In this chapter, our heroes are going to explore the desert. Fortunately, there's an outpost that they can visit. Also, Kooper's dream comes true in this chapter. Can you guess what is it?
I was originally going to name this chapter after the Dry Dry Desert somehow...but I figured that this would be a better title.
Chapter 17: A Dream Come True
"So, where do you think the outpost is?" asked Lincoln. Hopefully they would be able to find it soon so that they would be able to gather supplies.
Parakarry decided to look around using his flying abilities. It seemed like there was sand as far as the eye could see.
However, he got the feeling that there were residents in the desert that would be able to help them obtain the second Star Spirit. He knew that the Dry Dry Ruins were in the Dry Dry Desert somewhere, but he wasn't quite sure where.
"It should be around the desert somewhere." noted Lisa.
"I sure hope so! This desert is scorching hot!" exclaimed Lola. She was starting to sweat. At least she brought some sunscreen. She took pretty good care of her skin.
"Yeah...it's probably best we're not in the sun for too long." noted Lana.
"Personally I would prefer going through the desert at night." remarked Lucy. It was actually cold in the desert at night despite the desert typically being associated with heat.
Curiously, there seemed to be footprints leading somewhere. Perhaps someone was there before them.
However, there were enemies in this area as well. It seems that Bowser's minions didn't want Mario or Lincoln to enter the ruins, though at the moment they didn't know where exactly the ruins were.
"It seems that Bowser's minions are looking for us...we'd best be careful." warned Goombario.
And yes, Bowser's minions could tolerate the heat. Some of them, anyway. Bowser had ice followers that didn't want to go in the desert, which was unfortunate since they were actually stronger than the desert ones.
At that very moment, a Bandit showed up.
He seemed to be eyeing the party's valuables very closely. Bandits were well-known for their greed.
Suddenly, he made his move.
He stole Mario's coins.
"Mamamia!" exclaimed Mario.
However, Kooper hit the Bandit with his shell before he could make off with them.
"Dang it!" shouted the Bandit. He was hoping to strike it rich.
He let go of the coins, and the Bandit released Star Points.
"Yikes! We better watch our pockets." noted Lincoln. He didn't want to lose any of his valuables to those thieving Bandits.
Fortunately, it seemed that it was possible to prevent the Bandits from stealing their coins.
However, it was doubtful that was the only Bandit in the area. Their pockets still weren't safe. It was rather unfortunately really since it would be nice to do some shopping later. They might get some valuable badges.
Other than the Bandits, there were some other enemies as well.
There were also some Pokeys. They always showed up in desert levels. There were other variants of Pokeys that actually didn't live in the desert though.
As soon as one of the Pokeys saw Lincoln, he fired a segment of his body at him.
"Oof!" exclaimed Lincoln. Unfortunately, Pokey segments were covered with sharp thorns. Pokeys were not huggable.
It might not seem practical for a Pokey to use their own body segments as a weapon (as eventually they would be bodiless), but they were capable of regenerating their body parts. Typically, the taller the Pokey, the more dangerous than they were.
Also, it wasn't a smart idea to try jumping on them. They were covered with spikes. Clearly whipping out the hammer was going to be the better option.
"Hmm, I don't think we should try jumping on them." noted Lincoln. It wouldn't be a good idea for him to try punching the Pokeys either. They had spikes on their body segments too.
Fortunately, there were other ways that they could deal with the Pokeys.
Lola used her car to crash into a Pokey, sending her body parts everywhere and leaving her vulnerable to assault.
The Pokey's eyes widened in surprise. How was Lola so strong? She packed quite a punch for a little girl.
Also, Mario could jump on her now.
Mario did so, and the Pokey burst into star points.
"I'm surprised that plants can survive out in the desert." noted Lola.
"Some plants can adapt to the desert, or cold temperatures. Take evergreens for example." explained Lisa.
As soon as the Pokey was defeated, more footprints appeared.
They seemed to be leading to someone, but it was too early to say who.
However, they got the feeling that this particular person liked exploring, as the tracks seemed to go throughout the desert. They were similar in size to that of a Koopa Troopa.
"I wonder where the trail leads." questioned Kooper. For some strange reason he thought that he would like what was going to be on at the end of it.
"Beats me." answered Bombette.
Some Buzzy Beetles appeared.
Bombette attempted to explode on one, but his shell protected him from the explosion.
"Phew!" exclaimed the Buzzy Beetle. He thought that he was in trouble for a second.
"Dang, I guess they thought about Bombette using her explosion abilities to take down enemies..." noted Lincoln.
On the other hand, they weren't spiky like the Spinies that they had encountered earlier.
Mario took advantage of that and jumped on a Buzzy Beetle to defeat it, causing more footprints to appear.
"It seems that we'll be able to follow this individual once we defeat enough enemies..." noted Goombario. He wasn't quite sure why exactly the footprints were connected to the enemies...but at least now they had an idea on what to do next.
Another Pokey launched a body segment at Lily.
However, she knocked it away with her rattle.
Lana farted on one of the Pokeys, causing it to wilt and burst into Star Points. Poison was a good way to go to deal with the Pokeys. Of course, other enemies likely had weaknesses like that, such as when a Koopa was flipped over on their shell.
However, some Pokeys were poisonous, so they would have to try a different strategy for those in the event that they encountered them. Fortunately, these Pokeys were not.
"More footsteps!" exclaimed Goombario.
"I think I see a camp up ahead..." noted Kooper.
As it turned out, there was a camp up ahead.
Kooper did not believe who he saw.
"Oh my gosh! It's Kolorado!" exclaimed the Koopa. He never thought that he would meet him here of all places. Perhaps they weren't the only ones looking for the Dry Dry Ruins.
"Colorado? I thought we were in the Mario universe, not the United States." questioned Lisa. It would be a long time before they would be able to escape from the TV and head back to their home.
"Not that Colorado! I mean Kolorado the Koopa explorer! I'm such a huge fan!" shouted Kooper.
"Oh..." said Goombario. It looked like today was Kooper's lucky day.
Of course, he had already met the person who he was such a big fan of, so it seemed natural that Kooper would meet his idol too.
"Let's see now...do you have any idea where the ruins are?" asked Kolorado. He was rather excited about finding the ruins and exploring its depths, even though the ruins would probably be dangerous inside. Rumor has it that there was a Koopa living there that worked for Bowser the Koopa King.
"I've looked all over the desert. But I've found nothing. I do hear a creepy voice that tells me to get away every now and then though. I sure hope that this desert isn't haunted or anything like that." noted a Koopa with a shovel.
"Kolorado! Over here!" exclaimed Kooper.
"Huh?" asked Kolorado.
Kolorado turned around and noticed that there was another Koopa from Koopa Village nearby.
Kooper approached Kolorado.
"There you are! I've waited so long for this!" exclaimed Kooper.
"Huh? You're the Koopa from my fan club! You're the leader, in fact!" shouted Kolorado. As a popular Koopa explorer Kolorado had many fans, though most of them happened to be Koopa Troopas and not Toads or Goombas.
"I'm so glad that I get to meet you!" yelled Kooper.
"That's what my fans WOULD say." agreed Kolorado.
"Do you need my help? And can I have your autograph?" inquired the Koopa.
"You certainly can, but first I need your help with something. I've been searching for the Dry Dry Ruins as they apparently have a treasure of some kind...they say that it even shines." noted the explorer.
"I think we already know what it is." said Goombario. However, the star was not for Kolorado, it belonged back in Star Haven. If Kolorado wanted treasure, he was probably going to have to search elsewhere.
"You know what it is?!" exclaimed Kolorado.
"Yes, we do. We believe that it's the Second Star Spirit." explained Lisa. Just as Eldstar was held in Koopa Bros Fortress, so too was the second Star Spirit being held in Dry Dry Ruins.
"The Star Spirit? I thought that they all lived in Star Haven..." answered Kolorado.
"They used to...until Bowser came by and imprisoned them all in playing cards. He placed them in various places that were away from their home." said Lincoln.
"That explains why when I make a wish for treasure it hasn't been coming true lately..." noted the explorer.
"But my wish came true..." said Kooper.
"Well, you already managed to rescue one of the Star Spirits." pointed out Parakarry.
"You wouldn't happen to have mail from my wife, would you? Sometimes she wishes that I would stay at home more so I decided to send and receive some letters from and to her." asked Kolorado.
Parakarry nodded.
Immediately, he handed Kolorado a letter.
"Dear Kolorado, how is your adventure going? I heard that you went out in the desert...make sure to bring water and watch out for the twisters!" read Kolorado. "Sincerely, your beloved wife."
"Oh, my dear Nebraska..." said Kolorado.
"Thanks for giving me this. I'll remember it fondly." stated the explorer.
"No worries. I deliver mail all the time...though sometimes I lose them." noted Parakarry. His employers had told him to be careful with the mail so that this wouldn't happen.
"Sorry about that." apologized Lucy. She was actually scarier to the mailman than Charles was.
"Have you thought about going to Dry Dry Outpost?" inquired Lisa. Chances are they would have some answers here. They knew Dry Dry Desert more than anyone else.
"I figured that if I kept searching the desert I would find the ruins eventually...but no luck! I did meet a Nomadimouse once...he mentioned something about going to the store at Dry Dry Outpost. But I already have all the supplies that I need! Why would I need to go there?" pointed out Kolorado.
"He mentioned something about going to the store? We'll have to take note of that." noted Lincoln. Chances are that the storekeeper had some information for them.
If he could tell them how to get inside the ruins, then they would be that much closer to obtaining the second Star Spirit.
Suddenly, some Bandits (along with some other Bowser Baddies) entered the camp.
"Not again!" shouted the Koopa with a shovel. Ever since they had come to the desert, some Bandits (along with their friends) had attempted to steal their supplies. Why couldn't they keep their hands to themselves?
Mario, Lincoln, and the rest got ready to fight.
One of the Bandits took Mario's hammer, snickering as he did so.
"Mamamia!" exclaimed Mario.
He then whacked Mario with it.
"Oof!" shouted the plumber. This was rather ironic.
"Give that back!" demanded Lana, whacking the Bandit with her wrench.
The Bandit dropped the hammer, allowing Mario to reobtain his precious hammer. Without it, how exactly would he smash blocks?
Another Bandit took candy from a baby...that baby was Lily.
"Wah!" cried Lily.
"You can't do that! That's my roommate!" exclaimed Lisa. Of course, whenever Lily had a stinky diaper, she was the first one to know. It did distract her from her research sometimes...but she built a diaper changing machine so she didn't really have to worry about that.
In retaliation, Lisa used her telekinesis to lift the Bandit and force him to drop Lily's candy.
She happily sucked on her lollipop.
"Mmm..." said Lily.
A Buzzy Beetle tucked into his shell and hit Lucy.
"Sigh." said Lucy.
In retaliation, she cast a spell that turned him into a pig.
"Oink oink oink!" exclaimed the pig.
Unfortunately, he wasn't much of a help to his comrades in that particular state.
A Pokey launched a body segment at Lola.
In retaliation, she spilled hot tea on the Pokey.
"Can't we just use a big ball of violence to take care of the enemies?" suggested Lisa. That seemed like the best solution. Perhaps now that they had Eldstar on their side, they could do that.
"Oh, right." said Lincoln. That was what they did whenever the siblings fought each other over the remote.
Immediately, they decided to do just that against the enemies to see if it would work.
It turns out it did.
Since Lincoln liked coin collecting, he decided to collect all the coins that the enemies dropped, which was a lot.
"Thanks for helping us." said Kolorado.
"Do you know the way to Dry Dry Outpost?" asked Goombario.
"It should be around the desert somewhere...I think it's somewhere close to my camp." answered Kolorado.
Sure enough, they could see the outpost out in the distance.
Immediately, the party began to head towards Dry Dry Outpost, waving goodbye to Kolorado as they did so.
Kooper was disappointed to leave Kolorado be...but he got the feeling that they would be encountering him again in their adventure. Since the Star Spirits were all held in different locations, they had a long way to travel.
After reaching the outpost, the party decided to enter.
Our heroes are at the Dry Dry Outpost.
Hopefully they'll figure out where to find the Dry Dry Ruins.
That's where they need to go.
As a side note, I bet Kooper is happy to meet Kolorado.