"He's…he's…a madman! A madman! That's what he is!" declared a black and blue, but bandaged Goomba minion. He and a blue Koopa Paratroopa—well, technically, he was no longer a Paratroopa because his wings were broken—were discussing Dr. Mario's recent behavior.
"Yes! He all but destroyed both of my wings, fractured my shell, and then had the nerve to hand me a coupon for a twenty-five percent discount on my next visit to his clinic!" lamented the flightless Paratroopa. "It makes me so mad that…that…that…" Unable to express his frustration in words, he kicked a nearby Koopa Shell. It slid into a wall with a satisfying crash.
"We have got to do something about this!" decided the Goomba.
"Yeah, but what?" The former Paratroopa looked quizzical. "Need I remind you what happened to us last time we came in contact with the good doctor?" He extended a damaged wing to emphasize his point.
"Well…I guess we'll just have to find someone big enough and strong enough to take him down…"
"But who could possibly…?"
"King Bowser!" they exclaimed simultaneously. The two immediately scurried off together in search of the King of the Koopas, hoping that he could bring the crazed doctor to justice.
Comfortable in his cushioned, golden throne, Bowser stroked his chin thoughtfully. "So…ya want me to clobber Mario for ya, huh?" he asked, in a voice that didn't seem to sound refined enough to belong to royalty.
"Why…y-y-y-yessssir!" the Goomba and Paratroopa chimed in unison, both forming weak salutes.
"Doesn't sound like a bad idea to me." At this, the petitioners sighed, relieved that the king had not decided to clobber them instead. "Yes…I've let that good-for-nothing do-gooder get away with way too much! It's time for me to stand up for my subjects! Let Mario know that he is no longer in charge!" Bowser's minions looked up at his scaly face, inspired by their leader's determination. "Even if he does give me complimentary lollipops after he looks at my teeth," he added. His followers facefaulted.
"And here's a coupon for a twenty-five percent discount on your next visit to my clinic!" Dr. Mario offered, excitedly. He had just battered a Shy Guy nearly to death, but, if the poor Guy managed to make it all the way to his clinic alive, he would make sure to honor the slip of paper and fix him up at a bargain price.
"Mario!" boomed a challenging voice. Dr. Mario turned and saw that the voice's owner was none other than his nemesis, Bowser, King of the Koopas. "Why, hello, Bowser…are you here for a free coupon?"
"Hardly," snorted the gargantuan dinosaur. "I hear tell you've been ruffin' up my soldiers…is that true, Mario?" He eyed Mario scornfully.
"Well, I, uh…" the doctor broke off, and rummaged around in his brain for something to complete his thought, that the King of the Koopas might be gullible enough to believe. "…I was only making sure they got a chance to use the new coupons I've been issuing…" Dr. Mario stammered. Nervous laughter betrayed his lie.
"Is that so…? Well, I hope you have an extra coupon left for yourself, doctor…for hassling my minions, you're gonna need it!" Upon spitting out the last of his words, Bowser dove forward with his claws extended.
Dr. Mario less-than-nimbly somersaulted out of the way (and immediately resolved to work out a little more often) and leapt forward with an attack of his own, aiming for the top of his opponent's lowered head. His boots connected with the Koopa King's hard skull causing minimal damage, but the wily Koopa tossed his head immediately upon impact, flinging Dr. Mario headfirst into a floating Mystery Block.
While Dr. Mario righted himself, a Fire Flower sprouted from the Mystery Block, which he plucked. Bowser implemented a long-range fire breath attack, which Dr. Mario countered with his newly obtained Fire Flower. Bowser's mouth and Dr. Mario's flower both shot similar looking streams of fire at their respective targets, while Dr. Mario inched closer to the Koopa King hiding behind the petals of his Fire Flower as if it were a shield.
Eventually, the Flower began smoking, indicating that its magic had given out. Fortunately for the doctor, Bowser's fire breath was also giving out, and the normally hotheaded reptilian ruler was only able to produce a single, pitifully minuscule flame in his mouth. By this time, Dr. Mario had gotten within an arm's length of his foe—close enough to jam a fistful of Megavitamin down his throat.
Lacking oxygen, the Koopa King's face began to match the color of the blue vitamin that was suffocating him. Dr. Mario took advantage of the sudden vulnerability and body slammed into Bowser's enormous gut. The force of the blow generated enough recoil to topple the king and land him on his back. Dr. Mario ran a few steps towards the fallen king and vaulted into a Super Jump above his body. Upon reaching the highest point of his jump, Dr. Mario executed a 360° flip and Hip Dropped swiftly downwards.
The force of collision of the Hip Drop knocked all the wind out of Bowser, and also, the offending blue Megavitamin. However, the Koopa King was entirely too tired to move out of the way, so once the Megavitamin came back down, it conked him on the head. Bowser lay on the ground just where he was, passed out.
Dr. Mario shook his head. "Tsk, tsk, tsk…" Before leaving, he left a note with Bowser: a small slip of paper redeemable for a twenty-five percent discount on its owner's next visit to his clinic.