As soon as Mario got back to Aridian, the press was already there, and Mario's least-favorite reporter Mat Koopat was right in the thick of it.
"You heard that here folks, Mario has assaulted the town's greatest hero Goombarry, attempting to take all the glory for himself yet again. As Goombarry is still currently missing, for all we know, Goombarry could be dead thanks to Mario's greed!"
"I'm right here!" Goombarry yelled out, immediately attracting the attention of dozens of reporters. Oh goodie. "Mario didn't do anything to me. I attacked first and he later helped me take down those loser gangs attacking the town." Mat paused for a second, then spoke again.
"So, how were you not sure he sent you to die?"
"Oh, buzz off Mat." Mario said, more annoyed than angry at him misinterpreting his actions again. "Why are you even here anyway?"
"I should ask the same thing about you, considering you left your brother behind while you skedaddled outta the kingdom. I think you're just trying to vamoose before the kingdom is destroyed."
"The evil force is right near here. I'm trying to stop it." Immediately after Mario said that, he regretted it. The reporters picked up at twice their previous volume, and Mario could barely hear them over each other. Mics and cameras were practically all he could see as they began to surround him, asking unintelligible questions. Mario grit his teeth in frustration.
"Alright that's enough!" Goombarry suddenly yelled, energy radiating from his skin. "We got an important mission, so you get out of the way and let us save the world, or else!" Dang, that Goomba had spunk, Mario hoped this wouldn't cost him later.
The crowd quickly backed off, either cutting their cameras or just filming from a few buildings away. Mat Koopat took the longest time, but soon he too slinked away, though as he looked at Mario with a death glare, he knew he wouldn't be getting the kindest coverage on Mat's channel.
"Wow, that was intense. I think we should head back to the ship." Mario whispered to Goombarry as they walked to the ship.
"I'd been wanting to do that every time I saw you on the news." Mario did admit, sometimes he wanted to do that too. Though he figured his heroic reputation was more important than getting reporters out of his hair.
"So what about that quest you said?" Goombarry asked once they were out of camera range and right near the Odyssey II again. "You said you're gonna be stopping that creepy force, and you came down here 'cause it was close?"
"Well, yes." Mario said nervously.
"Wow, cool. Sounds like some epic battles." Mario could tell the Goomba was gawking at the quest. It certainly made sense, given how battle-hungry this guy was and how little he'd been out of his village.
"That's usually how it works." Mario said as he stepped onto the ship's ramp, about to enter through the door.
"Mario, I don't know how Mat Koopat followed us." Hatro said from his perch on the craft. "I thought this ship was untraceable."
"That doesn't matter, he's just some news guy. He's not really a threat."
"Yeah, I showed him what for!" Goombarry yelled.
"Well, now everyone will know where the evil is. They may get in your way now." Hatro said. Mario was a bit worried about that. Anyone who showed up would likely range from helpful companions to minor inconveniences, but there were some villains who would love to get their hands on the evil force's power. Of course, they wouldn't succeed, but they would play right into the evil's hands. He regretted having slipped out its location.
"They may try, but we've still got this." Goombarry said. "Besides, how many people could possibly wanna come anyway?"
"The cats nestle close to their kittens," Bowser read.
"The lambs have laid down with the sheep.
You are cozy and warm in your bed, my dear.
Please go the heck to sleep.
The windows are dark in the town, child.
The whales huddle down in the deep.
I'll read you one very last book if you swear
You'll go the heck to sleep."
"Dad, I'm almost eleven, and it's not even nighttime yet, the sky is just always dark." Bowser Jr replied.
"Oh," Bowser said, a bit embarrassed at the mishap. "Well, didn't you call me up here?"
"I did, but that was to fix my Clown Car, not to read me a bedtime story."
"Oh, I see. You don't wanna spend time with your old man." he said dejectedly.
"No Dad, that's not it. I just…"
"Lord Bowser!" Bowser heard Kamek's shrill voice yell from the hallways, and sighed as he figured this would be something annoying.
"What is it, Kamek? I'm busy spending quality time with my son."
"It's about that creepy force." Kamek said, stepping into the room. Bowser was interested now. "Apparently it's close to Aridian of the Sand Kingdom, Mario's already there!"
"What?!" Bowser fumed, crushing the book in his hands. "We have to find it first. Prepare the fleet at once!
"Aw, but what about my Clown Car."
"You can just use Larry's." Bowser said. He didn't like Larry that much anyway.
"Your horribleness, if I could just look at it I may…"
"We don't have time for that now Kamek, come on!"
As he marched to his airship deck, Bowser steeled himself for an epic battle. This little plumber thought after taking Peach away from him so many times that he could then go ruin his spotlight fighting that thing. Well not this time. This time the King of Awesome would take his deserved victory, and that pathetic human wouldn't be able to do anything about it.
"Ka-bam!"
A critical uppercut was landed on the Fire Bro opponent, and he was so excited, so pumped, that he just couldn't resist audibly saying what would have otherwise been a sound effect. The Fire Bro was knocked to the floor, dizzied and beaten.
"And we have a winner, the X-Naut Juggeranut, LORD CRUMP!"
"Buh, buh, buhuhuh!" Crump laughed as he put his hands up in triumph, Jolene pointing her microphone toward him.
"So, Crump, you're moving up the ranks quite fast," she said to the burly X-Naut. "Already at Rank 3 after crushing Hamma, Bamma, and Flare. How far do you think you'll come? Do you think you stand a chance against the upper crust?" the Glitz Pit manager said.
"Pfft, that Rawk Hawk will hardly even be a challenge for me. You see these guns?" Crump flexed his muscles to the applause of the audience. "Let's see that bird-brain beat that!" Secretly, Crump didn't think he could beat Rawk Hawk or the Koopinator, but he couldn't let them know that. He was already thinking up an excuse to get out of that fight.
"Just remember," Crump continued. "This beatdown is sponsored by Zenith Industries. Be sure to go buy their Crump Mushrooms at the item shop. Heals three times as well as the nearest competitor. Buy 20, get 1 free!" He of course, didn't mention that it costed six times as much, and that there were no refunds, but he didn't care. So long as they gave him coins, he'd advertise Poison Mushrooms for all he cared.
"Crump!" a screen came up from his wristwatch as he walked back to the locker room. Oh boy, now time to answer to his literal talking head of a boss: Grodus.
"What's happening dude?"
"We have an important assignment for you, so cease this Glitz Pit tomfoolery at once!"
"Come on man, I've got a sweet gig going here."
"Do you think I care in any measure about your 'sweet gig' right now?"
"…No." Crump said crestfallenly.
"Then pack your things and get out of this commercialized dump. That foolish plumber accidentally gave away the location of the energy source. We are sending all our remaining forces to that area. That includes you."
"What even is the goal of this anyway?" Crump asked, sighing.
"You blubbering buffoon, I wish to gain a new body." Grodus's voice took a more sinister tone. "A far more powerful one, of darkness and karak, with which I will rule the world! Gack ack ack ack ack!"
"Alright fine. I'll meet you at the base."
"You better. Now I grow bored of talking with you."
The screen cut out. Well this sucked, he was giving up his awesome job at the Glitz Pit just to get Grodus a new body. Who did this guy think he was anyway? Though at least this meant he could retire undefeated and wouldn't get the tar beat out of him by Rawk Hawk. Hopefully Grodus would give him a modicum of respect once he got a new body, though with his puffed-up ego, he would likely fail to see Crump's genius yet again.
Throwing his tennis racket from his gloved hands, Waluigi got up from his purple chair. Kicking through the clothes and discarded pizza boxes of his house's floor, the rival fumed with rage. That goody-two-shoes Mario was the one to invade Bandit's Keep, and probably the one who launched the bomb at his face. Well, once he got a taste of waaaa energy, he'd regret ever coming near the base.
He opened the door to his creaky old basement, tripping and falling down all the steps, but undeterred nonetheless. He opened up an old wooden box, taking out a couple of his signature Bob-ombs. They had the Waluigi logo on them, and they packed a real punch. Now he would take revenge on Mario and claim the upper hand. Who cares if the Mushroom Mania magazines rated him "Loser of the Year" for six years straight. He was about to show Mario just what he could do.
"Let's see how he likes being exploded on. Wa-ha-haaaa!"