Chapter 3
Of glitz and glory
Mario and his friends enjoyed the trip to Glitzville. The blimp was really comfortable and the view was fantastic.
"This is very nice." said Koops
"Yeah. I wonder how difficult will it be for us to find the crystal star." replied Goombela
"Don't worry. We can handle anything." replied Mario
"Of course. Nothing can stand in our way." said Flurrie
Suddenly, a voice was heard from the megaphone.
"Attention passengers. We'll shortly arrive at the floating town of Glitzville. Please prepare to disembark and make sure to take all your personal belongings with you."
Soon, the blimp landed on Glitzville and all the passengers including Mario and his friends got off. There they saw that the Glitzville wasn't very big. All it had was the Glitz pit arena, a hot-dog stand, a shop and a bar.
"This place is not very impressive." said Mario
"Yes. I expected something more." replied Koops
"That's good. Now it'll be easy to find the crystal star." said Goombela
They entered the glitz pit and they were amazed. It was a giant building with many different rooms and filled with fans. Τhere were voices were voices of excitement everywhere.
"What is going on?" asked Mario one of the security guards in the room.
"Are you new here?" asked the guard.
"Yes." replied Koops
"Well you're in the Glitz pit. Here great battles take place every day. Right now, the champion of the Glitz pit is fighting for his title. Go and see if you want." said the security guard
Mario and the others entered the arena and saw a lot of people. They were looking at the ring where a fight between a koopatrol and some sort of hawk was taking place.
"This place is so cool." said Koops "Look. The fight seems interesting."
"Yes. Let's see what's going on." said Mario
"That's right. It's time for you to feel the raaaaawk" said the hawk.
With these words he kicked the koopatrol and knocked him out.
"And stay down, worm. You don't want more of this." said the hawk. "You cannot defeat me. Stay out of the ring or feel the burn. When you have done one million push-ups, come and see me and I'll crush you again."
Soon, a short blue guy appeared on stage and said: "That was an incredible fight. Rawk Hawk is once again the champion of the Glitz pit. What are your thoughts on the match?"
"Ha. You call that a match? Isn't there a fighter who can challenge me?" said Rawk Hawk. "No. No one can. I'm the best in the world. All the others are just a bunch of crybabies in stinky diapers. If you want you can come and fight me. I can take on anyone. You'd better stick to video games because I'm gonna hurt you. Oh yeah baby. Rawk hawk is the champ. Harhahrharharharharhar."
He suddenly lifted his shirt and showed a belt he was wearing. The champion's belt. What Mario and his friends immediately noticed was that there was a crystal star on the belt.
"Whoa. Do you see that guys?" said Koops
"Yes. I'd recognize that sparkle anywhere. It's the crystal star." said Mario
"Yes, definitely. However, it doesn't make sense. Why is it on this guy's belt?" said Flurrie
"It looks like the champion's belt. Whoever wins gets the belt and the crystal star." replied Goombela
After a while, Mario and his friends left the ring area with the rest of the fans.
"What should we do guys?" asked Goombela
"I don't know. We can't just steal this guy's belt, right?" said Koops
"Maybe we don't need to." said Mario
"What do you mean?" asked Flurrie
"The crystal star is on the champions belt. If we become fighters here and win the championship, we can get the belt and the crystal star fair and square." replied Mario
"That's right. You're a genius Mario." said Goombela
"Yeah. Let's find where we sign up." said Koops and he approached a security guard and said: "Excuse me. Where can we sign up to become fighters?"
"You need to find Mr. Grubba, the manager of the Glitz pit. You go through the door on the left of the staircase. His office is the third door on the left."
"Thank you." said Koops. He and the others followed the instructions, arrived at the office and entered. There they saw the short blue guy from before. When he saw them, he shouted:
"Who in tarnation are you? This is Mr. Grubba's office. I'm the guy. And you are rude entering without knocking.
"Sorry. We're here to become fighters." said Mario
"Really? You want to become fighters? Interesting. I always have time for a newcomer. This place is filled with fighters in the prime of their lives and with grim determination. You're a bit skinny for my liking, but I'm willing to give you a shot.
"Great." said Mario
"Let me guess son. You want to leave the glamorous life of the champion, right?" said Mr. Grubba
"Actually, we want to…" tried to say Koops but Mario prodded him. "Ouch."
"That's exactly why we are here." said Mario
"Good. Let me tell you something. When I was just a poor boy, I didn't give a fig for riches and big-city ways. However, as I got involved in martial arts, I became rich and famous. And you know what I realized? Being famous is diggety-dang dynamite. Now I cannot fight in the ring anymore, but I've earned enough for a lifetime. Dreams come true even if they weren't exactly yours. That's the key to success. Dream big and you'll get big. And when you get big you can look at all the small dreamers and laugh. You catch my drift?"
"Ye… Yeah. Sure." said Mario who didn't exactly agree with Mr. Grubba's thoughts but he didn't have a choice.
"Great." said Mr. Grubba. "That's the spirit. Now come on. I'll give you a tour.
Mr. Grubba left the room with Mario and his friends and took them to another room. When Mario and his friends saw it, they were astonished. It was a giant room with a luxurious bed, a set of training and many presents and sweets.
"This is amazing" said koops
"Yes, it is. This is the champion's room. The most deluxe room in the Glitz pit. Win the championship and you'll get the key to this room. And this just on top of the money and screaming fans."
"I like it." said Mario
Then they went on another room with many fighters in it.
"This is the major-league locker room." said Mr. Grubba. "It's not glamorous but it's clean and comfortable and totally sanitary. I care about my fighters."
After that they returned to Mr. Grubba's office.
"As you have certainly realized there can only be one champion." said Mr. Grubba." So, battling your way to the top isn't easy, but that's the point. It wouldn't be fun without a challenge. I can feel the fire in you, mate. You're gonna be the next champion. I'm sure. I've never been so sure about a fighter." Mr. Grubba stopped for a minute. He then put a contract on his desk and said:
"By the way, could you sign this contract? It's nothing. It's just for the record. Don't bother reading it."
"Okay." said Mario and signed the contract.
"Are you sure this is a good idea?" whispered Goombela. "You might have just signed your life away."
"Maybe, but we don't have a choice. Besides, as soon as we get the crystal star, we're outta here." replied Mario
'Great. Now what's your name?" asked Mr. Grubba
"It's Mario."
"Hmm… It a nice name but it lacks the punch a fighter's name should have." He thought for a minute and said: "I got it. From now on you're gonna be… The great Gonzales. Isn't it perfect?"
"Um... sure." said Mario
"It's a fine name but I'll stick to Mario." said goombela
"Names like this come round once in a lifetime. It's genius stroke. Soon, all fighters will kneel before the great Gonzales." said Mr. Grubba." And now that we got this settled…" He used the intercom in his desk and said: "Jolene. Could you come here darling?"
Soon the door opened and a female toad with glasses entered the room.
"You asked to see me sir?" she said
"Yes, honey." said Mr. Grubba. "This is the great Gonzales, our new fighter and his friends. Could you please take them to the minor-league locker room?"
Right away sir." said Jolene and left the office with Mario and his friends. As they were walking Ms. Jolene said: "Mr. Gonzales, you are a contracted fighter now so you have to abide by some rules. First and foremost, what Mr. Grubba says goes, period. You have to do what he says. Also, now that you have signed your contract, you cannot quit until Mr. Grubba releases you."
"What? Did I sign my life away?" asked Mario in shock.
"I warned you." said Goombela
"There are other rules that I'll explain later as they become relevant." said Jolene as she made a motion to the security guard in front of a door. He opened the door and stepped aside. Jolene entered the room and Mario and the others followed her. The room was really old and dirty. In had four beds and a few lockers. In there, there were a koopa, a bob-omb, a cleft and a bandit.
"This is your room." said Jolene. "Of course, since you've just started your career, you'll compete in the minor-league."
"This place is a dump." said Koops
"Yes. We cannot possibly survive here." said Flurrie
"If you don't like this place, I suggest that you battle your way through the ranks." replied Jolene. She then pointed at a weird computer thing on the wall and said: "This is the computer terminal. When you're ready to fight you just reserve a match from here. Mr. Grubba will decide who you'll fight. You have no say in this. Why don't you try it now? Just press the red button and you'll reserve a match."
Mario approached the machine and pressed the red button. Mr. Grubba appeared on screen and said: "Howdy Gonzales. Ready for your first fight eh? You'll battle against the Goomba bros. They are a piece of cake. However, in this fight I want you to with your bare hands. Without any weapons. Okay? Good luck."
After Mr. Grubba closed the conversation, Jolene said: "Now that you reserved you just have to wait until security comes to escort you to the ring. The rules are simple. The first team who knocks out the other team first wins. If you defeat a higher-ranking opponent your rank will go up, but if you lose to a lower-ranking opponent your rank will go down. Defeating your opponents is not enough. Mr. Grubba sets up conditions that you have to follow. In this case your condition is to defeat your enemies without any weapons. Every time you satisfy your condition and win, you'll get to fight a higher-ranked opponent next. if you get your rank to 11th, you'll move up to the major-league. That's about all you need to now. Dd you understand all that?"
"Yes." said Mario
"Certainly." said Koops
"Good. For now, just wait until security comes to pick you up." said Jolene
Mario and his friends waited. Soon, the door opened and a security guard entered.
"Gonzales. Match time." he said "Follow me."
"Good luck Mr. Gonzales." said Jolene. "And try not to get completely destroyed out there."
"Our first battle. I'm so excited." said Goombela
"Let's be careful." said Mario
Mario and his friends left the locker room with the security guard. Soon, they arrived at the ring. There they saw their opponents. Five goombas.
"This is going to be easy even without weapons." said Mario
"Yeah. We'll crush them." said Koops. "The goombas are the weakest species in the world."
Goombela coughed
"Sorry. You're an exception." said Koops
"For this fight we have the Goomba bros. Vs a newcomer agog to fight. The great Gonzales!" said Mr. Grubba. He then approached the Goomba bros. and said:" Hello Goomba bros. How are you feeling today? Are you ready for the match?"
"Are you kidding me? We are always ready to crush one or two rookies." said the first Goomba
"We'll show this Gonzales who is boss." said the second
"We'll teach him to respect the more experienced fighters." said the third
"You'd better call an ambulance to save time later." said the fourth
"let's show him how we do things around here." said the fifth
"Great. That's the spirit. However, this rookie has guts. He's ready for anything." said Mr. Grubba. He then approached Mario and his friends and said: "Now Gonzales I'll explain the rules really quick."
Suddenly, one of the goombas said: "Now, I'll bonk you." and jumped on Mario head.
"The match is on." said Mr. Grubba
"That's cheating." said Goombela
"Yeah. These cowards attacked before the bell rang." said Koops
"Chill out" said one of the goombas. "This was just a welcome gift for Gonzales. You should thank us."
"That does it. I'm not losing to such punks. I'll crush them if it's the last thing I'll do." said Mario
So, the battle started. Mario wasn't allowed to use his hammer, but he didn't need to anyway. His hands and feet were more than enough. And with the help of his friends, he quickly knocked out the Goomba bros. and won the match.
"The great Gonzales wins." said Mr. Grubba after the match was over. "Tell me son. What was your first victory like?
"It was good. However, I expected more of a challenge." said Mario
"We have a great talent here folks." said Mr. Grubba to the audience. "An uprising star. A possible future champion. The great Gonzales."
The audience went wild and started cheering on Mario and his friends.
Later, Mario with his friends returned to their locker room where they met with Mr. Grubba and Jolene.
"That was a very good fight Gonzales. Keep going. I have a good feeling about you." said Mr. Grubba
"I won't let you down Mr. Grubba." said Mario
"I know." said Mr. Grubba. "I have to go now. Ms. Jolene. Please give Gonzales his fight money." He then left the locker room.
"Here's your fight money Mr. Gonzales." said Jolene and gave him a few coins. "You can reserve your next match whenever you like, but you'll have to wait until the ring is available. You can also use the computer terminal to check your ranking. Have a nice day." She then left the locker room. Suddenly, Mario heard a voice talking to him: "Yo rookie. Did you enjoy your first fight?
Mario turned around and saw the koopa talking to him.
"I'm king K." he said. "I'm a minor-leaguer like you. Good to meet you. You seem tough. I think I could hang out with you."
"That would be nice." said Mario
"Yeah. You seem like a nice guy." said Koops
"Good." said king K. "Let me introduce you to everyone." He pointed at the bob-omb and said: "This is Master crash."
"Nice to meet you BOMB." said Master crash. "And now that we've got to know each other, I'll give you advice BOMB. As Ms. Jolene said, you have to obey Mr. Grubba's BOMB conditions. If you do so and win you get to fight higher-ranked opponents BOMB. If you don't, you end up battling a lower-ranked foe BOMB. You can't climb up the BOMB ranks if you fight the bottom of the barrel BOMB-BOMB."
"Yeah. My man has some speech issues, but his advice is useful sometimes." said king K
"Not sometimes BOMB. My advice is always useful BOMB-BOMB."
"Okay man, we get it." said king K. He then pointed at the bandit and said: "This lean guy here is bandy Andy."
"Nice to meet you." said Bandy Andy. "I'm not too often here, but when you see me say hi."
"Okay." said Mario
"Also," Bandy Andy went on "as you may have noticed, there are only four beds. That means some of us will have to sleep on the floor every night. And since you and your friends are new and hardier…
"Fine. We'll sleep on the floor tonight." said Mario
Then king K pointed at the cleft and said: "And last but not least, this tough stone guy is known as cleftor."
Cleftor looked at Mario and his friends irritably and said: "Cleftor doesn't want to make friends with mustachio."
"Easy, cleft-dog." said king K. He then turned to Mario and said: "he isn't the friendliest guy, but you'll get used to him."
"Definitely." said koops
"Anyway, this is the gang. If you need anything just ask. And know that we'll eventually battle each other at the ring so good luck."
With these words king K turned around and went to chat with the others.
And so, the days passed. Mario and his friends kept beating up their opponents and battling their way to the top. One day Mario and his friends returned to his locker room after a tough fight.
"This was a tough fight." said Mario
"Yeah, but we definitely showed those jerks who's boss." said Goombela
"Yes. I knew we could do it." said Koops
"This is cruel." said Flurrie. "The only reason I'm doing this is to get the crystal star."
When king K saw Mario and he others, he approached them and said: "You are amazing G-man. I've never seen such an incredible fighter in all my years here."
"Thank you. It's a concerted effort." said Mario looking at his friends
Suddenly, a loud voice was heard from outside: "Get in there now!"
The door opened and Bandy Andy came in with Jolene.
"How many times do I have to tell you?" said Jolene. "You are not allowed to go into that room. If you want to keep fighting here, you have to comply by the rules. And don't think I haven't noticed you following me. Stop it. It's creepy. If you do not comply, we'll ban you from the Glitz pit. Understood?
With these words Jolene left the locker room.
"Again man?" said king K. "You're a magnet for trouble."
"Sorry. I didn't mean to bring her here." said Bandy Andy
"It's okay B. It could happen to anyone." said king K. "But why do you follow this girl anyway? Do you like her?"
"Shut up king K. Now if you'll excuse me, I must be going." said Bandy Andy and left the locker room again.
"I don't like something about this guy." said Mario
"Yeah, He is suspicious." said Goombela
"Don't worry. He's just too curious. You'll get used to him eventually." said king K
Suddenly, some voices are heard again from outside.
"Ohhh. My head!"
"Be quiet."
"My leeeeeeeeeeg!"
"You're okay. Stop nagging."
"Ouch!"
"Out of the way."
"Mommy!"
After the voices stopped king K said: "It seems some poor sucker just earned himself a trip to the hospital. Well, this is a brutal sport. Stuff like this happens sometimes."
"Okay" said Mario. "Let's hope we don't end up like that."
"Don't worry." said Goombela. "We are all perfect."
"Not exactly." said Koops. "I'm feeling quite hungry."
"I heard the hot-dogs are delicious." said Flurrie
"Are you thinking what I'm thinking?" said Mario
"Yes." said everyone
They left the locker room and went out to buy hot-dogs. However, when they got out, they heard someone shouting.
"No, bad. Very bad. Behave yourself egg."
They looked and saw Mr. Hoggle, the pig who was the owner of the hot-dog stand, chasing an egg with a blue, a yellow and a pink spot.
"What's going on?" asked Mario
"it's so bad." said the pig. "This egg doesn't have arms or feet and I still can't' catch it. My menu was going to have the special southern fried egg dog of tastiness. I ordered this egg from an island on the South. I had to pay shipping too. But now it escaped. Don't just stand there. Help me catch it!"
Mario and his friends started chasing the egg, but they couldn't catch it. Eventually it jumped on the hot-dog stand's roof.
"No. So bad." said the pig. "How can I get it now? Fly there? Get down here you naughty egg."
The egg didn't move and it soon fell asleep.
"We should help him." said Koops
"I have an idea." said Mario. "Follow me."
Mario and his friends climbed on top of the shop which was opposite the hot-dog stand.
"Okay." said Mario. "Flurrie. Blow me show I can get on the roof of the stand."
"I'm coming with you." said Koops. "You may need some help."
"Okay." said Mario. "Now."
Flurrie blew Him and Koops and a few seconds later, they landed on the roof of the stand. They were about to grab the egg when it woke up and started jumping around and making sounds
"Do you hear that Mario?" asked Koops
"Yes. I think the egg is asking us for help." replied Mario
"So, what should we do?"
"We can't ignore it. We must help it."
"You are right. We'll set the little guy free." said Koops. He then turned to Mr. Hoggle owner and added:" Um… if that's okay with you too sir."
"Fine." he said. "Most people don't like eating stuff that jumps everywhere anyway."
"Good. It seems you're free little guy. Bye." said Koops. But the egg didn't leave. Instead it started jumping around Mario.
"What is it now?" asked Koops
"I think it just wants to hang out with us." said Mario
"So, what should we do?"
"It can come along. It would be nice to have an egg with us."
"Great. You're with us little guy." said Koops. "Just stay out of the way."
They returned to their friends who were also glad to have the egg with them. They returned to their locker room. Mario and the others soon left for a match and the egg stayed at the locker room. This match was against the team king K was in. It was a tough fight. King K was strong, but Mario soon cornered him.
"I'm sorry." whispered Mario to king K before he knocked him out.
"We go ourselves a winner. The Great Gonzales." said Mr. Grubba
Later Mario and his friends returned to the locker room. There Mario approached king K and said: "I'm sorry, but I didn't have a choice."
"It's okay. Only one can win." said king K. He then lowered his voice and said: "Listen, don't tell anyone yet, but I'm thinking about retiring soon."
"What?" said Mario in shock.
"Yes. If I don't, I fear I'll have an accident soon. It's not nice, but that's life. Please never forget you met king K."
"I won't." said Mario
King K smiled and left the locker room. One day Mario and his friends returned from a match and they didn't find king K in the locker room. They saw Master Crash and Cleftor speaking
"It's lonely here without king K BOMB." said Master crash
"King K weak. Now king K not here. Seems pretty normal to Cleftor." said Cleftor
"Come on Cleftor. You're in denial BOMB. I saw you crying yesterday BOMB-BOMB.
The door opened and Jolene came in with a swoop.
"This is your locker room Sir swoop. "said Jolene. "You'll start at the minor-league of course since you've just started your career." Jolene explained the rules like she'd done with Mario. In the end Sir Swoop reserved a match and waited for security to come for him.
"Hi guys." he said to Mario and his friends. "My name is Swoop. I mean Sir Swoop."
Soon, a security guard came and took sir Swoop to the ring.
"He seems nice." said Koops
"Yes, but I'm definitely gonna miss king K." said Mario
The next day Mario checked their ranking in the computer terminal and realized that he and his friends were ranked 11th.
"You know what that means." said Goombela
"it means that if we win the next fight…" said Koops
"We'll move up to the major-league." said Flurrie
"And we'll leave this dingy room." said Mario
"We're gonna rock." said Goombela
The time of the match arrived. The ring was full and everyone was ecstatic. Mr. Grubba was on the ring and said:
"This is a big day folks. Here comes the merciless executioner, the Great Gonzales."
The red doors on the left opened and Mario with his friends came in.
"Howdy Gonzales. How are you feeling today?" said Mr. Grubba
"Just perfect." said Mario. "I'm ready to crush the opponents and get in the major-league."
"Good." said Mr. Grubba. Suddenly, the blue doors on the right opened and Two iron clefts came in.
"Now our other fighters. The armored harriers." said Mr. Grubba. He then approached the armored harriers and said:
"You know, your opponent has confidence. He said: Armored harriers? More like paper dog-face bros. He also said. They probably play video games all day and cry when they lose. Outie belly buttons run in their family. These stinkers. And so on."
"What?" said the one. "How does he know mum has and outie? That jackass."
"We'll turn you into a smoothie and drink you." said the other. "And just so you know, only non-stinkers are allowed to call other people stinkers. Do you understand stinker?"
"What are they saying?" asked Koops
"No idea." said Mario
"You'll regret opening your mouth pal." said the one
"See these bodies. They are unbreakable. Whatever you do will be useless." said the other
And so, the battle began. Mario and his friends did their best, but it was all in vain. There is nothing stronger than an iron cleft so they couldn't do any damage. In the end thy were defeated.
"Bluh huh huh huh. How did you like that? We tried to tell you but noooo." said the one
"If you want another pummeling come and see us." said the other
After that embarrassing performance Mario and his friends retuned to the locker room.
"This didn't go as we planned." said Koops
"We're gonna be here for a while." said Flurrie
"wWait a minute." said Goombela. "Our egg is not here."
"She's right. It's gone." said Mario. "Where could it have gone?"
Suddenly they heard a voice behind them saying: "Yo."
They turned around and saw a little green Yoshi. It approached them and said: "Hey, Gonzales. Check me out. Thanks to you I hatched safe and sound. Thanks man."
"What?" said Goombela "You were inside that egg and now hatched. That's awesome."
"Yeah, but who cares?" said the Yoshi. "You guys want to be champs right? You want a crystal star? I heard all about while I was in the egg."
"So, you can help us." said Goombela
"Yes. I need to repay you for saving me from becoming hot-dogs, so I'll fight for you. I can gobble any enemy down whole. Honest." said the Yoshi
"Great." said Mario. "Welcome to the team."
"What's your name?" asked koops
"let's see. Since I was just born, I don't have a name yet. You seem fired up about so why don't you give me a name. Make it cool."
"Hmmm. How about Marley?" said Koops
"No." said the Yoshi
"Jim?" said goombela
"Nah." said the Yoshi
"I got it. How about Bobby?" said Mario
"Hmmmmm. Bobby eh? Not bad. Not bad at all." said the Yoshi. "I like it."
"Good. You're in our team now Bobby." said koops
"It's good to have another friend." said Flurrie
"yeah. let's get out there and do some damage." Said Bobby
Soon, the match reoccurred. Mario and his friends fought against the armored harriers again.
"Lemme at 'em." said Bobby. "I'll beat them up."
"You never learn, do you?" said one of the armored harriers
"Yeah. After the last beating you dare show your face again? We'll grind your bones."
The battle began, but this time Mario had an advantage. Bobby. With his extra-long tongue and extremely large mouth he gobbled one of the armored harriers and spat him out on the other. The bodies of the iron clefts are unbreakable, so the only way to defeat them was by throwing them at each other. In the end Mario and his friends won.
"We did it. We won." said Koops
"Yeah. I knew we could do it." said Goombela
"We couldn't have done it without you Bobby. Thank you."
"Don't mention it. We are a team. We help each other." said Bobby
"Congratulations Gonzales." said Mr. Grubba. "You made it to the major-league."
"We lost." said one of the armored harriers
"Does that mean we'll have to go back to the minor-league? I think I'm gonna be sick." said the other.
"That what I call a tough and woolly fight." said Mr. Grubba. "We have a new major-leaguer folks. Let's hear it for him."
The crowd started going wild and cheering. They grabbed Mario and his friends and started tossing them I the air.
Later, as Mario and his friends were about to leave the ring area, Jolene approached them and said: "Congratulations on your victory Mr. Gonzales."
"Thank you." said Mario
"We did our best." Said Bobby
"By the way. Mr. Grubba wishes to see you in his office'." said Ms. Jolene. "Follow me."
Mr. Grubba was in his office and he was looking at something inside one of his drawers. Suddnely, the door opened and Jolene came in with Mario and his friends. Mr. Grubba panicked and quickly closed the drawer.
"Mr. Grubba. I brought Mr. Gonzales as you requested." said Jolene
"M… M… Ms. Jolene. Mind your manners. We knock around here missy." said Mr. Grubba who looked scared.
"I apologize sir." said Jolene
"It's okay. Don't worry about it." said Mr. Grubba "Now, what I want again? Something about Gonzales. Oh yeah." He then approached Mario and his friends and said: "Good work Gonzales. Major-league already huh? I knew that you were perfect and I love it when I'm right."
"Yeah. You were right." said Mario
"Now we'll finish the major-league and become champions." said Bobby
"Yes. We'll be the next champions." said Goombela
"I like your passion." said Mr. Grubba. "Here's something extra for you. Take it."
He then took out a bunch of coins and gave them to Mario.
"By the way, your costume isn't good enough." said Mr. Grubba "it's okay for now, but if you become champion one day, we should change it. However, that's for later. For now, Ms. Jolene please take Gonzales and his partners to the major-league locker room."
"Yes sir." said Jolene. She then turned to Mario and said: "Mr. Gonzales. Please follow me.
Mario and his friends left Mr. Grubba's office and soon arrived at the major-league locker room. It was as they remembered it. Big and clean. in there, there were a koopa, a hammer Bro, a koopatrol and a spiny beetle.
"This will be your room from now on." said Jolene. "The system is the same, but the opponents are tougher. Now, if you'll excuse me, I must be going."
She left the locker room. Mario and his friends looked at the other fighters there, but they didn't mutter a word. The just looked at Mario suspiciously.
"What's their problem?" asked Goombela
"Yeah. Would it kill them to show a little friendliness?" said Bobby
Suddenly, the door opened and Rawk Hawk the champion came in.
"Champion coming through." he said. "Listen up losers. I heard of an uprising star that already made it to the major-league." He then turned around and saw Mario behind him.
"It must be you." he said. "Yes. You fit the bill. A skinny mustachioed guy. I came all the way here for you? What a waste of time."
Suddenly, Mario noticed the crustal star on his belt.
"You know guys, now that I see from so close, something is not right." said Mario
"You are right." said Bobby and quickly jumped on the belt.
"what the... get off my belt" said Rawk Hawk. "If you get near the Hawk, you'll get RAWKED." He then punched bobby. He let go the belt and fell on the ground.
"Are you alright?" said koops
"That was very rude." said Flurrie
"Don't worry. I'm fine." said Bobby
"The only reason you're still alive is because we aren't in the ring now. If I see you under those lights, I'll destroy you." said Rawk Hawk and left the locker room.
"This guy is awful." said Mario
"You're right Gonzales, but you were also right about the crystal star. It's definitely a fake."
"However, our magical map said the crystal star is here in Glitzville." said Goombela
"So, if the crystal star on the belt is a fake…" said koops
"Then where's the real one?" asked Flurrie
Suddenly, a sound starts coming from Mario's overalls.
"What's that?" asked Bobby
"I got an e-mail." Said Mario. He then took out his mailbox SP, opened the mail and read:
"If you want to find the crystal star follow my instructions."
"What? Who is it from?" asked Goombela
"I don't know." said Mario
" I wonder who sent us this mail." said koops
"And more importantly, why would he or she want to help us?" said Flurrie
"There's more" said Mario and read:
"First go the minor-league locker room and throw down the locker on the right wall. Then open the safe that's hidden behind it. All the minor-leaguers are having lunch right now, so no one will disturb you. I'll contact you again when I have more you need to know.
From X"
" Who's this X?" asked Bobby. "He sounds liked the one to ask about the crystal star."
"We don't have any reason to trust him." said Goombela
"Yes, but unfortunately this X is the only lead we have on the crystal star." said Mario "let's do what he says."
They quickly went to the minor-league locker room which was indeed empty. There they threw down the locker on the right wall and found a safe behind it. They tried many passwords, but they couldn't open it. In the end Mario broke it with his hammer.
"There we go." he said "Much easier."
"Yes. What's that? Said koops when he noticed a piece of paper in the safe. Mario took it and started reading it.
"We did all this for a piece of paper?" asked Goombela
"This is no ordinary paper." said Mario "It's a scientific paper οn the crystal star."
"What? Who could this be?" asked koops
"Yes. Who's researching about the crystal stars besides us?" asked Flurrie
"I don't know, but they have done in-depth research. They even took pictures of it."
"We can study it later." said Goombela
Unfortunately, as they turned around, they saw Jolene standing at the door.
"Mr. Gonzales." she said. "This is the minor-league locker room. Major-leaguers are forbidden. Even if they weren't, it's quite inappropriate to throw down lockers and break walls, don't you think? Now, I'll be confiscating this."
Before Mario could react, Jolene took the paper from his hand and left the locker room.
"Did that really happen?" said koops
"What's her problem?" it wasn't easy to get our grips on this information." said bobby
"Yeah. She ruined all our hard work. Let's hope our mysterious x sends some new information soon." said Goombela
Days passed and Mario and his friends kept fighting in the Major-league. One day they were walking on the corridors when they saw Jolene talking with a security guard in front of a door.
"Are you serious?" said Jolene. "You are not sure if someone is in there? What do we pay you for?"
"I'm sorry Ms. Jolene. I heard noises from in there, but I couldn't find my key for this room. I borrowed another key from a colleague and searched high and low, but I couldn't find anything. I probably misheard"
"It better be true or you'll be at the risk of losing your job." said Jolene.
Then the guard left and Jolene turned around and saw Mario and his friends
"What are you doing here Mr. Gonzales?"
"I was just passing by." said Mario
"Well, for your own good just mind your own business and stay out of trouble." said Jolene and left.
"is it just me or is Jolene threatening us?" asked Koops
"Yes, she is." sad Bobby. "I don't trust her."
"let's just keep an eye on her." said Mario. Suddenly, another mail sound was heard from his overalls.
"We have another mail" said Koops.
"Mario opened his mailbox SP and read:
"Go and get your package from the bar.
From X"
"Our package? What does it mean?" asked Bobby
"I don't know. Let's go and find out." said Mario and went to the bar with his friends. There he approached the barman and said:
"Hello. I'm here for my package."
"Of course." said the barman and left. He soon returned with a package "You're the great Gonzales, the uprising star. Someone left this package for you. Probably a gift from a fan. That's the good part of being famous."
"Thank you." said Mario. He then took the package and left the bar with his friends. He opened it outside and found a key.
"A key?" said Goombela
"Why would our X send us a key?" asked Bobby
"Now that you mention it," said koops. "that guard said he had lost his key for that room."
"Do you think this is the key?" asked Mario when he received another mail. He opened it and read:
"Go to the door you saw before and unlock it with this key. Then go Through the air vent that has been opened for you.
From X"
"So, let's go and unlock the door and then go through the opened air vent." said Mario
"Yes." said Goombela
"We are getting closer to finding the real crystal star." said Koops
Mario and his friends went to the door, they unlocked it with the key and entered the room. Much to their surprise, they found Ms. Mowz inside the room.
"Oh. Mhhhh mhhh." she said. "We meet again you husky mustachioed hunk."
"Not her again." said Goombela
"You know her?" asked Bobby
"We've bumped into her a few times." said Mario
"It's nice to see you again." said koops "Are you stealing something again?"
"I sure do." said Ms. Mowz
"By the way, a security guard said he heard noises from here. Was it you?" said Mario
"Please." said Ms. Mowz. I'm the world's best rat-burglar. No one could have heard me. I'm silent. Someone else must have been monkeying around here."
"Oh. I wonder who." said Mario
"Anyway, I found what I wanted so I'll be on my way. Good luck on your quest and be careful. There are many secrets hidden in this arena." said Ms. Mowz. She then approached Mario and kissed him on the cheek.
"Not again" said Flurrie
"Hey. That's a kiss, right?" said Bobby." Now I'm jealous. I want one too."
"So, let us meet again my mustachioed superstar." said Ms. Mowz. She then opened the door and left.
"I wonder who was here before us." said Koops
"That's a mystery for later." said Mario and pointed at an opened air vent. "Let's go in there."
They entered the air vent and heard some voices.
"Where are these voices coming from?" asked Goombela
"look here." Said Mario and pointed at a hole. "I can see Grubba in his office. He's talking with Jolene."
"What are they saying?" asked Bobby.
"I don't know. Be quiet so we can listen." said Mario
They all looked down the hole and listened.
"So, you didn't find hide or hair of anyone in the storage room, right?" said Mr. Grubba
'Yes sir." said Jolene. "It is secure. It was probably just a mouse. Of course, I've taken the necessary precautions."
"It's okay." said Mr. Grubba. "There isn't anything in there we'd miss anyway. By the way, any word from king K?"
"No sir." said Jolene. "He is still nowhere to be found, so I've deleted him from our fighter list like I did with all before him. The Glitz pit no longer has any legal connections to KP Pete a.k.a. king K."
"This is getting disturbing." said Mr. Grubba. "This is the fifth fighter that's gone missing this year. I heard a security guard saying the pit is cursed."
"This is definitely not true, but I cannot explain the disappearances." said Jolene
"Gonzales is the only good one I still have around." said Mr. Grubba "Anyway, tell everyone that king K headed home for a while. If they found out that fighters are going missing... Well it definitely won't be good for business. Bad news has a way of making people run for the hills."
"Don't worry sir. I'll make sure nothing like this happens." said Jolene and was about to leave when Mr. Grubba said:
"You know Jolene, you're a very good manager, but sometimes you just disappear. Where do you go?"
"I... Mr. Grubba you're my boss, but I don't believe that's any of your business." said Jolene
"Calm down. I didn't mean to pry." said Mr. Grubba. "How about this? Do you know about a crystal star?"
"N... No sir… I don't know about that." said Jolene in a weird way
"Very well. You can go know." said Mr. Grubba
Jolene left the room. Mario and his friends were shocked from what they had heard.
"Did you hear all that?" Fighters are going missing." said Bobby
"Did he say king K disappeared?" asked Koops
"Who's king K?" asked Bobby
"He was in the minor league with us and we were good friends." said Goombela
"But I thought he retired." said Mario. "When did he disappear? Why?"
"Hey." said Mr. Grubba. "What was that? Is someone up there?"
"Oh, no. He heard us" said Flurrie
"What do we do?" asked Goombela
"I got it" said Mario and then squeaked loud enough for Grubba to hear him.
"It was just a filthy rodent." said Mr. Grubba. "I thought someone was eavesdropping. I need to relax. Maybe take some yoga classes. Anyway, back to the ring."
Mr. Grubba left the office
"That was a close one." said koops
"Yeah. Good idea Mario." said Goombela
"Anyway, now that we're done let's go. There are many questions to be answered." said Mario and left the air vent with his friends and returned to the major-league locker room. As they were siting in the room trying to organize their thoughts, a security guard entered the room entered the room and left a package on the table.
"Package for the great Gonzales. Probably from a fan. Lucky you." he said and left the room.
Mari opened the package and found a cake in it.
"It looks delicious." said koops
"Yes. It'll give us power for today's match" said goombela
However, as Mario was about to cut the cake in pieces, the koopa fighter grabbed it and ate it whole.
"Hey. That was ours." said Bobby
"Exactly. It was." said the koopa
"That's not right." said Koops
"Listen. I wanted a snack. And when I want something, I take it no matter what. So, I took yours. Simple."
Mario wanted to teach this guy a lesson but it was time for their match so he decided to do it afterwards. However, after Mario and his friends returned to the locker room, they found the koopa lying on a bed and a doctor examining him.
"What happened?" asked Mario
"Food poisoning. "said the doctor. "Did he eat anything strange?"
"Well, he stole and ate the cake a fan sent us." said Bobby
"The cake appears to have been poisoned. He's in stable condition, but he must be transferred to hospital immediately."
Two paramedics took him and eft the room.
"The cake was poisoned. It's a miracle he took it and ate it otherwise we'd be bent in half like him." said Goombela
"I wonder who would try to poison us." said koops
"Let's just be more careful from now on." said Mario
Suddenly, Mario's e-mail device was heard.
"We have another mail." said Flurrie
Mari opened it and read:
"You've been a thorn in my side for long enough. Stop searching for the crystal star or prepare to be pulverized."
"What? This doesn't sound like our regular X." said Bobby
" No. That's a threatening message." said Goombela. "Someone doesn't want us to find the crystal star."
"We definitely need to be more careful." said Mario
Later, Mario received another e-mail from the mysterious X.
"Go to the telephone booth outside the Glitz pit.
From X"
Mario and his friends went to the telephone booth and found a key in it.
"Another key? What is it for?" asked Flurrie
"I don't know." said Koops
Suddenly, Mario received another e-mail
"Here's your answer." said Mario and opened the e-mail
"Go the room you went last time, but this time unlock the door on the second floor.
From X"
"Let's go. We're getting closer to solving this mystery." said Mario. Suddenly, he received another e-mail
"This is your last warning. Stay out of my business or you're gonna suffer like all the fighters before you did."
"Another threatening message." said Koops. "It is starting to freak me out."
"We can't quit now. We have to find the crystal star." said Mario. "Are you with me?"
"Of course." said Goombela
"Definitely "said koops
"We are not leaving you." Said Flurrie
"We have a job to do." said Bobby
They headed for the room when they bumped into Rawk Hawk who said:
"Well, if it isn't Gonzales. I hear you're ranked 3rd already. Not bad. However, you want a piece of advice? You are not gonna last against me so quit and leave the Glitz pit while you still can or you'll get Rawked."
Rawk hawk left leaving Mario and his friends alone.
"I don't like this guy. He's threatening us." said Bobby
"That's right." said Koops. "Wait. Threatening? Do you think he's the one who's been sending us those threatening mails.?"
"It is quite possible." said Flurrie
"Let's keep an eye on him from now on." said Mario. The he and his friends went to the room and unlocked the door on the second floor.
"So, what are we supposed to find here?" asked Goombela
"I don't know. Let's look around." said Mario
As they were looking, Bobby tripped over a bottle on the floor and fell on the other side of a pile of old boxes.
"Bobby Are you okay?" asked koops
"Give me your hand. I'll pull you." said Mario
Bobby didn't reply at first. Suddenly, he said: "Gu… guys. You have to see this."
"Come on guys." said Mario. "Help me move these boxes."
They moved the boxes and saw a horrible sight. They saw king K and Bandy Andy, the minor-leaguers. However, they weren't as they were when they disappeared. They didn't have any life force or power. They were lying still on the floor barely staying alive.
"Holy cow." said Koops. "What happened to them?"
"They look awful." said Goombela
"I wonder what happened to them." said Flurrie
Suddenly, Bandy Andy stiffly lifted his head from the ground and said:
"Go… Go... Gonzales."
"Are you okay?" asked Mario
"No. I don't… think… I'm… going… to… make… it. Listen. Don't… Ugh… go… near… the… ring… when… no… one… is… around."
"Huh? What do you mean?" asked Goombela
"What will happen if we do?" asked Mario
Bandy Andy didn't reply. His body lay on the floor lifeless. They tried to bring king K round, but he didn't even budge.
"All this I very troubling." said Mario. "Things are getting more complicated than we thought."
"So, what should we do? We can't leave them here." said koops
"Unfortunately, there's nothing we can do for now" said Mario. "Until we find out what exactly is going on here, we must proceed cautiously."
And so, they were about to leave, when they noticed Jolene at the door spying on them. When she saw them, she quickly closed the door and left. The others wanted to follow her, but when they got out of the room, she had disappeared.
"This is craziness." said bobby. "What is going on here Gonzales?"
"A mysterious X is sending us instructions, someone tried to poison us with a cake, king K and bandy Andy are in awful condition, we have no idea where the crystal star is, Ms. Jolene has been behaving strangely and now she's spying on us. This is getting annoyingly complicated." said Mario
One day, Mario and his friends returned to the locker room after another difficult match. Mario checked their ranking and said:
"Guys, we're ranked 1st. You know what that means."
"Next will be the title match." said Goombela
"And if we win, we'll become champions." said Koops
"And we'll stop fighting." said Flurrie
"And concentrate on searching for the crystal star." said Bobby
"Let's do it." said Mario and used the computer terminal to book the match. Soon a security guard appeared to escort them to the ring. However, when they left the locker room, they realized something was not right. The security guard started going towards the opposite side.
"Hey, where are you going pal?" said Goombela "The ring's the other way."
"yeah… um … you have to go this way this time because it's a special match." said the guard
Mario and his friends didn't have a choice. They followed the guard, but they doubted they were going the right way.
"Slow down." said Koops to the guard "And why are we going this way again?"
This time the guard didn't reply. He unlocked the door of a room and went in.
Mario and his friends followed him and found themselves in an empty minor-league locker room.
"Wait here." said the guard and left the room
"What's going on?" asked Mario
"No idea. He told us to wait, but we're gonna miss our fight." said Bobby
Meanwhile, in the ring, Mr. Grubba was talking to the audience.
"Today great event. The top of the major league, the great Gonzales will face the Champ, the feral nuclear reactor, Rawk Hawk!"
The blue doors opened and Rawk Hawk entered and came into the ring while the crowd was cheering on him. He was wearing The Champion's belt.
"Are you ready champion?" asked Mr. Grubba. Gonzales is pretty good at fighting."
"No matter how good he is, he can't do anything." Said Rawk Hawk. "Even if he shows up you know what he'll do? Nothing. There's only one champion and that's me."
"However, he reached the top of the major league faster than anyone ever." said Mr. Grubba. "He did it even faster than you did. What do you have to say?"
"You know what I have to say?" said Rawk Hawk. "PHHHBBBBTTHHH. That's what. Who cares what he did to a bunch of losers? Now he'll get Rawked."
Meanwhile, Mario and his friends were still in the minor-league locker room.
"That does it." said Bobby. "We have a match to win."
"Yeah. We can't lose any more time." said Goombela
"I got it. "said Koops and tried to open the door but it didn't budge.
"Oh no! It's locked." said Koops. "We are trapped in here."
"That's really bad." said Flurrie
"All our hard work will go down the toilet." said Mario
At the ring Mr. Grubba is ready to present Mario
"And now the merciless executioner, the great Gonzales
However, the red door didn't open and Mario didn't come in since he and his friends were locked up in the locker room.
"Huh? Hold the phone folks." said Mr. Grubba. "where's Gonzales?"
"harharharharharhar. I'll tell you where he is. He's hiding. He's afraid of the Rawk." said Rawk Hawk
"What a plot twist." said Mr. Grubba. "Did the great Gonzales really run for the hills with his tails between his legs? What I know is that if he doesn't show up soon, he'll forfeit the match."
Mario and his friends were still in the locker room.
"Wah will we do? We'll lose the match if we don't show up in time." said Bobby
"We need to find a way out." said Mario "Let's look around."
They started looking around and eventually Koops found a secret passage in a locker which led to a little room with a lamp, a TV and a fridge. Mario and the others exited from a locker on the other side of the room and found themselves in another locker room.
"it's locked as well." said Flurrie after trying to open the door.
Mario opened a door in the room and found the WS.
"This toilet could take us in another room" said Mario
"No, you don't mean... "said Goombela
"We can't do that. "said Flurrie
"We don't have a choice. "said Mario
"I'm with Mario. I don't want to miss the match." said Bobby
"Me neither." said Koops
"Fine." said Goombela
They all entered the toilet and flushed themselves away. Meanwhile, in the bathroom of another locker room, the security guard who had locked Mario and his friends was counting some coins in a pouch.
"I was paid well to make sure these weaklings won't make it to the ring. Now they will forfeit the match and…"
Before he could complete his clause, the toilet started shaking and making weird sounds.
"What the..." said the guard when Mario and his friends came out of the toilet and landed on him.
"This is the guard who locked us up" said Mario
"How can you tell?" asked Koops. "All the guards are the same."
Mario pointed at the pouch. "He was paid to do it. Let's leave him here."
Mario and his friends left the room and went to the ring.
"Incredible folks." said Mr. Grubba when he saw them. "The moment you've been waiting for. Gonzales is here. Time for the big match."
"We're just on time." said Mario
"Listen to everyone" said Koops
The crowd was going wild, cheering and encouraging.
"Go Gonzales!"
"You rock!"
"You're the best."
"Just in time."
"Let's rock Gonzales" said Bobby
The match started. As Mario and his friends were about to attack Rawk Hawk he said: "You kids should have stayed locked up safe and sound."
"What do you mean?" asked Bobby. He suddenly shouted: "Wait. You're the one who paid that guard to lock us up?"
"You are darn right I did?" said Rawk Hawk. "I also sent you that poisoned cake. That happens when you mess with me. You meet the pain train."
"So, you are the jerk who's been sending us threatening messages about the crystal star." said Goombela
"What are you saying? "asked Rawk Hawk. "What's a crystal star? Wait. I don't care. I may not play exactly fair, but I've got skills and you're about to meet them all."
Rawk Hawk attacked Mario, but he dodged the attack and hit Rawk Hawk with his hammer. Koops hit him with his shell attack and Booby swallowed him and spat him out. After a while Rawk Hawk said:
"You are not bad. However, playtime is over. Prepare to feel the Rawk."
He jumped in the air and then tried it hit Mario with his beak. Mario blocked the attack with his hammer. Rawk hawk bounced and tried to do the same attack again when Flurrie blew him away with her wind powers and he landed on his back. He tried to get up.
"N… No. I, Rawk Hawk, the undefeated master cannot be defeated by such losers."
"Time to end this." said bobby. He jumped in the air and landed on Rawk hawk Heavily.
"Uhhhhh" was all Rawk Hawk managed to say before he lost consciousness.
"I think my eyes just popped out of my head folks." said Mr. Grubba. "This was a miracle. That wasn't an ordinary battle. It was a clash of superhumans. The battle of the century. This was truly, honestly, without question, no doubt, absolutely the most legendary, incredible, spectacular, marvelous battle of all time. Congratulations Gonzales. you're the new champion. That's right. The new champion of the Glitz pit. THE GREAT GONZALES."
The audience went wild and started cheering on Mario and his friends. They grabbed the mand tossed them in the air like last time.
"We did it. We actually did it." said Koops
"yeah. We taught that cheater a lesson." said Goombela
"Now, we are the new champions." said Flurrie
"Yeah. We rock Gonzales." said Bobby
Later, Mario and his friends returned to the major-league locker room with Mr. Grubba and Jolene.
"Congratulations son." said Mr. Grubba. "You're the new champion. Here's your belt."
Mr. Grubba took out the champion's belt with the fake crystal star and gave it to Mario. He then turned to Jolene and said:
"Ms. Jolene, please be a peach and take Gonzales to the champion's room."
"Absolutely sir." said Jolene and left the locker room with Mario and his friends. Soon, they arrived at the champion's room.
"This will be your room from now on Mr. champion." said Jolene. "It's yours so make yourself at home. The computer terminal works like in the locker rooms. Enjoy your stay Mr. Champion."
Jolene then opened the door and left.
"Yeah! We finally did it." said bobby
"Yes. All the luxury in this room is ours." said koops as he ate one piece of cake from the table.
"And we know the food here is not poisoned." said Flurrie
"However, Rawk Hawk seemed clueless about the crystal star." said Mario
"So, if it wasn't him who sent us those threatening mails, who was it?" asked Goombela
"Shh." said Koops "Do you hear that?"
They all stopped talking and heard a distant voice coming from the air duct.
"What's that? Do you think there's a ghost in here?" asked Bobby
Suddenly, Mario received another e-mail.
"Investigate the ghost in the champion's room
From X"
"Ahhhh" shouted Bobby. "so. There really is a ghost in here. Ghosts are scary."
"Calm down Bobby." said Goombela
"Yes. There isn't such a thing as ghosts" said Flurrie
"There's a rational explanation for everything." said Mario
"Let's go and find out what is." said Koops
They entered the air duct. When they reached the end, they heard the voice more clearly.
"Hyuk hyuk hyuk hyuk. It's in perfect condition as usual. Yep, as long as I've got this baby working for me this ol' Body will never get weak. However, I need to watch my step from now on. First, I let king K walk in on me when I was holding… that thing and know I can't help the feeling Gonzales and Jolene are onto me. But I guess I'll take care of that when the time comes. I'll just disappear them. Yes, like I did with all the others before them. Like I did with prince Mush, the first champion."
"That's Mr. Grubba's voice" said Bobby
"So, he's behind all the missing fighters?" asked Koops
"looks that way." said Mario
"Now that I think on it, fighters are not to mess with." Mr. Grubba went on. "Gonzales managed to defeat Rawk Hawk. I think he'll have to disappear pretty soon. For my sake. But for now, I better look this office tighter than a bottle of wine in an alcoholic convention. I should also lock the paper relating to that in my desk drawer."
A sound was heard and then Mr. Grubba said: "There we go. No one must know about this or I'm done for.
Mario and his friends heard the door opening and Mr. Grubba leaving.
"Looks like he's gone." said Goombela
" So, what should we do? "asked bobby
"Mr. Grubba has a lot to answer for." said Mario "let's go and see what that paper in his desk drawer is."
They opened the air duct and found themselves in Grubba's office.
"He could be back any second" said Flurrie "Let's look at the drawer."
Mario tried to open the drawer, but it was locked.
"Come on. All together." said Mario
They all pulled the drawer and managed to open it. Mario took out the paper and everyone looked at it.
"I don't' understand it." said Koops "it's too complicated."
"I do." shouted Mario "it's shocking."
"What?" asked everyone
"These are blueprints for a machine hidden under the ring." said Mario "I don't understand everything, but I think the crystal star powers it. It has the power to suck up life force from people."
"What? That's disgusting." said Bobby
"Do you think that's what happened to king K and Bandy Andy?" asked Goombela
Suddenly, the door open and Mr. Grubba came in. He was shocked to find Mario and his friends there.
"Great galloping Gulpits" he said "How in tarnation did you get in here?" He then realized Mario was holding his paper. "Well, slap me and call me sassafras. You are staring at my secret paper too."
"Shut up. You make me sick." said Bobby
"yeah. Why did you drain king K and Bandy Andy?" asked Goombela
"Oh no. that's not good" said Mr. Grubba and quickly left.
"After him Gonzales "said bobby and started chasing Grubba with the others. They eventually caught up to him in the ring. He was standing in the middle doing nothing.
"I have to say you are all idiots, sniffing around my business." said Mr. Grubba. "Now that you know my big secret, I'm afraid you'll have to take a dirty and endless nap."
He took out a remote and pressed a button. The floor in the middle of the ring sank with Mr. Grubba. Soon, the giant machine Mario and his friends had seen in the paper came out with Grubba in it. It was a giant cage. On top of it, there was a core that absorbed the power of the crystal star which was on top.
"Look." said Goombela. "it's the real crystal star."
"You like my machine? I've been using it to suck up power from fighters. And you know why? Because it keeps my body strong and young forever." said Mr. Grubba
"Using a crystal star this way is disgusting and awful." said Goombela
"Yeah. You're gonna pay for that" said Bobby
"Oh, shut up!" said Mr. Grubba. "I'll use my crystal star however I please. Now look at this."
Mr. Grubba clenched and shouted: "BEEF UP!"
Suddenly, the machine transferred the power of the crystal star into him and he turned into a giant orange monster with a spiny shell.
"MAAAAAAAAACHO GRUBBA." said Mr. Grubba
"Oh my gosh." said Goombela
"Grubba got huge." said Koops"
"Now I'll turn you into mush and then snack on your energy." said Grubba
Mario and his friends battled Macho Grubba. It was one of the toughest battles they've ever had. They attacked Grubba with all their might, but they couldn't do much damage.
"You are wasting your time." said Mr. Grubba. "I' m a powerhouse now."
"We won't give up." said Mario. "We have to work together and harder."
"Yes." said everyone
They tried harder and started winning. Willpower is always a strong weapon.
"I ain't finished yet Gonzales." said Mr. Grubba. "It's not over until is over. That the way it goes in combat sports. And know that fortuned will smile on me in the end."
But it didn't. Actually, Grubba was losing. At some point, he angrily got up and said: "I've had enough if this. You're forcing me to bring out the big guns. Back in the day I had so many moves they had to make some illegal."
With these words, he jumped in the air, made three front-flips and tried to land on Mario, but Mario avoided the attack. Hover, the land shook the entire ring casing Mario and his friends to lose their balance. The battle lasted for some time, but in the end, Grubba was defeated and returned to his original form.
"No." he said. "How could such a perfect body lose to such chumps." He then turned to Mario and said: "Congratulations… Great Gonzales. That was a great fight son. Great… fight."
"We did it." said koops
"I knew we could do it" said Flurrie
Suddenly, they heard a voice behind them.
"Mr. champion."
They turned around and saw Jolene.
"Np, I mean… Mario." she said "I offer my most sincere thanks to you for defeating that foul Grubba."
"Jolene" said Goombela "What going on here?"
"Yes. I don't understand anything." said bobby
"I'm sorry that I had to get you involved, but I had to learn the truth about this arena by any means." said Jolene. "I'll explain everything. I once had a brother by the name of Mush. He would do anything for me. Our family was always poor, so he became a fighter here to support us. However, one day he suddenly went missing. Our family was disconsolate. I suspected foul play, so I go myself hired as manager and investigated in secret. During my research, I accidentally saw Mr. Grubba transform. Seeing what I was up against I almost gave up hope… and then you appeared. Seeing you fight made me realize you were the only ones who could challenge Grubba, so I decided to secretly guide you."
"Really?" said Mario. "Then our mysterious X…"
"Correct. It was me" said Jolene and approached the machine and Grubba and said:
"Now sir… no, not sir. Grubba. I want answers. What did you do to my precious little brother? You know exactly what I'm talking about. The first champion of the Glitz pit. Prince Mush."
"Prince… Mush "said Mr. Grubba with difficulty. "He… ugh… discovered the secret of my... power-sucking machine… so I had him disappear. And the way you look at it… he isn't around these parts anymore.
No!" said Jolene. "I suspected as much. My poor little brother."
"Poor Jolene." said Mario
"Yeah. She seemed mean, but she just loved her brother so much." said Bobby
Everyone remained silent. Suddenly, goombela said: "Look. The crystal star."
They looked at the crystal star which was spinning around and shining. Suddenly, a toad came out of it and landed on the ring
"Oh man? What happened? I' m back at the Glitz pit." he said
"Mush!" shouted Jolene
"is that you sis? It's been a long time. I think I…"
"Don't worry Mush" said Jolene "It's all over. Finally. Now Mario, please take the crystal star."
The crystal star stopped spinning and immediately fell on the ring. It knew where it belonged.
"Really? We can just take it?" asked Flurrie
"It's better that you have it." said Jolene. "So, we can be sure nothing like this will happen again."
"Okay Mario." said Bobby. "Let's take it."
Mai picked up the crystal star and it gave him its power making him stronger.
The Glitzville's underside was a dangerous place filled with conspiracy. With the help of the lovely Ms. Jolene, Mario and his friends discovered the truth about the Glitz pit and acquired the gold star, the third crystal star, which was being used by Grubba to power his power-draining machine. What other powers might these mystical items possess?"
So, I' m done with chapter 3. It was a long one. Next will be interlude 3. Please write reviews to let me know what you think of my work.