Chapter seven: Strange Shyguy
(Unknown Location)
The evil leader behind Daisy's kidnapping was having mixed feelings. In every attempt, his team had been successful in taking the Power Crystals, and had even kidnapped Daisy as a bonus, but this 'Luigi' and his team was doing so well that he thought that his plan could end up in failure. He had to make sure that his henchmen got this Power Crystal way before Luigi could.
The figure looked over his shoulder as he waited for his next minion to come in. Sitting behind him in the dark was their princess prisoner, Daisy, tightly bound to a chair. A strip of thick tape was smoothed over her mouth to prevent her from shouting insults. She narrowed her eyes at the evil figure and muttered something under her breath, which turned out to be muffled anyway.
"I must admit, your boyfriend is doing surprisingly well." The leader said as he walked over to Daisy. "However, my next minion will surely slow him down. He has never lost a fight before."
On the outside, Daisy looked unafraid, but on the inside, she was horrified. She couldn't believe that Luigi was doing all of this for her, and was scared that he could be defeated at the hands of this so-called undefeated minion.
"Boss!"
The leader turned around and saw the short figure scurry into the room. "I hope that you know what you're doing. This green plumber is more powerful than he looks." He said.
The short figure stepped out of the shadows, revealing a Shyguy in a beige cloak, complete with an explorer's hat. "Fear not, fearless leader! Congo Quint has never lost a fight!"
(Mushroom Kingdom)
"Now what do we do?" Melody asked.
"Yeah." Waluigi added. "These jerks have Daisy now, and we only have three Power Crystals to find before they do."
"We need to find another one of the original explorers." Luigi replied. "The question is, who here is old enough to actually BE one of the explorers."
Everyone scratched their heads (well, except for Goombaria, who simply pondered), all of them in deep thought. Suddenly, everyone except Melody gave an answer in unison.
"Merlon."
(Merlon's House)
"You simply can't be serious." Merlon said as he shook his head. "What makes you think that I would know where this 'Power Crystal' is?"
"Well, we just thought that you would be old enough to be one of these explorers that originally found the crystal in the first place." Fice T replied.
Merlon snorted. "If you're done with these wild stories, could you all please leave?" He asked.
"Look Merlon, if you're not one of the explorers, then that's fine! We made a mistake!" Luigi exclaimed. "But could you at least find out who IS one of the explorers? Daisy's at stake, and I'm willing to do anything to ensure her safety!"
Merlon stood in silence and, much to everyone's surprise, started chuckling. "My boy, the next crystal is within the village on Yoshi's Island."
Everyone froze and stared at the wizard with unbelieving glares.
"You mean that you were lying to us?" Sonar cried.
Merlon pointed a finger at the young Shyguy. "I wanted to make sure that you were doing this quest for the right reasons. As it turns out, Luigi is willing to do this for the love of his life." Waluigi cringed at that remark, slightly hurt. "That's all the proof I need."
"Well, now that we know where the crystal is, how do we intend on getting there when that giant tuna isn't at the docks anymore?" Fice T asked.
"Whale." Waluigi corrected.
"No need to worry, my friends." Merlon insisted. "Using my magic, I'll teleport all of us there myself. That is, if you don't mind."
Luigi shook his head. "No, I don't think we'd mind." He said. "Just as long as we get there quicker."
"Don't worry. This shall be faster than a trip through a warp pipe." Merlon replied as he started to focus his energy.
Suddenly, everyone was engulfed in a bright light, and when it cleared, Merlon's house was empty.
(Yoshi's Island)
Even though Merlon had said that it would be quick, no one expected it to be as quick as it was. Before anyone knew it, they were all standing on the beaches of Yoshi's Island, just outside of the village. Everyone turned to Merlon, who, despite wearing a hood that covered his face, was smiling.
"When you find the crystal, come back here and I'll teleport us back." Merlon instructed. "Good luck. All of you."
Bidding farewell to Merlon, everyone walked down the beach for a short trip to Yoshi's Village. Upon entering the village, everyone looked around. Yoshies of many colours were all over the village. There were even a few colours that Luigi didn't know even existed.
A particular Green Yoshi, the same one that has been a friend of Mario for years, spotted Luigi and rushed over to him, followed by a female, pink dinosaur with a red bow on her head.
"Luigi! What a surprise!" Yoshi greeted, although in the Yoshi language that only Luigi, Mario, Peach and a select few others could understand. "How have things been?"
Luigi sighed. "Not good." He said. "Daisy's been kidnapped and we need to find a special crystal that's somewhere on this island before this group of villains do."
Birdo gasped, as she also had a language that only a select few could understand. "That's terrible! I hope that you find what you're looking for. If you fail, Daisy will die!"
Luigi nodded. "I know."
Everyone else on the team stared at the trio strangely.
"Uh...Did you get that?" Waluigi asked Melody.
"No." Melody shook her head.
"We were wondering if you guys had seen anything that might look unusual lately." Luigi said. "Anything could be a clue."
Yoshi pondered this for a few seconds. "Well, now that you mention it, Toad and Toadette are currently visiting the village to pay us a visit. Toad even found a shiny thing hidden within one of our houses." He shrugged. "Because we didn't have any sort of use for it, we let him keep it. Anyway, the two of them decided to take a stroll through the jungle."
Luigi eyes snapped open as he grabbed his head. "GOOD GRIEF!" He shouted.
(Jungle)
Toad and Toadette strolled through the jungle, looking around at the pleasant sights around them. It had been such a long time since Toad had come to Yoshi's Island, and decided to bring his girlfriend along, as this was her first time on the island.
"Toad, I can't believe I never knew about this place!" Toadette said as she looked around in awe. "It's all so beautiful!"
Toad smirked. "Not as beautiful as you."
Toadette blushed as she stopped walking to look at Toad. "Toad, I can't thank you enough for bringing me along." She planted a kiss on his cheek and smiled. "You're so sweet."
Toad blushed as he rubbed the spot gently where Toadette had just kissed him. He quickly reached into his vest. "Toadette, I have something I'd like to give you."
The pink and purple girl mushroom raised an eyebrow, wondering what Toad could have. Her eyes widened when he pulled a sparkling, purple gem from his vest, small enough to wrap his fingers around it. "This." He said as he held out his hand.
Toadette gasped when she saw the gem sparkle from the sun. "Oh, Toad! It's so gorgeous!" She exclaimed.
The male mushroom nodded. "Exactly why I think you should have it." He insisted. "If you wear it as a necklace, it'll make you look even more beautiful than before."
Toadette suddenly felt her eyes start to water as she threw her arms around her boyfriend and embraced him in love. Toad smiled and returned the hug.
Suddenly, both mushroom citizens heard a strange noise coming from behind. When they turned around, what they saw was something that gave them a total shock.
"W-What in the world are those things?" Toadette asked, slowly backing away.
Although scared, Toad quickly hardened his face and stood in front of Toadette bravely. "Get out of here, Toadette! I'll take care of these things!"
"But Toad!" His girlfriend insisted.
"Please! For both of our sakes, run for it!"
Although hesitant at leaving Toad behind, Toadette, clutching the crystal Toad had just given her, charged further into the jungle.
(Yoshi's Island)
Luigi and the rest of the team dashed through the jungle, brushing branches out of their way as they went.
"I hope we find those two before the villains do!" Goombaria said. "We don't want to endanger any more people!"
"Don't worry, Goombaria." Luigi said as he looked around. "They left the village not that long ago. They SHOULD be nearby."
Luigi ran past a tree, pushing a branch aside. After Luigi let go of it, the branch swung back and struck Melody in the face. Rubbing her nose, Melody pushed the branch aside and ran past it. The branch in turn struck Waluigi in the face. Luckily, Goombaria, Sonar and Fice T were too short to be hit.
The team quickly came upon an intersection that went three ways. The team looked around.
"The question is which way did they go." Sonar stated.
As the rest of the team discussed on which path to take, Goombaria spotted a Heart Flower sitting aside. She walked over to it and stared at it.
"Excuse me, but did you, by any chance, see two mushroom people walk by here a few minutes ago?" Goombaria asked politely.
The Heart Flower nodded as it stuck out its tongue and pointed down the eastern path.
"Thank you kindly." Goombaria said as she walked back to the team. "They went down the eastern path."
Everyone stared at her. "How do you know that?" Fice T asked.
"The flower told me." The Goomba girl said with a smile.
Waluigi smacked his forehead. "Just what we need. Talking flowers."
(Later…)
Although confused at Goombaria's story, everyone decided to go through the eastern path and see where it led them. They had been walking for a good while now, but so far, nothing looked out of the ordinary.
"Are you sure about this flower story, Goombaria?" Luigi asked.
"Yeah. The flower pointed down this path with its tongue." Goombaria nodded.
Another couple of minutes passed. Everyone was just about ready to turn around and take a different route, but Goombaria urged them to go on.
"I don't care about what some stupid flower told you!" Waluigi snapped. "We've been walking along this jungle path for a while now and we haven't seen anything!"
"Wait a minute." Luigi shushed. "I think I hear something."
Curiously, everyone walked forward. As they walked, they could hear the sound of bongos being played. When the music got even louder, Luigi sneaked behind a bush, signaling everyone to do the same.
When the team looked beyond the bushes, their eyes widened at the scene before them. They were staring at a tribe of strange-looking Shyguys, all of which looked like Indians. The chief of the tribe was dressed in a dark cloak while the rest were dressed in light cloaks. What they saw next was what surprised them the most. Toad was standing in the middle of a ring of dancing Tribal Guys, tied to a stake. It looked like they were getting ready to start a fire.
"We have to stop them!" Goombaria whispered. "That's Toad in there!"
"And stop them we shall!" Luigi whispered. "Listen, while I distract them, you guys get Toad out of there."
Everyone nodded as they split up, Luigi going through the bush while everyone else went around them.
The chief Tribal Guy saw the green-clad man walking over and ordered his men to stop dancing. "Who are you, white man?" He asked.
"That's of no concern." Luigi replied. "But that's my friend you're about to burn. Let him go."
The chief thought this over until nodding. "Very well. We release friend."
Toad instantly started struggling. "Luigi, don't believe them! These guys will just burn you too!" He cried.
The chief glared daggers at the mushroom boy. "Mushroom give away plan!" He growled angrily as he stood up and marched over to his tribe. "Now, we destroy both of them!"
Raising their spears into the air, all of the other Tribal Guys charged at Luigi, letting out an insane battle cry.
[BATTLE: START]
[MINI-BOSS: SHYGUY TRIBE – CHIEF'S HEALTH: 3]
Luigi quickly found himself being swarmed by Tribal Guys. The insane, face- painted Shyguys lunged at him from all directions and started leaping around to allow confusion so Luigi couldn't get to the chief.
Luigi pulled his fist back and delivered a hard punch, knocking several Tribal Guys back. Unfortunately, they all bounced back instantly as if nothing had happened. Luigi continued his onslaught, but no matter how many punches he dished out, none of the Tribal Guys would become defeated.
"What the heck's going on?" Luigi thought. "No matter how much I attack these guys, they won't go down!"
The green-clad plumber looked through the crowd of Tribal Guys and saw the chief running around, blending in with the entire tribe.
A light bulb suddenly went on inside Luigi's head. "The chief! Maybe I should aim for the chief!" He thought.
Although he had difficulty spotting the chief because his cloak was only slightly darker than the rest of the tribe, Luigi spotted him. Charging headfirst at the chief, Luigi avoided the attacks coming from the rest of the tribe.
The chief saw Luigi coming and pulled up a hatchet to prepare for an attack, but it was already too late. The green hero dove at the chief and tackled him to the ground.
"White man find chief!" One of the Tribal Guys cried. "Run for it!" All of the Tribal Guys quickly ran from the battlefield, leaving Luigi and the chief.
The chief sighed. "Tribe loyal, but so much cowardly." He looked up at Luigi. "We settle this, white man!"
The chief charged at Luigi, swinging his hatchet like a madman. Luigi ran to the side as the chief ran past. Luigi tried to counter-attack, but the chief was running too fast.
"He's fast for such a little guy." Luigi thought. "There has to be some way to make him stop."
Looking around quickly, Luigi couldn't see anything that could help him. The only things in the area were a bunch of small trees and thick stumps.
Luigi's eyes widened, realizing what he had just seen. He decided that he didn't have much to lose, so he decided to give it a try. Looking at the chief, Luigi saw the small Shyguy charging at him, still swinging his hatchet.
The green plumber stood in front of a stump and waited for the chief to come close enough. Once he had thought that he had waited long enough, Luigi ran to the side, allowing the chief to strike the stump, lodging the hatchet in it. The chief quickly started pulling on the hatchet in an attempt to pry it from the stump.
Luigi, seeing the chief struggle, took his chance and charged his Thunderhand. Running up beside the chief, Luigi thrust his hand out, unleashing a fully-charged jolt of electricity at the chief. [HIT]
"Ugg!" The chief shouted in pain as he shook of the effects of the Thunderhand.
In an instant, all of the Tribal Guys in the tribe leapt back into the battlefield and started swarming Luigi again.
Luigi started swinging his fists wildly to keep the other Tribal Guys at bay as he searched the battlefield for the chief. This time was much harder to see the chief because all of the Tribal Guys were bouncing all over the arena even more, a lot of them jumping into Luigi's path of sight.
The green hero suddenly spotted the chief running around a good ways away. In the meantime, two Tribal Guys had grabbed hold of his arms.
"We have him!" One of the Tribal Guys said in triumph.
Luigi clenched his teeth as he charged through the battlefield, towards the chief, dragging the two Tribal Guys along for the ride. Luigi suddenly stopped and thrust his hands forward, launching both Tribal Guys into a group of others, sending them all to the ground.
As the group was starting to get up, Luigi used what little time he had to run towards the chief and tackle him to the ground.
The rest of the Tribal Guys screamed in terror as they fled the scene, again leaving Luigi alone with the chief.
The chief growled. "I'd scalp them if they had any."
Against the odds, the chief drew the hatchet again and charged at Luigi.
While avoiding the chief, Luigi was frantically looking for something that the chief could get the hatchet stuck in. He quickly spotted a small, thick tree not too far away. After avoiding a swing from the chief, Luigi charged towards the tree and stood in front of it, waiting for the chief to strike.
The chief, not realizing what Luigi had planned, charged at the green man and swung the hatchet horizontally. Luigi dodged the attack and ran to the side as the hatchet struck the tree, getting stuck again.
As the chief started pulling on the hatchet, Luigi charged the Thunderhand again. Once fully charged, Luigi engulfed the chief in electricity for a second time. [HIT]
"You mess with wrong tribe, white man!" The chief shouted as he ripped the hatchet from the tree.
The rest of the tribe took this as a signal and charged into the battlefield again, swarming Luigi's sight and guarding the chief.
While continually fighting off the Tribal Guys, Luigi couldn't believe how hard it was finding the chief. That, and the rest of the tribe were becoming an even bigger annoyance.
While looking past the continually-bouncing Tribal Guys, Luigi suddenly spotted the chief not too far away. Unfortunately, several Tribal Guys leapt on top of him, forming a dog pile.
"We have white man this time!" One of the Tribal Guys said confidently.
However, the Tribal Guys had all underestimated Luigi and his strength. Luigi struggled to his feet, all the while with seven Tribal Guys stacked on top of his back. Suddenly, Luigi started spinning, catching them all off guard. They all flew off Luigi's back, landing elsewhere.
Luigi charged towards the chief, but saw several more Tribal Guys standing in front of him. Luigi narrowed his eyes as he crouched low, becoming engulfed in a strange, pulsating energy.
"GREEN MISSILE!"
Luigi launched himself at the wall of Tribal Guys headfirst, plowing through them. All of the Tribal Guys Luigi hit were sent into the air. Luigi continued flying until he struck the chief. Again, the Tribal Guys all fled in terror.
The chief didn't even bother to mention the incompetence of his tribe as he whipped the hatchet out again.
"BURY THE HATCHET!" The chief screamed as he charged at Luigi and leapt into the air.
Luigi realized what the chief was about to do, do he ran to the side and allowed the chief to strike the ground. Luigi quickly found a stump and stood in front of it.
The chief ran at Luigi, swinging his hatchet normally. Luigi dodged the blow, allowing the hatchet to strike the stump, becoming wedged in it.
Luigi pulled his fist back and activated the Thunderhand as the chief tried desperately to pull the hatchet from the stump. However, he wasn't quick enough, as a third jolt of electricity went through him after becoming the victim of the Thunderhand for the third time. [HIT]
"Nooo..." The chief said as he slowly drifted into unconsciousness. "We are...best tribe in...jungle..."
Luigi folded his arms and looked down at the fallen chief. "You guys are the weirdest bunch I've ever met!" He said.
[END BATTLE. LUIGI WINS]
Looking away from the fallen chief, Luigi stared at the stake Toad had been tied to. Like he had instructed, the rest of the team had freed the mushroom retainer. Luigi walked over to him.
Seeing Luigi coming, Toad brightened. "Thanks for showing up when you did, Luigi! These creeps were about to toast me for a feast." He shuddered at the thought, followed by a few members of the team, mainly the younger ones.
"No problem, Toad." Luigi said. "In fact, my team and I need to ask you a question."
"Shoot." Toad replied.
"Did you find a strange crystal in Yoshi Village?" Luigi asked.
Toad nodded. "Yeah. I found it hidden in the Item Shop, and the Yoshies said that I could keep it. I gave it to Toadette as a present."
Everyone eyes sprang open when Toad had said that. Toad noticed this. "What's wrong?"
"Toad, that crystal is a Power Crystal!" Goombaria cried. "A group of villains are looking high and low for those!"
Toad suddenly realized what he had done. His eyes sprang open in horror. "I GAVE IT TO TOADETTE!" He cried.
"Quick! Where is she?" Melody asked.
"She ran off further into the jungle to get help!" Toad replied.
(Big Tree)
Toadette ran as fast as her little feet could carry her as she tore through the jungle, Toad's gift firmly in her grip. She was searching for someone that could help them, and had heard that someone named 'Raphael Raven' was living in the jungle, willing to help those in need.
Toadette suddenly burst out of the jungle and into a clearing. She looked up in awe, as a giant tree stood in front of her, standing at least a hundred feet high.
"This must be it!" Toadette said as she rushed into a doorway on the side of the tree.
The mushroom girl found herself running up a seemingly endless flight of stairs that was going up the inside of the hollow tree. Although she was already tired, Toadette knew that unless she found help, Toad was in danger, which was what gave her the extra energy.
Soon enough, Toadette found herself at the top of the tree. She slowly walked outside the tree and found herself on a giant branch. What surprised her was the fact that there was a giant raven sitting in a nest, sound asleep. Toadette realized that this must be Raphael Raven himself.
Toadette quietly walked over to the sleeping raven and gently poked him. "Um...Excuse me?"
The giant raven's eyes sprang open, then narrowed. "WHO DARES WAKE ME UP?" He bellowed, making Toadette fall back in fear.
Sitting on the branch, Toadette fearfully looked up at the giant raven. "Um...I did." She said meekly. "I am looking for Raphael Raven. W-Would you happen to be him?"
The glare in Raphael's eyes dimmed as he calmed down. "I am. What business do you have here?" He asked. "And furthermore, how did you get all the way up my tree in the first place?"
"I took the stairs." Toadette replied. "Listen, my name is Toadette, and my boyfriend is out in the middle of the jungle fighting off a tribe of Shyguys for my sake. Could you please help him?" She pleaded.
Raphael sat in silence. "Normally, I would question his ability to fight, but it doesn't matter. This tribe of Shyguys is the most violent in the jungle and would be able to wear anyone down in minutes, with the exception of the Mario brothers of course." He leapt front the nest and landed on the branch, showing his gigantic feet. "I shall go ahead and help him. Shall I give you a lift back down to the ground?"
Toadette nodded. "Thank you very much, mister Raven." She said gratefully as she clambered onto Raphael's back.
Raphael took to the air and floated down towards the ground, his passenger clinging onto him for dear life. Soon enough, his feet touched the ground.
After Toadette got off of him, Raphael looked at her. "You stay here and wait for my return." He instructed. Toadette nodded furiously. "Just tell me what he looks like and what direction he is and I'll be off.
"He's got a mushroom head like mine only it's white with red dots. He's wearing a blue vest and white pants. He's exactly my height." Toadette explained. She pointed down the path she came from. "He should be that way.
Raphael nodded. "Fear not. I'll return shortly." With that, the giant raven turned around and flew away.
Toadette watched Raphael fly off until he was out of sight. She sighed, hoping that Toad would be still safe by the time Raphael found him.
Before Toadette could do anything else, something was thrown over her. It didn't take long for her to notice that it was a sack. Toadette tried screaming, but the sack over her was muffling anything she shouted.
"Triumph!" An unfamiliar voice gloated.
Toadette suddenly felt herself being picked up and being slung over someone shoulder. As much as she tried to struggle, she couldn't break free.
(Jungle)
The team, Toad included, rushed through the jungle, everyone calling out Toadette's name at different times.
"She couldn't have gone THAT far!" Toad said, clearly worried for Toadette's safety. "We have to find her before anything happens!"
"Don't worry, Toad." Luigi assured. "We'll find her."
"Hello down there!"
Everyone, hearing the voice, looked upwards into the sky. They saw a giant raven floating down from the sky until he touched the ground.
"Who are you?" Waluigi asked.
"Raphael Raven." Goombaria replied. "Goombario told me about him."
"Well, what's he doing all the way out here?" Sonar asked.
Raphael scanned Toad over. "Are you 'Toad'?" He asked.
Toad nodded. "I am."
"Your girlfriend was looking for you." Raphael stated.
Toad's eyes snapped open. "You saw Toadette? Where is she?" He asked frantically.
"She's waiting at my tree, waiting for me to return with you." He explained. "I'll show you all the way to my tree."
Although everyone was surprised at the display of kindness, they all thanked Raphael as he walked ahead of them, leading them in the direction of his tree.
The team continued walking for a good five minutes. Every time they encountered any enemies, Raphael's size made the baddies run in fear. Soon enough, the team had walked into the clearing containing Raphael's tree. Everyone looked around, but Toadette was no where in sight.
"Toadette?" Toad called out, running around the area. "Toadette? Where are you?"
"That's strange." Raphael said as he looked around. "She told me that she'd wait here."
"Well, where could she be?" Melody asked.
"...Oh, no..."
Everyone turned in the direction of the voice and saw Fice T kneeling down beside some tracks on the ground. Everyone walked over to him.
"What is it, Fice T?" Luigi asked.
"Look at this. These tracks, a mushroom person's by the look of it, are standing around here." Fice T pointed out. "But if you look over here, the tracks become skid marks and have pushed up some dirt, indicating a struggle." He then pointed behind the tracks. "And look. These tracks, I'm guessing from a Shyguy, are both light and spread out, showing that this person sneaked up on the mushroom person. Plus, there are no more tracks from the mushroom person, but the Shyguy tracks are walking away into the jungle."
Everyone's eyes widened, realizing what this meant. "You you're saying that- " Goombaria breathed.
"Yes. Toadette was standing around after Raphael left, when a Shyguy sneaked up behind her and threw a sack over her. She was then picked up and was carried off into the jungle." Fice T sighed as he stood up.
Toad's mouth went dry and his lip started shaking. Suddenly, he buried his face in his hands. "Th-This is all my fault!" He accused himself. "If I hadn't given her that crystal, then this wouldn't have happened!"
"Don't worry, Toad." Fice T said. "The tracks are fresh. If we follow them, we'll find Toadette quickly."
Although confused at Fice T's sudden change in attitude, they all agreed and walked into the jungle, leaving Raphael behind at the tree, wishing them luck.
Everyone rushed through the jungle, following the Shyguy tracks in hopes of finding Toadette before anything happened.
Surprisingly, Toad was running faster than anyone. Everyone figured that it was because he was so worried about Toadette.
Soon the team arrived at a clearing, where the tracks ended. Luigi directed them towards a bush and they all hid behind it. Everyone looked at the scene that lay before them.
Toadette was tied up and dangling from a tree branch, her arms tied behind her back and her feet tied together. Standing on the ground, looking up at her, was a Shyguy in a beige cloak, complete with an explorer's hat. He was holding the crystal that Toad had given Toadette in his hands.
"You'll never get away with this!" Toadette shouted. "Once Raphael returns to the tree with Toad, they'll see that I'm not there!"
"You say that like I should be worried, my dear." The Shyguy said. "Congo Quint is not afraid of someone like Raphael Raven."
Toadette gulped. "What are you going to do with me?" She asked, almost afraid of the answer.
Quint smirked behind the mask. "I think the Piranha Plants could use a snack, don't you think?" Seeing Toadette's eyes spring open in horror, he chuckled. "Don't worry. You won't be in pain for very long."
Behind the bush, Toad's eyes widened as wide as Toadette's. "He's gonna kill her!" He whispered. "I can't let that happen!"
Just as Toad was about to stand up and charge at Quint, a firm hand held him back. Looking back, Toad saw that stern face of Fice T.
"No, Toad. He looks dangerous." He said. "Here, you release Toadette. I'll take care of that guy."
Everyone was shocked at the sudden bravery that Fice T was showing. He noticed their glares and gave his answer. "I may be a coward, but messing with Toad Town citizens is too far for me." He replied. "Let me handle this."
Toad nodded as he went around the back way. Everyone else wished Fice T luck as he slowly stood up and walked around from the bush, out into the open.
"Hey, shorty!" He called out.
This got Quint's attention. Turning around, he saw Fice T standing there, spear and shield raised and ready to attack.
"Impossibility!" He cried. "No one had ever been able to find me before!"
"Then you obviously haven't met anyone smart enough to search for footprints." Fice T said. "Now, hand over the Power Crystal and release Toadette."
Quint laughed. "Foolishness! Do you really think I'd listen to someone like you?" he suddenly grew serious. "But you know about the Power Crystals. It looks like I have no choice but to destroy you."
Quint charged at Fice T and activated a button on his watch, blinding the mushroom guard.
(Nth Dimension)
Fice T opened his eyes. When he could finally see, he wasn't surprised to see that he wasn't in the jungle anymore. Instead, it was the Nth Dimension. This time, the platform was a huge square platform. At each of the side was another square platform, slightly smaller and too far away for Fice T to jump to. He quickly saw Quint standing close to the middle of the big platform.
"Who the HECK are you?" Fice T asked.
"I am..." The strange Shyguy struck several weird poses. "Congo Quint! The most raring, daring, fearless Shyguy in the Mushroom Kingdom!"
Fice T shook his head in hopelessness. "We'll see about that one."
"Indeed we shall!" Quint shouted as he jumped to one of the smaller platforms and pulled out a gun. "Have at thee!"
[BATTLE: START]
[BOSS: CONGO QUINT – HEALTH: 3]
Quint fired a shot from his gun, shooting a pellet at Fice T. The normally- terrified guard quickly put up his shield, making the pellet bounce off of it harmlessly. Quint growled as he somehow jumped to the next platform over and fired another pellet. Again, the shot bounced off the shield.
Clearly frustrated, Quint jumped to the next platform and started firing shot after shot dozens of times. How the gun could hold this much ammo, Fice T would never know, but what he DID know was that he wouldn't be able to block every last shot like that. The guard wisely decided to turn tail and run away from the trail of pellets, all of which struck the ground, leaving a trail of smoke.
After finishing firing all of the shots, Quint flipped a switch on his gun and fired again, this time shooting a ball of fire at the mushroom guard. Fice T's eyes sprang open as he pulled the shield in front of his face, bracing for impact. He knew that the fireball was coming too fast to avoid.
The fireball struck Fice T's shield, but didn't reflect. Instead, the shield actually absorbed the flaming ball of fire. Fice T's eyes widened as he looked at his shield, which was now starting to glow a dim shade of red.
"My shield can ABSORB?" Fice T asked himself.
Quint's eyes widened behind his mask as he jumped to the next platform and started firing the gun normally again. He was determined to defeat Fice T. He wouldn't let a normal mushroom person defeat him. He started firing another trail of pellets from the gun and watched as Fice T ran away from the line of the dozens of pellets.
Fice T kept his eye on Quint, waiting for him to flip the switch on the gun again so he could absorb another fireball.
Fortunately, he didn't have to wait long. Quint flipped the switch on the gun and fired another fireball. Fice T quickly brought the shield up to protect his face and let the fireball strike the shield again. Like before, the shield absorbed the projectile. As Quint leapt to the next platform, Fice T quickly looked at his shield. It was glowing even brighter now.
Quint fired more shots from the gun, making another trail of gunfire. Fice T ran as the pellets hit the ground around his feet.
Fice T watched as Quint jumped to the next platform. He waited for him to fire another fireball so he could absorb it.
The guard smirked as he saw Quint flip the switch on his gun again. Again, the ball of fire was fired from the barrel of the gun. Fice T held up the shield and allowed the ball of embers to strike it.
Fice T expected the shield to do nothing, but what happened next surprised him. The combined energy from all three fireballs built up far too much energy for the shield to handle. In an instant, a long, continuous beam of flaming energy shot from the shield and struck the platform Quint was standing on. The strange Shyguy was sent into the air and landed on the platform with Fice T. The guard took this opportunity to plunge the end of his spear to strike Quint in the head. [HIT]
"Gah!" Quint shouted as he jumped to his feet and leapt back to the platform. "Impressiveness..."
Quint drew the gun again and started firing the continuous stream of pellets and watched as Fice T ran away from them. Quint stopped shooting and flipped the switch again before firing once.
Fice T saw the fireball coming at him and quickly held up his shield. The fireball struck the shield as the shield absorbed it.
Quint leapt to the next platform and ripped something from his belt: A hand grenade. Fice T's eyes sprang open as Quint tossed the grenade at him.
"Oh, crap!" Fice T thought as he started running, trying to get as far away from the grenade, which was bouncing towards him, as possible.
Once Fice T was far enough away, the grenade stopped bouncing and exploded, making a ball of fire erupt in a small area on the arena floor. After the explosion died down, Quint pulled out his gun and fired another fireball. Another shot easily absorbed.
Quint decided to go back to square one as he jumped to the next platform over, pulling out his gun and firing the gun rapidly again. Fice T ran from the pellets as the smoke they left behind started rising around his feet.
Fice T waited impatiently for Quint to stop shooting and shoot another fireball. Luckily, his wait was quickly over.
Quint flipped the switch on the gun and shot another fireball. Fice T quickly held up his shield and allowed the shield to absorb the fireball.
Like Fice T expected, the shield fired another beam of fire at the Shyguy, striking the platform he was on. Quint was sent high into the air until he hit the platform Fice T was standing on. The mushroom guard again attacked Quint with the end of his spear. [HIT]
"What the?" Quint shouted as he leapt to his feet and leapt back to his platform. "Annoyance..."
Fice T watched as Quint pulled out his gun again and started firing the steady stream of pellets at the mushroom guard, this time even faster than ever before, in an attempt to actually hit him this time. Unfortunately for him, none of the pellets actually hit the mushroom guard.
Quint quickly flipped the switch on his gun and fired another fireball. Fice T quickly held up his shield and absorbed the fireball, making his shield glow slightly.
The strange Shyguy started panicking, as he was getting pretty close to his first ever loss. He quickly ripped another grenade from his belt and hurled it at Fice T. The mushroom guard quickly ran away from the grenade as it bounced towards him.
Fice T ran from the grenade and waited for it to explode. When it did, Fice T watched Quint jump to the next platform and prepared for him to pull out the gun again.
However, this time was different.
"Destruction!" Quint shouted as he started pulling grenades from his pocket and throwing them as fast as he could.
Fice T's eyes sprang open as he started running. Every time a grenade struck the ground, it exploded. Fice T had to run as fast as he could to avoid the many explosions that came up from all around him. He could only hope that Quint would throw another fireball.
Luckily, the explosions stopped soon enough. Fice T quickly turned towards Quint and pulled up his shield just as he saw the fireball coming at him.
The fireball struck the shield as it became absorbed. Suddenly, the beam of fire, containing the energy from all three fireballs, shot from the shield, striking the platform Quint was standing on.
Quint was sent flying until he landed face-first on the platform Fice T was on. Fice T quickly plunged the end of his spear into the back of Quint's head for the third time. [HIT]
"Ung..." Quint moaned as he slowly drifted into unconsciousness. "Mistakeness..."
Fice T spun his spear around in his hand a few times before plunging it into the ground and raising above his head in triumph. "You're quite weird, but I think you know that."
[END BATTLE. FICE T WINS.]
Before Fice T could search Quint for the Power Crystal, a bright light blinded him.
(Yoshi's Island)
When Fice T opened his eyes again, he saw that he was in the jungle again, Quint lying on the ground, defeated. The rest of the team stood around as Toad stood aside, comforting Toadette while holding her in an embrace.
"You did it, Fice T!" Goombaria said.
"Let's get that crystal from him before he gets away!" Luigi instructed.
As the team quickly rushed towards the defeated Shyguy, Quint was engulfed in a strange, white energy. The light quickly faded from sight, and when it did, Quint was gone.
Waluigi shook his head. "This isn't good! There's only two more crystals left now!"
