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Author's Note:
Unfortunately my dear readers, this is the final week of my break, therefore chapter updates have officially slowed down. I will, however, continue on writing and updating on my spare time. I'm taking this story to a new direction than what I had originally planned so I'll like to get into that as soon as I can. I'm not promising a normal posting time so don't get too surprise at how long you'll have to wait between chapters.
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Disclaimer: This following FanFiction story is a fan-based parody. "Mario" and all of its respectable characters are all owned by Nintendo and created by video game designer Shigeru Miyamoto. Please enjoy; favorite and review whenever you want.
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Chapter 76:
The Upcoming Festival
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"So... what are we here for? Other than a few new shirts,"
Wendy turned to her husband. The two were walking towards the marketing district. She wore a blue and white striped print dress with a white belt around her waist and a matching blue bow. Luigi was wearing a purple shirt, dark colored jeans, and his brown shoes.
"I'm in the mood for something sweet," She told him.
"Okay, why didn't you ask the chef to make you something, or me for that matter?"
"I wanted to try something new. Kelly told me that her mom is a one of the best chefs in town and that she's looking for some taste testers to try out some of her new recipes."
"Oh, I see...In other words, she's giving away free food,"
"Exactly; of course, I'm willing to buy a few that might caught my attention,"
"Did Kelly say where she works?"
"Yes, she said they both work at the 'Party Store and Bakery'" She answered.
Luigi nodded and started looking for that store. As they walked around, he noticed all the commotion around town. For starters, there wasn't much sunlight piercing through today due to the recent volcanic activities from Mount Sabit; however, that's of no concern to the townsfolk who were all hard at work. The streets were busier than normal and many of the buildings were in the mist of being decorated. When they made it to Town Square, he saw Hammer Bros, Rocky Wrenches, and a few Lakitus working together to build what appears to be a wooden stage.
"Is there an event coming up or something?" Luigi asked.
Wendy shrugged. "I think there was suppose to be a festival in a few days,"
"You are correct, my Lady,"
The two turned to see an elderly Koopa with a cane approaching them. The Koopa had a large busty gray mustache and wore a brown vest with a green tie, and a small brown hat.
"And who are you?" Wendy asked.
"Pardon me; my name is Kipper, the Major of the town," He introduced himself.
"Nice to meet you, Mr. Mayor... I'm Luigi, and this is..."
"Lady Wendy, yes of course. I'm very aware of you both. And I must say, it's a pleasure to meet you," The Mayor bowed.
Luigi rubbed the back of his neck, nervously. "Oh...ahh, thanks,"
"So, Mr. Mayor," Wendy stepped forward. "What's this festival about any way?"
"Yeah, I heard it last for five days,"
The Mayor nodded. "Indeed, it does. You see, the Koopalooza is probably Koopalis' biggest festival. During those five days, numerous different competitions are held – each offering the chance to win all sorts of prizes."
"I can see why this event is so popular,"
"It very much is...Visitors from all over come to participle in the five day event. Not only does it help sponsor the town's local businesses, but it also helps raised money for our schools and town development. I do hope you two will take part in our festival as well as the King. No one has actually seen him since he moved here."
"Well, you know Daddy," Wendy said. "He likes his image as a no fun, ruthless King,"
The Mayor smiled. "I'm sure having a little fun won't change that."
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"Oh, there it is!"
After bidding farewell to the mayor, the two continue on with their search. From across the street, Wendy spotted the store they were looking for. A large two stories building with the business on the first floor and two separate homes on the second floor. The left side held the party store while the right was the bakery.
They entered through the right side door. A small bell rang through the shop, alerting the owner of their arrival. They were first greeted by the sweet smell of fresh bakery, followed by the many cakes and pantries displayed in front of them, all of which were decorated beautifully.
"Welcome to the bakery section of Party Store and Bakery~,"
A familiar pink Parakoopa came out from behind the kitchen door. Wendy turned away from the display she was looking at and greeted her.
"Hello, Kelly,"
"Wendy, Luigi, welcome," Kelly smiled happily. "What brings you two here?"
"Well..." Luigi started. "We heard that the chef here is working on something new and we were hoping to try it out."
"Well, you heard right. Mom just finish making up three new batches of desserts. Wait right here, I'll go get you some,"
Flapping her wings, Kelly ran back into the kitchen, singing, "Oh Mom~ I got some new taste testers for you~"
As they waited for Kelly to return, Luigi and Wendy wonder around the store, looking through the goods on display. The store featured many things, from desserts to pastries to breads to scones.
Wendy licked her lips as she stared at the desserts in front of her. They all look so good; she just couldn't decide which to choose from.
"Careful," Luigi warned. "You'll get a cavity from all that intense stare,"
"I can't help it," She whined. "I don't know what I want and choosing from all this is impossible."
"Why don't we try some samples first before coming to a conclusion?"
"Alright fine," She sighed then sniffed the air. "Hey, do you smell something burning?"
Luigi raised a confused brow before a commotion in the kitchen caught their attention. A smoke alarm started ringing followed by thick black smoke sneaking through the door. Luigi and Wendy shared a similar look before rushing towards the kitchen.
Upon entering, they were immediately hit by smoke. Luigi coughed out whatever fumes made it to his lungs while Wendy simply waved it off like a fly, having a natural tolerance for smoke.
As it the smoke faded away, the two look around and spotted Kelly and a Shy Gal in chef attire trying to put out the burning oven. The Shy Gal looked familiar to Luigi, but he couldn't recall where he met her at the moment.
"Damn this old thing," The Shy Gal cursed as she fan the oven with her apron. "Can't do anything right these days,"
"Aw, the dishes are ruined," Kelly whined sadly. "I can't give any of them to our guests,"
"I smell smoke, is everyone alright?"
Luigi and Wendy turned around to see a Goomba had appeared behind them.
"We're fine, Gel, but I'm afraid my oven is no longer working properly,"
"That's unfortunate," The Goomba said. "Especially for your customers here,"
Both Kelly and the Shy Gal turned toward them. Upon seeing the man in green, the Shy Gal narrowed her eyes in thought. She then gasped and pointed an accusing finger at him.
"You!"
Luigi blinked twice before his eyes widen out of surprise. He remembered now...She was the same Shy Gal he met in the market the other day.
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Wendy hummed happily as she took a bite of her mini low – fat chocolate covered strawberry cheese cake. She sat on a small table with Luigi across from her, enjoying his own slice. Kelly and the Goomba, whose name was Gel, were sitting in another table beside them.
The kitchen door opened and the Shy Gal, now known as Chef Shyla, came out skillfully carrying four small plates of frozen peanut butter pies. She neatly placed one in front of each of them.
"Here we go," She said. "These are some desserts I made prior; I hope you all enjoy it."
"Thank you very much, Chef Shyla,"
"Oh please, sweetie; just call me Shyla, everybody else does. And it is me who should be thanking you. Since our encounter in the store the other day, I had come up with many new recipes that are both delicious and low-calorie."
"Mom's new healthy menu is becoming increasingly popular with our customers, especially with the females," said Kelly. "They say they've lost some weight thanks to her."
"It's true," said Gel. "I eat here every day and since she started this I've lose three pounds,"
"You're planning on entering one of the festival's contests, right?" Wendy asked.
Chef Shyla nodded. "The Koopaloza's Dessert Contest; this year's reward is 5,000 coins,"
"Do they always give away large rewards like this?"
"Not always, just every few years or so…This is actually the third time since we've moving here I've seen them done this,"
"They're offering a lot of coins to the winner. What do you plan on doing with all that if you win?" Luigi asked.
"Well, naturally some of it will be place aside to go into Kelly's schooling. The rest I plan on using to improve the store. It's been over ten years since I first opened shop; I think now is the perfect time for some upgrades."
"Well," Wendy said finishing off her plate. "...with these desserts, I'm sure you're guarantee for first place,"
Luigi nodded in agreement. "I second that,"
Shyla smiled. "Thank you both,"
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It was dark when Luigi and Wendy left the 'Party Store and Bakery', but it wasn't from the sunset. Heavy smoke from Mount Sabit had blocked the sun in just an hour, causing Koopalis to be covered in a temporary darkness.
With sweet purchases in hand, they started their way back to the castle, glancing at a few stores along the way. Upon reaching the town center, the green plumber suggested a quick detour in the southern district.
"This is it?"
He nodded. "Yup, that's it."
The two stood in front of the two story house of 'Koopapa's and Koomama's Family Store'. Almost nothing has changed since the last time Luigi has been there.
"This doesn't look like much," Wendy frowned. "I mean, it's all worn down."
"Well, the owner is an elderly widow whose husband passed away some years ago. She's also deaf and has been diagnosed with Meniere's disease."
"Oh I get it, so she's an elderly woman who can barely take care of herself, let alone the store." She smirked. "And you, being the nice guy that you are, decided to check in her."
He smiled. "What... am I that obvious?"
"Why yes, you are," She said, walking towards to the store.
The door bell rang as they both entered inside. Luigi walked over to the stairway and try to alert Mrs. Kitava. He knocked against the wall, hoping the vibration will help.
"Mrs. Kitava..." he yelled out in addition. "You have visitors,"
As Luigi try to get the store owner to come out, Wendy wondered around the shop in mild interest. The store was small and in really bad shape; however, the items here were still profitable at best. With some cleaning, redecorating, and maybe a little bit of advertising, it could be back in business in no time.
She came around the last aisle when she saw it. Her eyes widen in surprise and she called out,
"Luigi!"
The plumber jumped when he heard her yell. He quickly recovered and ran over to her aid.
"Wendy, what's...!"
He gasped in shock at the scene before him. Wendy was on her knees, kneeling beside what appears to be a lifeless body. To make matters worse, he knew that lifeless body.
"Kitava!"
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Conscious came to her slowly. Her eyes opened faintly but they couldn't stay up for long. She sighed tiredly and kept them close as she tries to regain some strength into her body.
After a short nap, she opened them again, this time a bit easier. Her vision was blurry so she had to blink several times to clear it. When she was able to see she was able to make out the white ceiling above her.
She stared at it blankly. She had wake up like this plenty of time and yet, the ceiling looked unfamiliar to her. She turned her head gradually to the side and quickly realized why.
She wasn't at her home. She glanced around further and realized a few equipments. She was at... the hospital?
She forced herself to sit up from the bed. She was at the hospital. But…why? Last thing she remembered, she was at home trying to clean up the shop when a sudden wave of dizziness hit her.
She saw the door opening with the nurse entering inside. She looked surprise to see her wake and said a few words that she couldn't hear but could probably make out based on her lip movement. She stared blankly at her attempts to communicate with her but made no effort to tell her she was deaf.
Eventually, the nurse gave up on trying. She checked her vitals and made sure she was comfortable before leaving the room. A few minutes later, her doctor appeared wearing her white coat and blond hair tired in a bun. Following after her came two another Koopas she was well familiar with.
Her mood brightened to see someone she could, in a sense, talk to. Her happy mood, however, soon turned into confusion when she saw a familiar plumber coming in after them. Before she could think about it, Kendall pulled her into a crushing hug.
"Oh Kitava, I was so worried about you," Kendall cried out.
Kitava struggled against her friend's hold. For an elder Koopa, Kendall was pretty strong.
"Kendall, dear, you're suffocating her," said the other Koopa.
"Oh, opps" Kendall blushed, releasing Kitava as she signed. "/Sorry, are you alright?/"
She nodded. /I'm fine; what happened?/
"/Luigi found you unconscious on the floor; he took you to the hospital/"
'Luigi?' She blinked. She turned towards the plumber who was standing next to her bedside. He smiled and waved to her in greeting.
"/Mrs. Kitava, can you tell me what happened before you passed out?/" The Doctor asked.
Kitava nodded and told her what had happened.
"What she say?" Luigi asked. It was a bit frustrating to be the only one in the room who doesn't know sign language.
"She said she was cleaning around the house when she suddenly felt dizzy." Kurt, Mrs. Kendall's husband, translated for him. "She tried to keep her balance but fell and that's when she started losing consciousness."
"It's probably a case of vertigo," The Doctor said as she checked Kitava over. "A common symptom of Meniere's disease,"
"Is it serious?" Luigi asked.
"Hmm no, not entirely," She said, turning to him. "Vertigo is a sensation of spinning. It makes you feel like you or your surroundings are spinning. It may last between minutes to hours and, if bad enough, may cause nausea and vomiting.
"In many cases, vertigo goes away on its own without any treatment. The reason for it is because the brain is able to adapt in part to the inner ear changes, relying on other mechanisms to maintain balance."
"So what now?" Kendall asked.
"Well, she seemed well enough to return home; however, I would like to keep her over night just to make sure."
She told Kitava this. She shook her head and responded back to her.
"I see, so you don't want to say overnight. /In that case, I'll feel more comfortable if someone was there to look after you/"
"Not a problem, she could say with us for the night, right Kurt?" Mrs. Kendall said.
"Of course, Kitava is always welcome,"
The Doctor signed this to Kitava who agreed to the terms. "Alright, just give me a few moments to fill out the paper work and I'll have her discharge,"
"Thank you very much, Doctor,"
She nodded and left the room, leaving Kitava with her visitors. Kendall turned to Kitava who was signing something to her. She nodded and turned to Luigi.
"Kitava says she thanks you Luigi for helping her. And that she's sorry if she made everyone worried,"
"It's fine," Luigi said. "I'm just glad she's alright,"
"Indeed," said Kurt. "Your visit to the store was a blessing. Who knows how long Kitava would have been there before she was found,"
"What can I say...I'm always there for a friend in need,"
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Ending Note:
See ya'll next time.
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