In this chapter, our heroes will venture into Mt. Lavalava. And so will Kolorado, of course. Don't forget about him. I know that Kooper won't. I don't think he would ever forget about him.
The problem is that Paris is waiting for them.
Can they defeat him? The Koopa is tough for his age…much like Kamek and Kammy.
Also, Mario will find something rather precious.
Can you guess what it is?
No, it's not a mushroom. But valuable nevertheless. I can tell you one thing, it will help Mario in the battles up ahead. And by extension the Louds and Mario's partners. Hooray!
As a side note, it's a bit weird that a lava world is in the fifth chapter of the game. Usually lava worlds are at the last chapter of a Mario game. Though Lethal Lava Land was the seventh painting world in Super Mario 64 out of 15. I can say that much.
Enjoy the chapter.
Chapter 38: Volcanic Voyage
A few minutes after they entered the volcano, our heroes came across rocky platforms suspended over lava.
It was hot in the volcano, but our heroes could endure it.
"Alright everyone, in order to traverse the volcano, we need to cross this lava!" explained Kolorado.
It was bubbling.
Mario nodded. Good thing jumping was what he did best. It was what he famous for.
He had been jumping ever since he was in Brooklyn, since he had plenty of time to practice his skills.
Kolorado attempted to jump off the entrance and onto one of the platforms…
…and failed. Seemed he couldn't jump as high as Mario could. Practice made perfect.
Luckily, his shell protected him from the heat…to an extent.
"Whoops! I guess I need to be more careful." noted Kolorado, who was now covered in burn marks.
Kooper was relieved that Kolorado was alright. He didn't want anything to happen to his idol.
Lily handed him an ice pack.
A Podoboo suddenly leapt out of the lava and hit Luna.
Seemed some of them were hiding in there.
Luan gasped.
However, for whatever reason, it did not have any effect on Luna.
"Note to self, Luna is immune to fire." noted Lincoln.
The Podoboo wondered why that didn't work.
Was he losing heat?
Lava Bubbles suddenly showed up.
It seemed the residents of the volcano were indeed fiery.
Jumping wasn't going to work, so Goombario best not attack them. He liked his hat, anyway.
Lily's milk bottle worked well though.
"Ouch!" exclaimed one of the Lava Bubbles.
However, the heroes had more to deal with than just fiery enemies.
There were Spike Tops inside the volcano as well.
Appropriately, their shells were red.
They were stronger than their Buzzy Beetle cousins, and also more spiky.
They were still immune to fire, so Luna shouldn't try using it. It was a waste of time and energy.
Of course, when your base of operations was in a volcano, you had a tendency to be immune to fire.
"This would be easier if there are enemies in this volcano that aren't immune to my flames." noted Luna.
"If it makes you feel any better, I'm doing fine!" exclaimed Sushie.
It was good to be a Cheep Cheep in this dungeon, it seems.
The Lava Bubbles were starting to feel frightened of her. They weren't expecting Mario to have a trump card.
On the other hand, while they could still injure Sushie (albeit with reduced damage), the Bubbles couldn't scratch Luna at all.
"This burns me up!" yelled one of the Lava Bubbles. Why couldn't they touch her?
Mario hammered the Spike Tops with his hammer. It was his best means of defense against spiky enemies.
Watt followed by zapping them with electricity. They were fireproof, but not shockproof.
Bulky Bob-Ombs joined them.
They were regular Bob-Ombs. But had a much bigger boom. Meaning they could target more party members at once.
"I think these Bob-Ombs have been picking up weight." remarked Bombette.
"I've got to stop eating so many donuts." noted one of the Bulky Bob-Ombs.
Luckily, there was a trick they could use against them.
Whenever they lit their fuses, Sushie could spray their fuses and put out the fire.
One of the Bulky Bob-Ombs groaned.
So much for exploding.
Unfortunately, things were about to get more difficult.
Our heroes found themselves face to face with a Fire Sumo!
"I figured the added difficulty would strike in this fiery volcano." noted Lincoln. Why else would Bulky Bob-Ombs appear?
It seemed like the perfect place for them.
Mario remembered how a Fire Sumo once made Luigi fall for hours.
Well, it felt like hours. Luigi didn't bring a watch, so he couldn't keep track of the time. He was lucky that there was something below him other than boiling lava.
Lucy zapped him with magic.
"Ow!" exclaimed the Fire Sumo. All that muscle didn't protect him from her spells.
He stamped his foot, and launched a shockwave towards the Louds.
Red Magikoopas flew into the room.
Goombario, being the go-to-guy about Bowser's minions, recognized the danger.
"Oh no! Be careful! These Koopas are dangerous!" warned the Goomba.
They could increase the attack of their enemies, meaning they could hit them significantly harder.
They were especially bad if they were paired with a strong enemy, like a Fire Sumo.
On that note, a Red Magikoopa prepared to boost the Fire Sumo's attack power.
Lincoln gasped.
Luckily, Luna knocked the wand out of his hand before he could do so.
The Red Magikoopa groaned. Now he had to pick it back up. At least it wasn't broken. Then he would really be in trouble.
The Fire Sumo spat out fireballs at them.
However, he failed to realize the heroes preparing a counterattack.
Bombette exploded in front of the Fire Sumo.
He collapsed on the ground.
"I've got to pay more attention to my surroundings." remarked the sumo. That way Mario wouldn't get the jump on him. Literally.
However, though the Fire Sumo was defeated, there were more enemies up ahead.
To make matters worse for the Star Gang, White Magikoopas were also present in the volcano.
"Anyone feeling weak?" asked one of the White Magikoopas.
A Spike Top raised his hand…or foot…or whatever.
The White Magikoopa cast a healing spell on the Spike Top.
"Much better." remarked the Koopa with a red shell. Perhaps Bowser's minions should have sought aid from these wizards before.
"We really need to do something about those guys." noted Bow.
These enemies could patch up their allies, so they needed to be dealt with fast. Otherwise, their efforts to take down their foes could end up becoming undone.
And to make matters worse, they could hurt Bow by casting healing spells on her.
Luckily, Lana could counter this somewhat by poisoning her foes. And Lucy's darkness attacks were very effective against white mages.
Last but not least, there were Fire Bros. How appropriate for Mt. Lavalava. As usual, they usually came in pairs.
Their fireballs could inflict burning. So it was best to evade them if they could.
Predictably, they were vulnerable to water. Maybe the Fire Bros should deviate from their routine a bit.
"I guess Bowser's minions are getting stronger." noted Kooper. Now they had a means of support from spellcasting Koopas.
They also seemed to upgraded their offenses as well.
But even so, they had gotten through it.
However, they got the feeling a strong foe was up ahead.
And they were right, though it wasn't the guardian.
"Well well well. Look who showed up to the volcano." said a sinister voice.
Kolorado gasped.
It was none other than his nemesis.
It seemed he too was searching for the treasure.
"Paris, we meet again!" exclaimed Kolorado.
"We sure do. Things are almost the same as before. Only this time somebody paid me to deal with you and your friends." remarked Paris.
"Iggy Koopa!" shouted Lincoln.
"That was his name." nodded the white Koopa. Personally he thought he had a few screws loose. Then again, so did his brother Lemmy. That Koopaling was a total clown.
"You're not taking them down if I can help it!" bellowed Kolorado.
"I had a feeling you would feel that way." noted Paris.
That was why he came prepared.
He started off by rolling into his shell.
Kooper was familiar with that attack. It was his own method of defending himself against Bowser Baddies. Though it didn't exactly work against flying enemies. Perhaps he should consider looking for a P-Wing so he'll gain an advantage.
Kolorado too rolled into his shell.
For a while, the two of them bounced off each other.
It seemed the two were equally matched.
It wasn't a big surprise, considering this wasn't the first time the two had fought each other. Kolorado couldn't remember all the times that he had competed against Paris.
However, Lincoln got the feeling that might be subject to change.
After all, the monocled Koopa knew he would be facing a group of heroes that Kolorado had brought with him.
Suddenly, Paris withdrew from his shell.
Curious, Kolorado withdrew as well.
"Still as stubborn as ever, I see. Well, it's a good thing I brought this!" exclaimed Paris.
The greedy Koopa pulled out a Super Mushroom.
"Oh no!" exclaimed Mario.
He recognized that mushroom. He encountered them all the time on his adventures. They were a great help when he went to fight Bowser baddies.
Paris used it to make himself grow bigger.
All of a sudden, Kolorado was fighting an uphill battle with his hated rival. Paris's shell was now much bigger than his was.
It seemed he could not take Paris alone.
Not since he had prepared in advance this time. It was surprising how helpful power ups could be in a fight.
Luckily, Kooper volunteered to help.
Together, the two of them began spinning into Paris's shell.
Still, it seemed like a stalemate.
They needed a tiebreaker.
Luckily, Mario had an idea.
Using his new Ultra Hammer, he knocked Paris down on his back.
"It's times like this when I wish I weren't a Koopa." noted the bad Koopa.
Though to be honest, being a Koopa was probably preferable to being a Goomba. That way people wouldn't keep on stomping you.
Mario then leapt on top of Paris.
"Ow! Watch the monocle!" demanded the white Koopa. It was fragile. And he had spent money on it, too. Not that he usually spent money to begin with.
After being pounded by Mario, Paris flipped himself back to his feet, and pulled out a Fire Flower.
His shell turned red along with this hair.
It seemed Paris was just getting…warmed up.
However, when using this power up, he was vulnerable to Sushie.
"Aaaaaahhh!" exclaimed the Koopa when he was pelted by water.
Paris pulled out an Ice Flower.
Seemed he wanted our heroes to chill out.
However, using that particular power-up had a flaw.
When he used that power-up, he was vulnerable to Luna's flames.
"Yeowch!" exclaimed the greedy turtle.
It looked like he needed to use his trump card.
The powerup that stood out from the rest.
Paris pulled out a Starman.
Now he was invincible!
Luckily, unlike Bowser's invincibility, it would wear off quickly.
However, it might still be enough to gain the upper hand.
"Oww!" exclaimed Parakarry.
For a while, it seemed our heroes were fighting an uphill battle. Lucy, Bow, and Parakarry had stars swirling around their heads.
But at that very moment, as Paris grabbed onto Kolrado the Starman wore off.
"Uh-oh!" shouted the treasure hunter that had no intention of donating to a museum.
Kolorado punched Paris in the face.
"Oof!" exclaimed the white-haired Koopa.
Suddenly, some angry Toad natives showed up.
Paris gasped.
He knew who those people were.
"You're that Koopa who stole our gold!" exclaimed the native chief, pointing in Paris's direction.
It looked like his misdeeds had come back to haunt him.
The native chief let out a roar cry, and the natives began beating up the greedy Koopa Troopa.
"This…isn't over!" exclaimed the Koopa, his arm descending into the crowd of angry natives.
Though he would be in the hospital for some time. Meaning that Kolorado could hunt for treasure in relative peace.
Kolorado was pleased with the turn of events, though he still hadn't found what he was looking for.
Mario picked up a note left behind one of the natives.
It had information concerning the guardian of the fifth Star Spirit.
"Be careful! Lava Piranha is sneaky!" warned the note.
Mario kept that in mind, since he imagined they would be facing him soon. He knew that Lava Piranha was in the volcano somewhere.
Lincoln noticed that Paris had dropped something.
It was an Ultra Hammer.
No doubt this would be useful. Especially against the Spike Tops that called this volcano home.
Ultra Hammers were one of the strongest hammers in the Mushroom Kingdom.
Perhaps Paris planned to sell it later.
Well, finders keepers, he always said.
Meanwhile, Iggy realized that Paris too had failed. And he probably wasn't getting his money back, either.
He could only hope Lava Piranha could handle things.
If not, he would have to take matters into his own hands.
Currently, Lava Piranha was resting.
Hopefully he would be too hot for them to handle.
The heroes would try to make things interesting for the Koopaling, wouldn't they?
Iggy would be waiting for them.
It looks like Kolorado prevailed over Paris once again! Even though he had s bunch of power-ups with him this time.
However, there is still that Lava Piranha to deal with.
Can they defeat him? It will certainly help them that they have Sushie on her side. Though certain badges will help as well. Has Mario been leveling up his BP?
And yes, I made Luna fireproof because of her powers. Bet that would be helpful against the Koopa King.
Since Kolorado's second arc is coming to an end to this fanfic, I probably won't feature Paris again. But I'm open to suggestions.
You can probably imagine what type of Hammer Bro will appear in Chapter 7.
See ya!