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Author's Note:
Again I'm sorry for the late update. I was going to post this chapter earlier this the week but ended up forgetting. This chapter was a bit hard but easier than the last chapter.
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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 90:
Going Out With A Bang
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The plan was simple enough...
Step 1 was to create a distraction that would draw Scorpio and his men's attention away. Step 2 was to free the captives while everyone else was distracted. Step 3 was to create an incident that will cause everyone in the room to panic and run for the exits. Step 4 was to use the frightened mass as a cover to slip everyone outside where they'll make a break for it in the desert.
Luigi tasked himself with Step 1, creating the distraction, while Guy and Paraplonk worked on Step 2 of freeing the captives. The green man's distraction of choice was the building's power box. Not only would it cause a disturbance, but it would also provide a blanket of darkness for Paraplonk and Guy to sneak around unseen.
He found the power box behind the serving table. Fortunately for him, none of Scorpio's men was around at the time, mostly serving drinks around the audience. Once he spotted Guy and Paraplonk in position, he quickly pulled down the lever from on to off.
The room went dark immediately, causing everyone to fall into alarm. To make sure it stays that way, he charged up his Thunderhand and smash the box with one punch, not only breaking it but also frying some of the wirings as well.
The room was almost pitch-black, but he managed to move around the crowd by following the torches and the battery powered lights placed around. Scorpio's henchmen were running everywhere, most likely trying to figure out a way to turn the lights back on. Without anyone noticing him, he made his way to the stage.
With Guy and Paraplonk freeing the captives in the other room, he himself will have to free the Children from their cages. He dug through his pocket and pulled out the Ice Flower. He crushed the power-up with both hands and immediately his clothes started to change color. His black shirt and green cap turned into a light blue color while his short trench coat turned dark green. He stepped up onto the stage. His presence was quickly realized by the Doogan as he quickly approached him.
"Sir, no one is allowed on the stage," He said. "Step down before I-"
"Sorry," Luigi interrupted him. "But I'm not leaving without them,"
He quickly grabbed the Doogan's arm and froze him. He felt a bit of a struggle from the dog-like creature, but the Ice Flower's ability was almost instant. In just a few seconds, the Doogan was completely frozen in a block of ice, immobilizing him for the time being.
Luigi was unsure if the Doogan was capable enough of freeing himself from the ice, as the effect tends to vary. Nevertheless, he quickly slid the block aside and set his attention on the cages before him.
"Who are you?" One of the Children asked.
"I'm a friend," Luigi said, removing his mask to reveal his cap and face for them to see. "Remember me?"
"Luigi!" Brianna gasp in relief.
"Shhhh, we don't wanna draw attention to ourselves," The green man shushed her gently. "I'm gonna let you out but you have to follow my plan, okay?"
"And what makes you think we can trust you, human?" growled the male in the black and white mask.
"I trust him, Ranbir," Brianna came to his defense.
"Just because you're the Chief's daughter doesn't mean you can speak for the rest of us," The male, Ranbir, snarled.
The plumber frowned as the two send heated glares at each other; he wasn't sure what to do to gain their trust. The only one he ever met was Brianna, but her words alone weren't enough.
"Are you really going to help us?" A small voice broke the tension between them.
Luigi turned his attention on the small yellow one Brianna was holding onto. She looked scared and Luigi can generally sympathize with her. "That's why I'm here. Are you Chloe by any chance?"
The young one's brown eyes widen. "I-I am, how did you know?"
The green man smiled gently. "Your sister, Ava, told me about you,"
Her eyes widen. "Ava?! You talked to her?"
He nodded. "She's generally worried; everyone back at your village is."
"You've been to the village?" An older female questioned.
"No outsider has been allowed to our village before," Ranbir stated with narrowed eyes.
"I have; I came with Bowser and the others. Everyone is out in the desert looking for you right now with hopes to bring you all back home. I know you don't trust me, but at the very least, let me help you."
The plumber sounded sincere, but uncertainty still plagues the Children's minds. They turned to each other, not sure if they could trust his words. In the end, it was little Chloe who spoke again.
"You promise to take us home?"
He nodded. "I promise,"
Chloe stared at him for a moment before glancing up at Brianna. The pink Masrestler nodded, signaling her approval. Chloe took a deep breath and turned back to the man in green.
"Okay, I trust you,"
"Thank you," He smiled. "I'll get you out as soon as I can,"
He grabbed onto the bar handles and tugged at it. When that didn't work, he looked for a keyhole. He found it, but he didn't have the key on him. The most reasonable place it may be is in the room with the other captives.
'Use a hairpin,'
With limited time and no other ideas, the plumber ran a hand through his hair. To his own surprise, he managed to find a hairpin. He removed the rounded tips with his teeth and broke it in two pieces. Using one end as a torsion wrench and the other as the pick, he started working his way through the lock.
This wasn't the first time he had to pick a lock and frankly, he was surprised he still remembered how to use it. He picked up the skill years ago, back when he and his brother first got their own place. Mario would always forget to grab the key, sometimes locking them both outside of their own home. Through multiple trial and error, he taught himself how to pick a lock for say situation. It came in handy for a short period of time until Mario decided to hide a spare key underneath the outdoors mat or a potted plant.
His skills were rusty as it has been years since he last used it. But as he kept on trying, the ability came back to him.
"In a minute or so, everyone in this room is going to make a mad dash to the exit," Luigi informed the Children as he worked. "Once you're free, follow the crowd out of the building. I have someone outside waiting for you; he'll lead you away from here,"
"We can barely trust you as it is, do you really expect us to trust another?" Ranbir growled.
The green-capped man glanced up and flashed him his most honest smile. "Not really. But as of right now, we don't have much of a choice,"
It took a bit of tinkering, but the plumber was successful when he heard the 'clink' sound of the cage door unlocking. He opened it, allowing the three males to roam free. He told them to run while he got to work on the other cage, but they refused.
"We're not leaving without the others," Ranbir told him
The green man frowned but say nothing about it as he continues working on the second lock. He could understand their reasons for wanting to say together.
"The beasts... They have escaped!" A female in the crowd shrieked out.
"Merda," He cursed under his breath as he knew they were now caught red-handed.
"Boss!" He heard someone yelled. "Someone let the slaves out!"
"WHAT?!"
A guilty smile appeared on his lip at Scorpio's angry scream. It sounds like Paraplonk and Guy were successful on their end of the plan. And not a moment too soon as another 'clink' rang through his ear; he managed to open this one faster than the first.
He threw the cage door wide open, allowing the five girls their freedom when he was suddenly tackled. He nearly fell off his feet at the sudden attack and his breath was stolen from him as small but strong arms wrapped around him in a tight hold.
"Thank you," Brianna said softly, her face buried into his chest. Luigi couldn't see it but based on the sound of her voice, he could tell she was crying.
"I'll admit I like getting hugs after a job well done," He told her as he gently pulled her away. "But my job isn't done yet,"
With Step 1 and 2 of his plan completed, they could move on to Step 3 and 4. It was a bit of a risk, but he trusted Rocco with the second half of the plan. And just a few seconds later, the ground underneath them started to tremble. Someone shouted "Earthquake" and Luigi knew Step 3 of his plan had begun.
"That's our cue," He told them. "Everyone… run towards the exits!"
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Screams of panic filled the basement as everyone in the room made a mad dash towards the exits. Disregarding the safety of those around them, everyone was pushing and shoving as he or she tries to squeeze his or her way through the narrow doors. Everyone was so focused with their own welfare that no one noticed that the earthquake had already stopped.
During their panic rush, several torches were knocked over onto the ground. One of the torches rolled onto a small puddle of spilled alcoholic drinks. It settled here for several minutes before the beverage became hot enough to ignite on fire. The fire was small, but it was enough to increase the fear into the already terrified mob as they push and shoved even harder to get out of the room.
Scorpio managed to push his way through the masses and plant himself along the wall. He could see that his men were overwhelmed by the crowd as they could do next to nothing to stop them.
Anger became to fuel his veins. His show… it was absolutely ruined. His slaves were set free, his hideout was now on fire and his audience was scared out of their mind; he won't get paid because of this.
"Recapture all the slaves." He ordered. "I don't care how just do it!"
"Yes, sir,"
A few of his lackeys saluted before moving to follow orders. But they only managed to get a couple of steps in before they were suddenly frozen within blocks of ice. Scorpio sharply turned his gaze, his eyes narrowing at the culprit.
"You!"
The now light blue-clad man met him glare for glare. Scorpio hissed and climbed down from his spot on the wall, his eyes glued to the man on stage.
"You..." He repeated. "You caused all this,"
A small cocky smile presented on the plumber's lip. "I did,"
"If I had known you would cause all this trouble, I would have killed you beforehand,"
The plumber shrugged and took a fighting stance. "You're not the first one to make that mistake,"
"And I don't plan on making it again," He turned to his men. "Focus on the recapture of the slaves. I'll handle this little... insect,"
"I'm not so little that I can't do this!"
With two ice balls in hand, he tossed them at Scorpio. The large spider covered himself from the attack and growled angerly, glaring down at the man.
"You're going to pay for that,"
He shot a stream of webbing in the plumber's direction. Luigi quickly counteracted it with an ice ball, freezing it in mid-air. Scorpio scoffed and shot multiple streams of webbing. Luigi dodged them all before tossing an ice ball at Scorpio, hitting him in the eyes, temporarily impairing his vision.
"Help!" A scream rang out.
Luigi quickly glanced to the side to see two Dryites holding down a pink Pi'illo girl. While some of the captives managed to mix themselves in with the audience, others were left in the far rear end. The pink Pi'illo struggled against their hold, but she was too weak to fight against them.
"Back in your cage," One of them ordered.
"No, let me go!" She screamed, "Help!"
"Quick screaming," The other spoke. "No one here gives a damn about ya,"
"I won't say no one,"
The two Dryites turn, only to get knocked down onto the ground by a flying entity, releasing their grasp on the girl. The little Pi'illo flew off somewhere away from her captures as the two jumped back to their feet.
"What the hell was that?" One of them said as he looked around in the darkness.
"Hey," A voice behind them caused them to turn, only to find two identical Shy Guys. "Why don't you pick on somebody your own side... like us,"
Mimicking the other's movements, both Shy Guys punch the Dryites, causing them to fall back.
"Nice one," The flying figure, Paraplonk, landing next to the Shy Guys. The bucket wearing Parakoopa was wearing a flying squirrel suit – a power-up from the Super Acorn Luigi had given him so he could fly around without the use of his wings. "Uhm, which one of you is the real Sergeant?"
"I am," The Shy Guys said, moving identically. It was the main effect of the Double Cherry he was given.
Trusting the two to handle things, Luigi focused back on his own fight when a familiar shiver ran down his spine. He gasped in surprise as a large body descended down upon him. He quickly rolled out of the way just as Scorpio's heavyweight banged against the stage floor. Scorpio turned and shot another string of webbing. Luigi dodged it and jumped onto the top of the spider's head.
Scorpio yelled out in pain and growled. This time he shot quick balls of sticky webbing. Luigi evaded the first two but the third managed to catch his foot.
A sense of déjà vu ran through Luigi as he struggled against the strong silk holding him in place. Scorpio smirked at the plumber's efforts. He got him with the same move he used back at the Outpost.
"I gotcha now, you little Grasshopper," Hoping to immobilize him completely, Scorpio shot a large ball of webbing at the plumber.
"Not quite..." At the last few seconds, Luigi pulled out his wand and cast a reversal spell. "Contrarium!"
The gem on his wand glowed and for a quick second, the ball of webbing floated in midair before continuing its course in the opposite direction. Scorpio's gaze widens with surprise as his own attack hit him instead. The sticky substance spread around him, preventing him from moving much.
With Scorpio immobilized, the plumber worked towards freeing himself. Using his ice abilities, he froze the webbing into thin layers of ice. With a strong tug, the ice broke under pressure and the plumber was free to move again.
"A little help!"
Looking over, Luigi spotted Paraplonk and Guy who was in desperate need of help. Both of their power-up abilities were gone, and they were cornered by two Goombos and two Boom Booms with metal pipes in hands to be used as weapons.
"Clobber them!" one of them yelled.
"I don't think so," A green and blue blur moved through the darkness. The Boom Booms were stomped on their heads while the two Goombos were suddenly encased in ice.
"Nice one," Paraplonk cheered for the plumber.
"It's not over yet," The green/light blue man said as he quickly back-steps towards them.
The Corporal blinked in confusion before he noticed the situation around them. To his surprise, he realized the three of them were now surrounded by all of Scorpio's henchmen. The three stepped closer to each other, their backs facing each other. The only thing separating them is a torch, providing them what limited light it can give.
"Congratulations you three..." Luigi's 'spider senses' ran through him once more as the lackeys made way for the approaching Scorpio. Judging from the expression from his pale blue face, Scorpio was not happy...at all. "Not only did you three succeeded in ruining my auction show but you also managed to infuriate me to the highest degree,"
"What can I say," Paraplonk commented. "We're overachievers,"
"That you are," Scorpio sneered. "Originally, I was planning on keeping you alive until you tell me what I wanted to know. But after this major loss, you three will be paying the amount back to pay me...in blood."
"Sorry, but I don't think either one of us can afford that much bodily fluid,"
"Then I'll just have your heads!" Scorpio snapped. "Kill them all!"
His goons drew closer to the three, some with weapons in hand. Luigi, Paraplonk, and Guy brace themselves as they were ready to fight themselves out of here. Suddenly, without warning...
Kaboom! A loud explosion shook them and the entire building.
"What the..." Scorpio started but was cut off by a second explosion that knocked him off his feet.
Kaboom...Kaboom...Kaboom! Three more went off, sounding closer than the first one. The last one went off in the room next to them, causing everyone to panic. These series of explosions weren't part of anyone's plan; they were happening out of nowhere.
"Boss, the storage room...!" A Goombo screamed out in panic. "The explosives!"
The storage room had been the place where they hid all the slaves…as well as all the weapons and other explosives. At the sudden realization, Scorpio's blue face turned white with dread and terror. And he wasn't the only one...At the Goombo's exclaims, Luigi and the others had also become alarmed.
But before anyone could say or do anything about the situation, the explosives in the other room had already caught fire and had gone off in a much bigger explosion, blasting through the walls and engulfing everyone in the room. The last thing anyone saw was a massive wave of heat and flames before everything turned black.
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Ending Note:
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