to destroy the stairs. But there is another way you can get in. See that structure over there?" she pointed to the castle sitting on top of the lake. "There's a zipper that leads to a tunnel and the Underwater Entrance lies in there. If you can get inside and stop those two thieves, we can get our Power Moons back and protect our Lochlady Dress."

Mario nodded and gave a thumbs up. "Grazie, Miss. Come on, guys. Let's-a go!"

"Hold on, Bro. I think I saw a Power Moon somewhere around here," Luigi approached a small section of sand and ground pounded the dirt. A pink-colored Power Moon sprouted from the ground and he sucked it up with his Poltergust 5000. "At least they didn't get all of the Power Moons."

"But we need to stop them from getting more," Cappy nodded. "Let's get moving."

Mario and Luigi jumped into the water with Cappy resting on the former's head. The brothers hopped on top of a few platforms before they made their way to the castle's rooftop thanks to a flower that shot them upward - the top of it was like a spring where users could bounce off of it. From there, they noticed a giant-sized zipper waiting at the edge of the wall. Mario threw Cappy forward and captured the zipper.

Following an oddly designed pattern on the ground, the floor suddenly fell beneath Luigi's feet. Mario released the tool from his capture, as he and Luigi fell straight into the water. Both of them swam upward and coughed up water from their mouths.

Egon followed the two brothers and casually floated across the lake.

"He's lucky he's a ghost, he doesn't have to worry about drowning," Mario commented

"Lucky for me, I always carry some Power-Ups," Luigi smiled, as he whipped out his wallet and navigated through his inventory. It didn't take long for him to find his navy blue penguin suit with green overalls. He placed it on and waved his flippers.

"Sweet, it's been a while since we've worn penguin suits. Do you have another?"

"Sorry, Bro. This is the only one I have."

"Well, thanks for the help, Luigi," Mario said sarcastically.

"Hey, I said I was sorry!"

"It's okay, Mario," Cappy winked. "There are a lot of Cheep Cheeps in these waters, so…"

"Oh, yeah," Mario snapped his fingers. He sucked in enough air and dove deep into the water. He and Luigi swam around for a few minutes before they came across a lone Cheep Cheep. Mario grabbed his Bonneter and threw him forward, capturing the Cheep Cheep with ease.

"Good thinking, Mario," Luigi nodded. "Now, you don't need to worry about air."

"It feels weird being in this body," Mario replied. "And why do I have this sudden urge to find a missing clownfish?"

Luigi shrugged his shoulders at that remark.

The brothers navigated through a dark tunnel where the seaweed started coming to life. With their huge googly eyes, they stormed towards the brothers with intent to kill them. Luckily, Mario spun around in his new fish body, which made a small wave that destroyed the seaweed creatures. Luigi simply froze them with balls of ice. Egon just ate one of them before the components floated out of his stomach.

They searched the environment before they came across a light at the end of the tunnel.

From there, they were greeted to a more beautiful sight. As if the surface wasn't pretty enough, they were more fascinated by the Underwater Entrance.

A wide-open kingdom where Cheep Cheeps casually swam about their day and where schools of yellow fish followed behind. The walls were rock, but like the mountains, they were sculpted to look like seashells. The floor was sandy, but the light gave it a slight blue color, which made Luigi's eyes light up like sparklers.

Mario looked around at the many mermaids swimming around and the ancient pillars sticking up from the ground. But suddenly, a shadow loomed over his body. Looking upward, he gasped because of a large blue creature known as a plesiosaur. It had a top hat and a yellow swimming mask with a red strap.

It looked down at Mario and waved. "Hello, my name's Dorrie!"

"Nice to meet you!" Mario waved back.

Upon seeing Dorrie, Luigi gasped. "Whoa! That guy reminds me of Plessie!"

"Don't remind me of that guy. It took you, Peach, Goggles, and I thirty times to make him turn left!"

Luigi chuckled at his brother's joke before they swam upward, greeting Dorrie. "Pardon me, good sir, but we heard from someone above that two thieves are here. Is that true?"

"Thieves?" Dorrie gasped. "I don't remember seeing any thieves come by here. I sure hope they're not after the Lochlady Dress."

"What's so special about this dress anyway?" Mario inquired.

"I can answer that," Cappy raised his nub of a hand. "It's said that the Lochlady Dress, made by mermaids called Lochladies, is a national treasure of the Lake Kingdom. Whoever wears it is granted with eternal happiness. It should be located inside that bubble right there."

Cappy pointed to the left and saw a large bubble guarding a structure on the inside. Multi-colored Lochladies were raising their hands, they were all outside another one of the Crazy Cap stores Mario's see throughout his adventure so far.

"Hey, we went there in the Sand Kingdom, didn't we?" Luigi inquired.

"Yes, we did," Mario nodded. "Why would Wario and Waluigi march in there?"

"Let's find out," Cappy nodded.

The travelers swam towards the front of the bubble and entered the kingdom. When they did, they quickly realized there was no water inside, nothing but fresh air all around. Luigi jumped out of his penguin suit whereas Mario gasped and coughed for air. He jumped on his side and flopped around manically.

Luigi and Egon blankly stared.

"Mario," Cappy called.

Mario kept jumping.

"Mario!"

He still kept going.

"MARIO!"

"What!? I can't-a breathe!"

"Let go of the Cheep Cheep!"

"…oh."

Mario did as he was told and released the red fish. It exploded into a cloud of dust when that happened.

Brushing his overalls, Mario looked up and saw Lochladies gathered around the shop like before. All of them exchanged murmurs about what was happening. Nodding to his brother, he took off towards a door that was filled with water, hoping he could swim up to the top. But before he took one step, he noticed there was a giant pool in the ground, it lead to a dark tunnel below. But what intrigued Mario the most was that he heard someone singing down there, they were off-key.

"What is that?" Mario inquired.

"Sounds like a Chain Chomp gurgling rotten Mushrooms," Luigi cringed.

"I'll see what's down there since I can possess another Cheep Cheep. You go upstairs and stop Wario and Waluigi."

"Got it, Bro."

Sharing a fist-bump, the two brothers split up into different directions.

Mario went back outside and quickly captured another Cheep Cheep. Upon returning to the Water Plaza Entrance, he hopped inside the pool and swam downward. He was thankful he didn't do this without a Cheep Cheep, otherwise, he would've drowned before reaching the halfway point.

As he descended the pool, the obnoxious singing voice got louder and more annoying.

"What is that awful sound?" Cappy questioned.

"I don't know," Mario replied. "But I think I may know who it is."

It didn't take long for the two heroes to reach the bottom of the pool, where they saw a plastic bubble that guarded a campsite. There was a tan tent made of sticks and cloth in the left corner and a chair towards its right. Sitting on top of it was a familiar face, one Mario didn't expect to see.

"Toad?" he inquired.

Leader of the Toad Brigade, Captain Toad sat on a green chair playing the banjo. Not only was his singing awful, but his instrument was out of tune and two of its strings were broken. But he didn't seem to care, all he wanted was to serenade something with his music. Unfortunately, every fish grew annoyed and swam away.

Mario entered the bubble and the captain opened his eyes. Upon seeing the Cheep Cheep, he screamed.

"AHHHHHHHHHHH! Get back, you savage!"

"Wait, Toad, it's me-yikes!"

Captain Toad got up and started smacking the Italian Cheep Cheep with his guitar, making sure it left him alone. "Get out of here, you disgusting freak! This is my campsite!"

"Ow! Toad, stop it! Ow! It's-a me, Mario!"

The plumber released the fish and tossed it out of the camp site's bubble, rubbing his head in pain. Captain Toad raised his guitar, ready to hit Mario again, but he stopped because he noticed the plumber was back to normal. Cappy still sat on top of his companion's head.

"M-Mario?" the captain raised an eyebrow. "Is that you?"

Cappy morphed back to his normal self and flew off Mario's head. "Mario, are you okay?"

"EGAD! A g-g-ghost!"

Captain Toad whacked Cappy's head with his banjo.

"Hey, hey, hey, stop!" Mario jumped up and grabbed the instrument from Captain Toad's hands. "Toad, take an easy. This is not a ghost, it's my new friend Cappy. Calm down before you hurt anyone else, and I'm not just talking about physically hurting someone, I'm also referring to that awful singing voice."

"Awful? Excuse me, but I sing like an angel."

Mario rolled his eyes, helping Cappy up. "Sure you do, Toad."

"What are you doing here, Mario? Did I miss you and Peach's wedding?"

"No, you didn't. I didn't even propose. I was going to before Bowser kidnapped, he's going to marry her himself. Not only that, but he also kidnapped Cappy's family. He's using his father as a weapon and his sister as a bridesmaid for Peach's wedding."

Captain Toad gasped when he heard all of that. "Oh, no, that's awful! Bowser's kidnapped Peach multiple times, but now he's kidnapping family members! That's a new low, even for Bowser!"

"We're collecting relics called Power Moons to help us out," Cappy chimed in. "They come in various colors and they're used as energy sources for different kingdoms. They originate in the Cap Kingdom, but back before we isolated ourselves from the outside world, we would sell them to different kingdoms. Bowser attacked my home and probably sent Power Moons all over the place. Have you seen any of them?"

"Do they come in pink?"

"Yes?"

"Then, I have one! I picked it up thinking I could sell it to the Pawn Toad, but you guys need it more than I do. Here you go."

Captain Toad kindly handed the Power Moon to the heroes. Mario grabbed it and gave a thumbs up.

"Is there anything I can do to help?" Captain Toad inquired. "I'd love to do anything I can."

"Depends," Mario folded his arms. "Is the Toad Brigade still together?"

"Somewhat."

"What do you mean, somewhat?"

"After our last Galaxy adventure, members of the Toad Brigade started venturing off on their own. Mailtoad's off delivering mail to different kingdoms, Banktoad's trying to pay off rent, and I'm not sure what Goggles and Dozer are up to. Well, one of them is probably sleeping on the job as usual. But Toadette and I are still together if that helps."

"Works for me," Mario nodded. "Where is she?"

"She's up above collecting these golden Moon Shards she saw earlier. She thinks that if they're combined together, they can make something special. I'll get her once we get back to the surface. Is there anything else you need me to do?"

"Just be prepared to stomp on Wario and Waluigi's faces," Mario slammed his fists together."

Captain Toad gulped. "We can never get a break from those two, can we?"

"Sadly… no."

Thanks to a Warp Pipe sitting against the wall, Mario and Captain Toad jumped inside, hoping to stop Wario and Waluigi in time. (2s)

Above the Water Plaza itself, archeologist Toadette walked through a grassy platform with a bag full of Moon Shards she discovered in the ocean. She was in the middle of searching for the last one, which she concluded was above the Underwater Entrance. She walked through the platform with her magnifying glass in hand, searching carefully for the last Moon Shard.

As she searched, she couldn't help but soak in the scenery around her.

The moon was full, but the sky made it look like it was daytime. She adored all of the grassy landmarks around her and how well they contrasted with the ancient ruins. She even chuckled when she saw a pink female Goomba with a red hat reject a party of five male Goombas.

"I guess they're not her type," Toadette chuckled, as she kept walking. "This kingdom is so beautiful. I know I say that about every new place I go to, but this place is truly amazing! It makes me wonder why the Toad Brigade and I can't come to places like this often. All we do is fly around on a little airship fighting Bowser's goons. It's nice to just sit back and treasure hunt."

She paused because she came across the last Moon Shard, which stuck out from the dirt.

"Hey! There's the last of those shards!" she cheered, as she ran towards it and tugged on it.

At first, it wouldn't budge, but after two strong pulls, she yanked it out and brushed it off with a white cloth. She shielded her eyes once its gold features were revealed. "Perfect! I'm hoping this does something with the other shards I found! As someone who knows a lot about Power Stars, I can guarantee that this will form some kind of moon relic. But as I was saying before…"

She looked back up at the sky, taking a breath of satisfaction.

"No Bowser… no Koopalings… no giant monsters… no-"

Suddenly, her body was blanketed by a body of darkness, and the sound of a propeller echoed across the Lake Kingdom. Toadette wondered what was happening and looked upward. "Airships?"

A large brown airship floated right above her head.

She stuffed the Moon Shard in her backpack and ran forward, hoping to get a better look.

All four of the Broodals stood and waited for a clear spot to jump down. Once they did, all four of them landed against the grass, which caused the platform to shake. Toadette fell on her rear when that happened, and she accidentally spilled the Moon Shards when that happened.

Spewart noticed her and shot a wild grin. "Hey, look at that, fellas."

Rango turned to the small mushroom girl and cackled. "Gawrsh, Topper. It looks like she's got some pieces to a Power Moon, ha-yuck!"

"Grab her," Topper snarled. "Maybe she can tell us where the Lochlady Dress is. Hahahahahahahaha!"

Toadette crawled back, intimidated by the sight of the Broodals.

She wasn't sure who they were, nor was she interested in finding out.

END OF CHAPTER 8

What's this? A cliffhanger? SpiderDom, how could you do that!? I know, I know, I probably could have done the fight scene here. But I wanted to save it for a different chapter. Our new characters are here and they're in the form of Captain Toad and Toadette. Sadly, they won't be joining Mario and Luigi in their Odyssey Brigade, but they'll have their own roles in the story. Be sure to look out for that. With the Broodals showing up here again, this means we're going to have to fight for the Lochlady Dress. Tune in next time as we enter the fight of the century.

It's The Mario Bros. vs The Wario Bros vs Da Broodals in...

"Chapter 9: Battle For The Dress"

POST-A/N:

Some little Finding Nemo jokes are scattered around in this chapter. I couldn't resist myself, lol!

Originally, I was going to have Toad and Toadette as part of the Odyssey crew, but I didn't want to repeat a countless mistake I make with some Sonic stories I have; too many characters. So, for the Odyssey crew, I'm having up to around seven characters as the main team. Obviously, Mario, Luigi, and Cappy are the main three. Who are the other four? That's for me to know and for you to find out ;).

Mario worrying about drowning is a reference to the first time I found Captain Toad in the water hole. I didn't think of getting a Cheap Cheap, so I just went down there and spammed the Ground Pound button. Miraculously, I survived.

Isn't Lake Lamode's music so soothing?

And that's all, ladies and gentlemen! Thank you for reading the chapter! Don't forget to R&R! I'm The Sensational SpiderDom321 and I'll see you all next time!

~SD321 (SpiderDom321)