breath20k
Bub has and will always be a Glitz Pit fan.
mariobroultimate
It's okay. I appreciate your explanation of how people's opinions differ from constructive criticism. I have a hunch your suspicions about Pennington not being a detective may be right too. As for Mario, he'll understand that it's not the elders' fault for misnaming him. Heck, Mayor Kroop may have been going through dementia when he met the Mario Bros.
...
Chapter 43: Pit Stop
It's 7:35 AM the next day. Having gotten about 11 and a half hours of sleep, Mario was ready to begin Day 2 of the Excess Express's trip to Poshley Heights. Luigi only got seven hours in since he stayed up after Mario dozed off.
For Day 2, Mario donned a redwood-colored cap and overalls along with a black shirt. Luigi wore a similar outfit, except his cap and overalls were teal-colored.
In addition, Koops was brought out to accompany the Mario Bros. And was he enamored by the layout of the train when everyone walked to the Dining Car for breakfast.
Knowing they were on a tight schedule, Mario and Co. didn't eat that big of a meal. They went straight to the back of Passenger Car 3, where the conductor continued to stand by the Baggage Car entrance.
"Good morning, sir," Mario greeted the conductor.
"Good morning to you and your brother, Detective Mario," the conductor replied. "Before you ask, I did not see anyone suspicious during the night. Went straight to bed after my shift was up."
"What else is going on?" Luigi asked.
"Today, we'll be stopping at Riverside Station around dusk." The conductor checked his watch. "6 o'clock, to be precise."
"Hmm. I get it. Some passengers want to get off there and other people are going to Poshley Heights," Mario remarked.
"Exactly."
"Thank you for your information."
"You're welcome, Mario," the conductor answered.
With that, the Mario Bros and Koops headed for Cabin 007.
"Is Pennington a famous detective?" Koops asked.
"He looked more like he's in his first few days," Luigi replied. "A bit hesitant, but he'll get used to the job."
Meanwhile, Mario reflected on Bombette's question to Pennington yesterday. Did Bombette think Pennington's not a real detective? How did she know?
For now, Mario wasn't sure if Bombette was right. He chose to play along as if Pennington was a professional.
Upon entering Cabin 007, the group saw Pennington standing with the blue Ratooey they saw in the kitchen.
Pennington and the Ratooey were busy talking until the former saw Mario out of the corner of his eye; the red plumber stepped up to speak to him.
"Ah, my dear Mario!" Pennington exclaimed. "Your timing is impeccable! A new case has arisen!" He turned to the Ratooey. "Mr. Businessman, please explain the facts to my two assistants, Mario and Luigi."
"What's the next case like?" Mario asked.
"Here's the lowdown," Mr. Businessman began. "When I woke up this morning, my briefcase was gone! It contained all the contracts for our next deal, and even our new product prototype! If I don't recover it, I'll lose my job at the LEAST!"
"Now, now, calm yourself," Pennington butted in, hearing Mr. Businessman's vocal despair. "The next part is vital. So tell them very slowly."
Luigi and Koops stepped up as well to listen in.
"Of course, of course... Our company's new product is 'Nitro Honey Syrup'... Used properly, it's an amazing product that can even raise the dead..." Mr. Businessman explained. "But if mixed with the calcium from a seashell and a bit of gold... Well, then! The results are EXPLOSIVE! The resulting goo-blast would immobilize everyone here in a sticky, yet yummy, shellac! If it's fallen into the wrong hands... Well, I could lose more than my job!"
"All right. Let's examine these facts, shall we? Someone has stolen your briefcase..." Pennington paced around the cabin, trying to think it through. "Though you definitely had it yesterday... Hmmmm..."
"And the train has not stopped at all in the intervening time..." Pennington thought out loud. Finally, he came up with an idea. "I have it! Rudimentary, I say! Rudimentary! The thief is still on the train!"
"Where?" Luigi questioned.
"First of all, have you spoken to the waitress and the lady in Cabin 002?" Pennington said.
"Not yet."
"They have both lost something on this train! The waitress lost Shell Earrings... And the lady, Toodles, lost a Gold Ring! If the same person who stole those objects also has the Nitro Honey Syrup... They could make this goo-blast! They could carry out the threat in the note! So, it is simple, guys! You must find that thief! We must apprehend the suspect before this dastardly plan is put into effect!"
Just then, Mario remembered that he wanted to talk to Pennington.
"Uh, Pennington?" Mario raised his hand. "Before we go, can I talk to you for a second?"
"Sure, Mario." Pennington walked out of the cabin with Mario following him. Both stopped at the Dining Car entrance. "What's up?"
While Mario was about to have his one-on-one talk with Pennington, Luigi stood by and watched closely.
"Um... This may sound ridiculous, but..." Mario hesitated. "There's... There's this one thing that I hate a lot, which is people mispronouncing my name. I mean, we're the Super Mario Bros. We've foiled Bowser's plans numerous times, we've done a lot of heroic deeds, and we even have our own video games and TV shows. Part of the problem is that I dealt with some elders last Friday, and they got under my skin so much that I can't stop obsessing about it. I get that people say it's the most immaterial thing to cry about, but it's a big deal to me."
"I'm sorry, Mario," Pennington said with sympathy. "I understand your problem. As a detective and a fan of your brother, I can assure you I'll remember your name forever. After all, you and Luigi are world-famous, right?"
"Yeah."
...
Good going, Luigi thought. He was happy at how Mario was engaging with Pennington.
...
"I also wanted to tell you that I have a temper I've been trying to control. So if you see me get pissed off, I don't mean to act like that. It just happens," Mario said.
"Hey. Everybody gets perturbed when stuff bothers them. It's a normal feeling and there's nothing wrong with it," Pennington assured Mario. "The best we can do is work together to find that thief, and I'm willing to cooperate with you."
"So...you're onboard?"
"A hundred percent." Pennington extended his right flipper, prompting Mario to shake hands with him.
"Thank you," Mario thanked Pennington.
"You're welcome, bud. I'm all eyes and ears if you want to talk to me again."
Mario took one look at Luigi and Koops and then glanced through the Dining Car door window. "Well, I guess we're off."
"Good luck," Pennington said as he walked back into his cabin. Luigi and Koops also met up with Mario.
"You did great," Luigi complimented Mario. "You stayed calm the whole time and didn't act defensive towards Pennington."
"But I'm not perfect," Mario objected.
"You're not the only one," Koops added in. "I pretty much got over my cowardice at Hooktail's castle, but I'm still working on my anxiety."
"We know you're not perfect, Mario. And I can tell you don't like change," Luigi said.
"No, I don't." Mario shook his head no. "I mean, I'm still willing to improve myself, but I just don't like it at the same time."
"I understand. My advice for today is to take baby steps, not a long stride. Every bit of practice counts."
"Okay."
"What do you say we go solve the next mystery?" Luigi offered.
"I'm ready," Koops remarked.
"Me too," Mario agreed after a short pause. He let Luigi lead the way to Cabin 002, staying behind Koops and Luigi.
Eventually, the Mario Bros and Koops arrived at Cabin 002. Luigi knocked on the door.
"Come on in!" a female voice called from inside the cabin. Everyone entered the cabin and saw a female Toad wearing a classy brown dress and a bunch of makeup on her face.
"Hi, ma'am," Mario greeted the Toad. "Are you Toodles?"
"That is me," Toodles answered.
Geez, that woman is so fashionable it makes me sick! She's obviously the kind of lady that belongs on this train. Classy all the way! Koops said to himself, amazed by Toodles' appearance.
"You solved a rather tough little mystery, didn't you?" Toodles asked.
"We solved more than one," Mario explained. "Me and my brother did three, I believe."
"Oh, very well done! Impressive!"
"Somebody said you're missing a Gold Ring. Is that right?" Luigi questioned.
"Yes, that is true," Toodles confirmed. "I did lose my ring somewhere on this very train. Could you please hasten the search for me?"
"Absolutely," Mario said. He beckoned Luigi and Koops to exit the cabin with him. "Could the ring be in the next cabin?"
"Let's go see," Koops replied.
There wasn't any noise coming from Cabin 001, so maybe it was safe to assume no one was inside the cabin.
As Mario and Co. entered the cabin, they were about to search everywhere for another clue or two. But Mario immediately spotted a piece of paper on the floor.
The paper had a long list of paragraphs and clauses, giving it the appearance of a contract.
"We should give this to Mr. Businessman," Mario said. "It looks like one of his briefcase contracts."
...
Pennington continued to pace around his cabin, thinking of how to solve the mystery too. Suddenly, Mario walked inside with the contract in his hand.
"Oh! Have you stumbled upon any new clues?" Pennington asked.
"We think this is one of Mr. Businessman's contracts," Mario stated, handing Pennington the contract.
"Contract? You mean one of many for my upcoming business deal?" Mr. Businessman butted in.
"Yes."
"All right!" Pennington exclaimed, excited by Mario's confirmation. "Just as I suspected! Wherever did you find this very important clue?"
"Cabin 001," Mario answered. "Luckily, no one was in there."
"Cabin 001... That happens to be Zip Toad's cabin. A place I have long suspected! Come to think of it, I do not believe I've seen him today. Then perhaps he is hiding somewhere on the train. Always one step ahead! My dear detectives...find that Zip Toad, pronto!"
As Mario and Co. left Pennington's cabin, Koops had an idea. "Why don't we look in our cabin next? There might be another contract lying around."
"Or the Shell Earrings," Mario added in.
Upon entering Cabin 005, there wasn't anything laying on the floor. However, there was another piece of paper on the couch. It turned out to be another one of Mr. Businessman's contracts.
"How many contracts are there?" Luigi asked while retrieving the contract.
Suddenly, faint whispering sounded from under the bunk bed, "No..."
Someone gave away their hiding spot, Mario said to himself. He went straight to the bunk bed and kneeled in front. "Hey. Come out of there now."
"Who are you?" the voice asked.
"Doesn't matter. We just want to talk."
The being who hid under the bunk bed crawled into view, revealing himself as Zip Toad.
"Zip Toad?!" Luigi and Koops cried in unison.
"Three of you?!" Zip Toad shouted. "Where did you come from?!"
"This is our room. Not yours," Mario said.
...
"You're hurting my arms!" Zip Toad winced; his arms were aching as Mario held them behind his back. Koops carried a black briefcase and a pale yellow bag that apparently were in Zip Toad's possession.
Luigi opened the door to Cabin 007, allowing Mario to walk in first with Zip Toad.
"So this was our man all along!" Pennington said. "Pretending to be Zip Toad, I see..."
"Pretending to be me?!" Zip Toad asked with shock. "There's only one Zip Toad and that's me!"
Mario finally let Zip Toad go, having him stand in front of Pennington.
"I don't think so. There was a single discolored nostril hair that tipped me off," Pennington declared. "I know the actual appearance of Zip Toad. Not in person, mind you. Just saw a couple photos of him. Anyway, I knew that you were the one who threatened my finest detectives. Pilfering things from others to aid your evil plan."
"Yes, you played a daring and ingenious little game, my false friend," Pennington continued. "But the jig is up now! And the good people on this train are safe. That is correct, sir! No one escapes from this improbably large brain!"
"'Improbably large brain'?" Zip Toad wondered. "You don't look you-"
"Shut up! No one questions my intelligence either, you fink! Now in any case, at least return what you have stolen."
"I have them," Koops said, handing over the briefcase and bag.
"What's in the bag?" Pennington questioned.
"The ring and earrings."
"HOLD ON!" Mr. Businessman yelled with despair. "You have my precious briefcase! Is the Nitro Honey Syrup safe?!"
"Don't fret, Mr. Businessman." Pennington gave the briefcase to Mr. Businessman. "Your syrup won't be used for evil purposes."
"Oh, thank you, thank you! Now I won't get the pink slip!"
"And yet again, our rendezvous with disaster was defused by...my most rudimentary of deductions!" Pennington announced. "Congratulations to us all!"
"You suckers..." Zip Toad murmured as everyone else celebrated, walking away angrily.
Meanwhile, Mario noticed Zip Toad leaving and peeked through the doorway to see where he might go.
"This Zip Toad thing was just a means to an end..."
To Mario's surprise, Zip Toad transformed through a cloud of purple smoke into a familiar foe: Doopliss. No way! How could he?
"Her plan to gooify Mario and Luigi didn't exactly work..." Doopliss stood next to an emergency exit window between Cabins 006 and 007. "I'll just have to leave the rest to her at the cost of... Um... Whatever she's gonna put me through..."
Doopliss quickly opened the window and jumped out. Once Doopliss was out of sight, Mario went and shut the window. Was Doopliss referring to...?
Mario reflected on the evil laugh he heard before the Excess Express departed for Poshley Heights. Finally, his eyes widened, having realized who Doopliss was talking about.
"The Shadow Sirens!"
Luigi and Koops ran out of Pennington's cabin, having heard Mario.
"Did you just say 'Shadow Sirens'?" Koops asked.
"It's them! They must have recruited Doopliss since Vivian left Beldam and Marilyn," Mario explained.
"Then they're in for it next time we see them," Luigi said. "Not just for the sticky threat, but for torturing Vivian too."
"You bet."
...
For the next ten hours, Mario and friends laid back and enjoyed the train ride, acting as if nothing bad happened at all.
Following dinner at 5:55 PM, Mario gave Toadsworth a call and updated him on the current situation.
"A luxurious train ride?" Toadsworth asked with excitement over the line. "I haven't been on one for years!"
"Yeah. If only we bought another ticket so you could enjoy it too," Mario said.
"I know. Afterthoughts."
"Attention, all passengers. This train will soon make a brief scheduled stop at Riverside Station," the conductor announced over the loudspeaker.
"I gotta go, Toadsworth," Mario said. "We're coming to a pit stop."
"All right. Have a good evening, Master Mario," Toadsworth bid Mario goodbye as the latter ended the call.
Within a few minutes, the Excess Express pulled up to Riverside Station: an old-fashion designed train station resembling one from the 1950s.
Upon arrival, fresh food was loaded onto the train and new passengers boarded with their luggage. Several passengers from Rogueport departed the train for good, as this was their final destination.
The Mario Bros and Koops decided to stroll around until the time would come to board for the last part of the journey.
Is Pennington out here? Mario asked himself, looking for Pennington. He wanted to tell him about the Shadow Sirens.
"There's Pennington." Luigi pointed to the penguin detective standing next to the station's entry door (which was locked). Everyone crossed the track and met up with Pennington.
"You're never gonna believe who the fake Zip Toad was," Mario said.
"Don't tell me. I already found out ahead of time," Pennington stated. "Right as I left the train, I saw a little man wearing a white blanket and a blue party hat. A monstrous being, which was exactly as I suspected!"
"His name's Doopliss. He's a Duplighost who posed as me a few nights ago and cursed me as another human. I spoke in a different voice and was unable to say my name. But I fought Doopliss and turned back to my old self."
"We thought we'd never see Doopliss again after he ran off," Luigi added in. "But I guess he snuck aboard the train and mimicked Zip Toad."
"Of course he did!" Pennington agreed.
"There's also this pair of purple witches called the Shadow Sirens, and I overheard Doopliss worrying about them punishing him," Mario said. He chose not to mention Vivian as her situation was personal to him.
"Was Doopliss working for the Shadow Sirens?" Pennington asked.
"Apparently, yes. Maybe they wanted a third member."
...
"Guh!" Marilyn uttered. Her and Beldam stood in an underground room, discussing their gooifying plan. They were unaware it was foiled.
"You think this plan won't work?" Beldam asked. "I told you and that freak-in-a-sheet it's the perfect way to defeat those Mario and Luigi characters. In fact, the train should be no more by now."
"Guh. Guh." Marilyn wondered what if the plan did fail.
"You know, I would say I'd be at my wit's end, but all villains have Plan Bs including me. With that said, I'll cut the freak-in-a-sheet a break if he tells us the bad news. Just give him a warning, and that's it."
"Anyway, here's what my Plan B is." Beldam revealed a giant glass jar with four cloud-like enemies inside. Two were black and the other two were magenta colored; they also had yellow eyes. "These four sentient clouds were created by the X-Nauts in the lab using Ruff Puff DNA, black and magenta colored water, and gunpowder. All three ingredients mixed together were heated and carefully separated into what is in the jar."
"The Smorgs, as the X-Nauts call them, have the ability to duplicate themselves into multiple individuals and even form a giant entity," Beldam went on. "While the Smorgs won't be guarding the Crystal Star itself, their sole purpose is to dispose of the train with everyone inside including Mario and Luigi. Essentially as much of a catastrophe as the gooifier."
"Guh!" Marilyn responded gleefully.
"I'm glad you support this idea, my lovely. Without further ado, let's unleash these babies! Mmmmweeheeheehee!"
As she cackled, Beldam smashed the jar on the floor, releasing the four Smorgs. The Smorgs floated away, beginning to duplicate into about 20 individuals as a starter.
...
"Well, I guess there's not much to see," Mario said. "Let's just sit and wait for the boarding call."
"Hey. Is that bridge not supposed to be like that?" Luigi asked, noticing a green drawbridge in its lifted position. The Excess Express would normally cross the drawbridge when it leaves Riverside Station.
"I think until departure, it'll stay raised."
"I'd ask that guy just to be sure." Luigi pointed to a Toad with a black & blue-spotted cap standing next to the drawbridge.
The group walked up to the Toad to ask him about the drawbridge.
"Excuse me, please," Mario said, getting the Toad's attention.
"Yes, sir. How can I help you?" the Toad asked.
"Will the bridge be lowered in time for when we leave for Poshley Heights?"
"I didn't do that. Someone else lifted the drawbridge... Maybe from inside the station," the Toad explained.
"Is it that guy with a white blanket and party hat?" Luigi questioned.
"It must've been. I saw a similar person like the one you mentioned go into the station. And for all I know, he probably tampered with the switch in the bridge control room. But that switch hasn't been used in so long, I don't know where the control room is... So... Um... It's against protocol to ask a passenger to do this, but... Since you two are the famous Super Mario Bros, could you go find and throw that switch?"
"Sure thing," Mario answered.
"Oh, that would be awesome!" the Toad exclaimed. "Here's the station key in order for you to complete the task." He handed Mario a green key. "We're on a tight schedule, so this bridge must be lowered by 6:30."
"You got it."
Mario led Luigi and Koops toward the locked door, which he unlocked with ease.
Inside the station was a modern-day elevator and two benches. A white wood door on the far end bore the sign, "Station Personnel Only".
The only way to find the way to the bridge control room would be to take the elevator. Mario and Co. entered the elevator while the man in red searched for a button that said something along the lines of "Bridge Control Room".
Luckily, the rightmost button of the row of four read, "Drawbridge Control". Mario immediately pushed the button, sending the elevator down three floors.
Just as the elevator stopped at the bottom of the shaft, everyone heard faint buzzing from outside.
"What's that noise?" Koops wondered as the elevator door opened. Suddenly, the 20 Smorgs released by Beldam hopped right into view, startling the Mario Bros and Koops.
"Whoa! What are those bushy creatures?" Mario yipped.
"I don't know! Maybe they messed with the drawbridge controls!" Luigi shouted.
Thinking quickly, Mario swapped Koops with Flurrie.
"Oh! Those squidgy fellows don't look pleasant!" Flurrie said upon seeing the Smorgs. "Let's blow them away!" She blew at the Smorgs hard enough for them to scatter.
The scattering Smorgs revealed a single blue lever attached to the wall in front. Mario then swapped Flurrie with Koops again.
"There's the switch!" Mario said, approaching the lever.
"Don't rush, bro. We got all day," Luigi reminded his older brother.
"I'm aware." Mario went and pulled the lever, creating a deep rumbling noise from above. "That should do it."
While Mario pulled the lever, the Smorgs secretly squeezed into the elevator shaft and out of sight.
With the small task complete, Mario and friends proceeded back up to the top floor, hoping the drawbridge was lowered. They went outside to the cheers of some of the new passengers as well as Pennington.
"They did it!" "We can go to Poshley Heights now!" "Let's go!"
The Mario Bros and Koops also noticed the drawbridge in position for the Excess Express to cross.
"I hope there isn't any more trouble during the rest of the trip," Koops said.
"You never know," Luigi responded.
...
It's 6:32 PM, mere minutes after the Excess Express took off again. The Mario Bros sat on the couch in their cabin.
"Well, tomorrow's the big day," Mario said. "But we'll have to search high and low for the Crystal Star once we get there."
"Yeah. It can't just be in plain sight."
Just then, the cabin door opened and Pennington walked inside.
"Oh. Hi, Pennington," Mario greeted the detective.
"What's up, guys?" Pennington returned the greeting.
"Just relaxing."
"Me too. I will finally get home at noon tomorrow. It's been a rather long time, to be honest... But the hour has grown late. And it has been a long day."
"Not all of it. Just the morning and the early evening," Mario said.
"It seemed that way to me. All that aside, thanks again for your hard work."
"You're welcome," Luigi replied.
"How did you do your part?" Mario asked.
"Uh..." Pennington tried to think of how to answer Mario's question. "What I did was...simply determine who did it. It's about using my brain."
"Are you sure?"
"I should be."
"Okay. Whatever," Mario gave in. "We'll see you in the morning, Pennington."
"Yes, we shall," Pennington said as he left the cabin.
"Why did you ask Pennington how he helped solve the mysteries?" Luigi questioned Mario.
"Remember yesterday? Bombette asked Pennington a similar question," Mario explained. "I just wanted to make sure he knew what he was doing. Didn't mean to act rude."
"I never said you were rude. Just asking."
"All right-y," Mario sighed.
"You want any snacks since we have the whole night to ourselves?" Luigi offered.
"If there're any muffins in the market, I'll take one."
"At your service, bro," Luigi said with a smile. He got up and left the cabin to get Mario his snack.