The gang flew back to Mushroom Corps and landed inside the room they all started out in. As they all got out, Toadiko and Count Bleck gazed in amazement at how big and high-tech the place was.
"Woooooooooow! This is something you only see in a sci-fi movie! I never knew places like this existed!" Toadiko exclaimed in excitement.
"I wasn't really surprised, to be honest. This looks like something right out of The Matrix and with the way technology has advanced, it's no shocker that this kind of place would be created," Waluigi spoke with distaste.
"You're not easily impressed, are you?" Toadiko asked with a blank expression.
"Nope, not really."
The group entered the laboratory and saw Kylie and Arfur standing a few feet from the door, waiting for them.
"Welcome back, you guys! Congratulations on retrieving the gem, you all should feel proud of yourselves!" Kylie cheered and clapped.
"Well, I don't wanna feel TOO proud of myself, otherwise I get this really big ego and then I act like I'm the hottest thing around and pick on little kids and steal a bunch of candy bars from drug stores," Toad explained.
"Listen to me real close, Toad...no one cares." Birdo spoke to him. Toad stuck his tongue out and turned away from her.
"Um, Peach? Why are you covered in some kind of tapestry?" Arfur pointed out.
"Because that stupid clown person disintegrated my dress! Find me some clothes right now before I have an emotional breakdown!" Peach cried.
"I have clothes for you, Peach. In fact, I have the exact pink dress that you wear all the time! I bought it at a costume store one time and have kept it with me ever since, because I've always wanted to emulate your look." Kylie admitted. Everyone gave her a strange look. "What? I like to cosplay! There's nothing wrong with that! I'll be right back." She then left the lab.
"Now then, I'll just take this gem here and my assistants will put it in a safe place for the time being." Arfur said as he took the gem from Yoshi's hand and gave it to a nearby Toad scientist.
"Aww, can't I play with it for a few more minutes? I have a very strong urge to lick the gem all over," Yoshi said in disappointment.
"Um...okay then...anyways, so, these are the two that you picked up from Wet-Dry World?" Arfur said as he pointed to the newcomers.
"Yes! My name is Toadiko and this is Count Bleck. And if you think we are bad guys in disguise, then you would be 100% wrong!" Toadiko said with a smile.
"Uhh, okay? I wasn't really thinking about that. Anyways, we'll get you two over to the hospital real soon once Kylie gets back here. You'll be safe there, so you don't have to worry about a single thing. Well, unless you hate large amounts of people, of course." Arfur said.
Bleck eyed Arfur carefully. "Hmm...are you a dog?"
"Excuse me?" Arfur replied, raising his eyebrow.
"You look like one of those fabled creatures in fairy tale books that are called "dogs". So, are you a dog?" Bleck asked again.
"What!? I am not a dog! I am a Doogan! You HAVE heard of Doogans, right?" Arfur asked in confusion.
"No, I haven't. Are Doogans some kind of sub-species of dogs?" Bleck asked once again.
"Listen, dude. Doogans AKA ME, are not related to dogs any way whatsoever. That is your fact of the day, thank you very much." Arfur said while rolling his eyes.
"Hmm...I still don't know. What do you guys think?" Bleck asked the others.
"Bleck, he's a doogan. The only 'dog' I've seen in my life is Poochy, and Arfur looks nothing like Poochy. I have no idea what kind of screwed up 'fairy tale books' you've been reading, but he doesn't look anything like a dog." Daisy stated.
"Yeah, totally! Like, get your head out of the gutter, man!" Goombella insulted.
"What if Arfur actually IS a dog though? What if he is so ashamed of his true species that he turns to classifying himself as a Doogan because he's a coward and won't embrace himself for who he really is? That would make a pretty insane plot twist, don't you think?" Fire Bro asked.
"Hmm, the vibes I'm getting from Arfur are that he is indeed a Doogan. End of discussion." Rosalina said.
"How the hell did we even get into this topic anyways?" DK impatiently asked.
"Ask the guy with the overly-big magician's hat," Arfur scowled as he pointed to Bleck.
Kylie rushed back into the room and handed Peach a dress that looks exactly like the millions of dresses Peach has back at her castle. "I have the dress here, Peach! You can go change in the bathroom, it's right across from this room."
"There are no security cameras in there, right? And if there are, can you make sure a guy isn't watching me?" Peach innocently asked.
"Um...no, there aren't any. We respect everyone's privacy as much as possible," Kylie assured. Peach gave her a smile and walked off.
"Alright then Toadiko and Bleck, Kylie will drive you both to the hospital using my van, which better not be ruined otherwise you're paying for the damage." Arfur warned while handing her the keys.
Kylie rolled her eyes in response. "Yeah yeah, you've told me before. Come on, you two."
Toadiko and Bleck followed her out and they waved goodbye to the others, and they waved back.
Toadette started to cry. "Gosh, I hate farewells! What if we never see them again!? I need a tissue! Preferably a dozen!"
"Um...in OTHER news...if I remember correctly, your guys' next destination is Luigi's Mansion, which is suppose to be haunted with probably hundreds of ghosts, all out looking for blood." Arfur overly-described, which freaked Luigi out.
"D-don't say that! Can't we just do that place last!? Besides, horror-themed levels are usually placed near the end of the game, not the beginning!" He cried.
"Well, Arfur, didn't you, like, say that you would research the other places we have to go to to get the gems? Haven't you, like, found them yet?" Goombella asked.
Arfur sighed. "Unfortunately, research on these places have been a bit tougher than we've expected. It seems that these places that you have to go to, except Luigi's Mansion and Delfino Island of course, are not of this...how do I say this...not of this world?" Arfur said. Everyone gave him confused expressions.
"What do you mean by 'not of this world?' Are you telling me that the gems that we're looking for are located in worlds outside of OUR world!?" Yoshi asked in shock.
"...Possibly, Yoshi. But, it's too early to confirm any of this. For now, I want you guys to head on over to the mansion and look for the second gem. Me and Kylie will keep on researching these worlds you have to go to, so we can make sure if our suspicions are correct or not," Arfur replied.
Suddenly, one of the Toad scientists ran up to Arfur. "Sir, we have bad news. We cannot locate Merlon anywhere. We have checked everywhere we have possibly could, but the man is nowhere to be found!" This shocked everyone else once again.
"Merlon is...missing? Are you sure he didn't just go outside for a walk or something?" Toadette asked.
"Impossible, as I have checked with the security guys at the entrance and they did not see Merlon walk in or out of this building. Arfur, something must've gotten in here and took him away without breaching the security system!" The Toad exclaimed.
Arfur took a big gulp and crossed his arms. "Dammit, this is definitely not good. That guy was a perfect asset to us, and he's just gone. Ugh...um, have you checked the security camera yet in his room to see if anything might've happened in there in the past 24 hours?"
"Not yet, sir."
"Okay, go to the security room and check the tapes for anything suspicious. I'll meet you there in a few minutes." Arfur instructed. The Toad nodded and ran off.
"Wait a second...security cameras!? Are you telling me that you guys were watching me undress myself before I went to bed!?" Waluigi shrieked.
"Wait, WHAT!? You sleep...in the nude!?" Toad gasped.
"Well, duh! Doesn't everyone do it?" Waluigi scowled.
"I sure as hell don't! And thank you for putting that disgusting image in my head!" Daisy freaked out.
"BACK TO THE TOPIC HERE! Arfur, do you think Merlon's disappearance might have anything to do with Tatanga? Because Dimentio told us that Tatanga heard everything Merlon was telling us a while ago, you know, about the gems and worlds and stuff?" Dixie asked.
"Woah woah woah! You're telling me that Tatanga was somehow spying on us during that conversation and knows everything we're doing!?" Arfur asked in shock.
"Unfortunately, that might be the case. And if it is, then that means we likely have less time than we thought we would to get all the gems and such." DK said.
Arfur scratched his head in frustration. "This is definitely doing my head in. Okay, because of everything that just happened here, like DK said, we have less time to finish this mission than we first thought. Unfortunately for you guys, there's not much we can do to speed up this mission process since finding the gems are going to take a lot of hard work so the plan for now is, go to Luigi's Mansion and find that gem ASAP. Me and Kylie will do everything in our power to exactly locate the next places that you need to go for the other gems. Luckily for us, Tatanga does not know any other places to go where the gem rests besides Wet-Dry World and Luigi's Mansion, because we haven't figured out the names for the next places yet, so that actually worked out in our favor. So yeah, you guys go right now. As usual, we'll be on the communicators if you need everything." He explained to them. The group nodded their heads and headed off for the next world.
BACK AT THE HOSPITAL:
Mimi and Roy were sitting outside in the courtyard, admiring the beautiful plants and statues.
"Man, what a peaceful day it is today. Such a shame that it's blazing hot though, otherwise it would be just perfect, don't you think?" Mimi said in enthusiasm.
"Yeah, I guess so...but I'm not really a fan of summer days. I prefer Winter where the sun rarely shines and everything is engulfed in darkness...well, sort of of course." Roy added.
"Well, that's certainly an 'interesting' way of describing Winter," Mimi said with a giggle.
"What? It's true! Everything during Winter is less muggy, and more cooler. I can't stand the heat, it makes me feel queasy," Roy described.
"Wait...if you can't stand the heat then how come you're out here with me, then?" Mimi questioned. Roy looked at her as if he was caught red-handed for something.
"Oh! Because...umm...the rose plants looked pretty?" Roy tried to cover up. The poor koopa even blushed a little, which made Mimi laugh louder than before.
"Okay Roy, suuuuuuuure. Whatever helps you get through the day!"
"What, you think I'm lying!? I'm not! These roses are the most beautiful roses I've ever seen in my life! They're more beautiful than the old, withered plants my dad has at home!" Roy exclaimed as he went over and sniffed the plants, but Mimi caught a mistake.
"Um, Roy? Those aren't roses...those are daffodils." She pointed out. When Roy heard this, his face froze and turned even more red.
"Oh! Th-those are daffodils? No way! I've been lied to this entire time by my family!" He said in exaggerated shock.
Mimi looked all over the courtyard. "Now that I think about it, there aren't even any rose plants here. You sure you wanna stick to that reason of why you wanna stay out here?" She teased.
Roy sighed and scratched the back of his head. "Fine, you got me. Happy now? If you really wanna know the real reason for why I'm out here is because, well, I think you're pretty cool to hang out with. Plus, it kinda gives me something to do...and I...think you're...kind of cute."
Mimi perked up when she heard the last few words. "Really? You think I'm...cute?"
"Yeah. Why, is 'cute' a bad word for you? Should I have used a different word?" Roy asked.
"No no no, that's just fine. But...wow, I've...never been complimented like that before in my life. That's so sweet of you, Roy...thank you," Mimi said in joy.
"Really? No one has EVER called you cute? Why do I find that hard to believe?" Roy asked with skepticism.
"Well, it's just that, I have a tendency to creep people out and turn them away from me. This was all before I 'changed' for the better, however, so I imagine the reactions to me now wouldn't be as bad. Maybe," Mimi answered.
"You 'changed'? Why, what happened?" Roy asked.
"Do you remember six years ago where there was a great rumor about someone destroying every single dimension that existed? Yeah, well, I was involved in that and I was the biggest brat you could ever imagine, even before I joined in. Then...when Mario and his friends defeated 'him', I realized what I was doing was wrong and stupid and decided to live well for the future. It makes me sick even today to even think about how dumb I was to join in on that plan," Mimi explained. This shocked Roy a bit.
"Wow! So...you were actually a bad guy, too? I never would've thought. But, let me tell you something I've never told anyone before...I'm tired of working for my dad, and for my family. All the plans we put out so we can defeat Mario, or cause destruction has seriously gotten old and lame. But of course, I can't tell them otherwise I'd be shunned and probably kicked out from the castle," Roy admitted.
"But...isn't that what you want, though? I thought you said you hated your family?" Mimi asked.
"I do hate them, but where would I go if I got kicked out? I don't have any friends where I could stay at their place and everyone who knows about Bowser, hates him, and since everyone knows that he has kids, I'm automatically hated too so no public place would ever accept me. That's why I can't stand people, all they will ever do is judge you, even if they don't know you that well," Roy angrily ranted.
"Aww, Roy. I'm so sorry that you're stuck in this terrible predicament. But believe me when I say that there ARE good people out there, ones that aren't so judgmental. The world isn't as full of evil as you think it is," Mimi said.
"I don't know, it just seems like all I ever hear and witness nowadays is people being cruel to each other. It's like no one is ever good anymore, you know? I said it before and I'll say it again, I hate people," Roy said.
"But...I'm a person too. You don't hate me, do you?" Mimi shyly asked. As Roy was about to answer her, he was interrupted by someone stomping out onto the courtyard.
"AHA! There you are, Roy! I've been looking everywhere for you!" Wendy yelled as she walked up to him.
"Huh? Why have you been looking for me?" Roy asked.
"Because dad wanted to know where you were, since he was worried you had ran off. But of course, you're too much of a little scaredy-cat to do that anyways, so that option was already cut out," Wendy explained and looked over at Mimi. "Who the hell is this chick? She looks like something out of a 50's cartoon!"
"HEY!" Mimi screamed in anger.
"Do you know what, Wendy? Don't ever talk to me again. I've had enough of dad, I've had enough of the rest of my stupid brothers, I've had enough of Kammy, and I've most certainly had enough of YOU!" Roy yelled and ran off back into the hospital and Mimi went after him. Wendy just stood there, frozen in complete shock.
Kylie led Toadiko and Bleck into the hospital.
"Here it is, you guys. This is pretty much the shelter where you'll be staying at. The cafeteria is over to the left wing if you're hungry. And, well, that's pretty much all there is to it so now, if you'll excuse me, I have to hurry back," Kylie said and started to head back out until Toadiko stopped her in her tracks.
"Wait a second, Kylie. I have to ask you a question. When is everyone gonna be able to go back to their homes in Mushroom City?" Toadiko asked.
Kylie sighed. "Unfortunately, we don't know yet. Half the city has been wiped out, and the other half that wasn't wiped out still has some pretty bad damage done to it. Construction workers are currently doing their best to fix up whatever they can in the city, but if you want my honest opinion...it's not gonna be for a long while."
Toadiko also sighed and slowly nodded. "I understand. Thank you." And with that, Kylie left.
"Well, Toadiko, I'm going to get myself something to eat because I'm so hungry, I could eat a fried goomba! Are you coming along?" Bleck gestured.
"Nah, I'm gonna go use the bathroom and check this place out. I'll catch up with you later," Toadiko replied and walked off.
Bleck entered the cafeteria and immediately took a notice at who was sitting at the table closest to him.
It was Tippi, along with Nastasia and O'Chunks.
"Oh my god!" Nastasia shrieked and stood up once she saw Bleck.
"Bleck!? Is that really you, mate!?" O'Chunks asked.
"C-Count Bleck? I mean...Blumiere?" Tippi said as she floated over to him.
"Guys...my goodness, you can't believe how happy I am to see you all once again. I never thought for one second that I would find you guys. How are you all holding up?" Bleck asked.
"Eh, I've been coping decently. No panic attacks or sudden nightmare flashes, so I think I'm good to go," Nastasia answered.
"Same 'ere, mate! Ya wouldn't believe all sorts of crap we went through recently! Let's just say, it involves a castle and some new villain on the loose!" O'Chunks exclaimed.
"I'm doing just fine too. How about you? Where have you been all this time?" Tippi asked.
"I'm okay as well. As for where I've been...well, that's a long story probably saved for later. And I see you reverted back to your pixl form..." Bleck pointed out.
"I also see you've changed back to your...'other' form as well. We have a lot to talk about, don't we?" Tippi asked.
"Yes. Yes we do."
EOC.
Tippi and Bleck FINALLY meet up after all this time so rejoice! Next chapter, the main 13 will travel over to Luigi's Mansion. However, they find out that something is blocking their way in...
