Chapter 10: The Jump Man

When Mario came to, he couldn't be sure of how much time had passed, or what, exactly, had happened during that time. Everything was just far too confusing.

It took Mario a moment to adjust to his surroundings. He was in a dark room, alone. There was a pink-haired nurse (at least, he assumed by the way she was dressed) lady nearby with a vacant expression on her face fussing with his arm.

"… What are you doing?"

"My master wishes to ensure that you are in perfect health." Her voice was flat, not carrying any emotion to it at all.

Hypnotized, Mario thought. He looked closer at her eyes – She didn't react at all, just kept inspecting him for injuries. Mario didn't know what her original eye color was, but right now they were grey and blank-looking – Definitely hypnotism.

"No injuries… Follow me." She walked out of the room. Mario hopped to his feet and followed after, on guard for anything that might jump at him out of the shadows.

Although the designs were different than he was used to, and there was a surprising lack of lava, the architecture of this place screamed 'dark, evil castle'. What really struck Mario, though, was how new everything looked. Not a single thing he saw could've been there for more than a week.

How did that work? He'd built a house in a day before, several times (his and Luigi's house tended to break a lot), but a whole castle in a week? He hadn't seen any minions around, apart from the hypnotized nurse. Even Bowser, with his largest castles, usually had a few minions milling about each hallway either doing their jobs or goofing off.

The lack of people around was more than a little disconcerting, if he was honest with himself.

Mario took the time walking through the hallways to consider what to do. He'd definitely need to find some way to break the lady's hypnotism, but after that, he wasn't sure. He could always smash the castle, but that probably best saved for a last resort.

Mario sighed. As usual, he didn't know anything about what was going on. Which was more fun, admittedly, but also tended to be a bit more dangerous. Luigi would definitely be talking his ears off about it if he were here now.

The nurse led him to a room filled with strange machines and left him there. He wasn't the only one in the room, either – There was also an odd blue creature that looked like a cross between an otter and a beaver with clamshells stuck to its legs.

Things just kept getting more interesting… And even more so when the hypnotized nurse locked them in the room and a machine whirred to life.

Mechanical arms shot out of nowhere to grab both Mario and the otter, hoisting them into the air. Mario couldn't see what was happening to the other occupant of the room, but he struggled against the mechanical arms. Whatever these were, they were well-built and persistent – Whenever he broke one, two more took its place. They pulled his hair, got into his mouth…

One tried to stick him with a needle, but it broke against his skin. He laughed at that, until it came back with a sharper needle that managed to draw blood from his left arm. It was at least nice enough to bandage it afterwards.

Finally, the poking and prodding stopped, dropping both Mario and the otter to the ground. Mario recovered first, and quickly ran over to help the otter to its feet.

"Are you alright?"

"I'm fine," He said. "What was that all… I mean, Dewott-osha-dew-chu."

"… What are you doing?" Mario asked, honestly curious. "That's an odd language."

"… Not fooling anybody, that's for sure," the otter mumbled.

Mario shrugged. "Well… Nice to meet you. My name's Mario! Mario Mario."

"Oscar," the otter said. "Oscar… Er, well, I'm a Dewott. And, um, nice to meet you as well."

Mario nodded. "Always a pleasure to meet a new friend… Although not in the best of circumstances, I'll admit."

"Yeah, that wasn't pleasant… What sort of hospital is this?"

"It's an evil castle lair," Mario said. "Given the lack of minions or death traps, I'd say this guy is pretty overconfident, too."

"Like a video game? Oh, no," Oscar said. "I thought I got away from this stuff years ago..."

Mario laughed. "Come on," Mario said. "I'm going to figure out what's going on, get us out of here… Maybe blow up the castle, too, if it seems like a good idea."

"How on Earth would that be a good idea?"

Mario shrugged. "Won't know until we figure it out." Mario kicked the door down, easily shattering the steel lock and hinges.

"What the…" Oscar shook his head. "No, just imagining it… The door must've been weak."

Mario led the Dewott on a long and winding path through the evil castle, with a single goal in mind. Not that Oscar had any idea what that goal was, something he voiced several times as they hiked through the hallways.

Mario commented on the size of the castle, and the fact that it seemed to be on its own island – both dead giveaways for an evil lair, in his experience. This really was just an everyday experience for him, even if it was a new villain and a new lair.

Before long, they came to the very top of the tallest tower, which contained a spiraling slanted corridor leading to a room at the top.

"That'll be the scheming room," Mario said. "You always find this stuff at the top, no matter where you look!"

"… Everything always happens at the top or bottom of a dungeon," Oscar muttered. "That hasn't changed."

Mario was already by the door, and Oscar walked up next to them.

"Someone's already in there…" Mario whispered. "A few people, by the sounds of it."

"They've got Pokémon, too," Oscar said. Mario gave him a confused look, but just let the odd word slide. "What are we going to do?"

Mario opened the door and walked in.

"... Apparently 'the most reckless thing possible'." Oscar followed Mario in, despite his misgivings.

Inside was a small room, covered entirely with computer monitors, drawings, and machinery… Exactly the sort of typical scheming room Mario was used to. True to his word, they weren't alone.

A boy and a girl in their late teens were messing with the computers. Well, mostly the boy, who had lavender hair, while the girl mostly looked angry and like she was about to smash something. Each were accompanied by their own creature – The boy had a floating purple ball with a face, and the girl had a purple snake.

"Ekans? Ekans!" The snake said.

"Huh?" The girl with the improbable magenta hairstyle turned to see Mario.

"Hello," Mario said. "It's me, Mario! I was wondering-"

"Prepare for trouble," The girl shouted as she struck a pose.

"Hm? Oh, and make that double!" The boy said, as he joined in.

"What is this?" Oscar asked.

Mario shushed him. "It's an overly dramatic introduction, don't interrupt," he whispered.

"To protect the world from devastation!"

"To unite all peoples within our nation!"

"To denounce the evils of truth and love!"

"To extend our reach the stars above!"

"It's Jessie!" The girl yelled, striking a different pose.

"And it's James!" The boy said, twirling around with a blue rose in hand.

"Team Rocket, blast off at the speed of light!"

"Surrender now, or prepare to fight!"

"Ekans!"

"Koff-Koffing!"

"Team Rocket?" Oscar said. "… I know I've heard that somewhere… Do you always do that when you meet someone? It's kind of weird."

"I've seen weirder," Mario said.

"Shut up!" Jessie said. "We worked hard on that motto! What are you doing here, anyway?"

"Mewtwo brought them here," James supplied. "I'm a bit curious as to the exact circumstances."

"So you know the big bad behind this lair!" Mario said. "You're gathering intel, I take it?"

"Just finished, actually!" James said, holding up a flash drive. It glinted in a non-existent light.

"Shut up, James! It's supposed to be a covert operation!" Jessie yelled.

"He already figured it out, Jess…"

"Right… Well, I'm trying to figure out what's going on, and do something to disrupt this guy's plans… I'm not sure how many other people are here."

"Just Nurse Joy, who's been hypnotized," James said. "Mewtwo hasn't gotten any other actual Pokémon here."

"Just the lady… Good!" Mario said. "We can get her, get out of here, and I can smash the castle. Starting with this computer room!"

"Wait, what?" Jessie returned Ekans without wasting a second.

Mario began spinning like a top and slammed into a wall, knocking it out.

"Let's get out of here!" James said, grabbing Koffing and hot-footing it through the door.

"Right behind you!" Oscar said. "Mario, stop!"

Mario jumped up and kicked several computer monitors through a different wall.

"It's no use, kid," Jessie said, snatching Oscar by the tail and dragging him out.

"OW! Let go!" Oscar yelled. "Let go, let go, I'm older than you and that hurts!"

There was a loud crash as the computer room collapsed behind them. More of the hallway began following suit.

"Never mind, I prefer this! Keep running!"

Jessie smirked. "I knew you'd see it my way."

James screamed as rubble collapsed in front of him, blocking off the hallway.

"Well, that's a problem," Jessie said. "Dewott, use Razor Shell." She threw Oscar at the rocks.

He didn't have time to react to the rapidly approaching rubble. By the time he noticed what had happened, Mario had gotten there first, somehow running past him at ridiculous speed and smashing the rubble into dust with a massive iron hammer from nowhere.

The hammer vanished into nothing, and Mario caught Oscar mid-flight. Mario's grip was far gentler than Jessie's and he seemed to have enough sense (or compassion, at least) to not grab him by the tail.

"Sorry about that," Mario said, setting Oscar down. The Pokémon was too shocked to really say anything. "This place isn't as sturdy as I'm used to. I went a little overboard."

"You can say that again," Jessie mumbled.

"Sorry, I went overboard," Mario repeated. Jessie glared at him, and he grinned.

"Well, at least we're all okay!" James said. "That answers some of my questions… and raises half a dozen more."

"That happens a lot," Mario said. "I'll explain everything after you're all safe."

"You're the reason-"

"No, Jess, this mission was already really dangerous." Jessie glared at James. "I'd prefer to have this guy backing us up, even if he is… well… you know."

"Completely insane," Jessie growled. "But, fine! Let's just get out of here!"

"After we get the nurse," Mario said. "You've got a boat or something, right?"

"Submarine, actually," James said.

"Even better… Go get that ready. I'll get the nurse, I think I've got something that can break her hypnotism, and meet you at shore!" He dashed off, out of sight too fast for any of the others to tell where he went.

"I know I didn't imagine that," Oscar said faintly. "So, would someone please tell me what just happened?!"

It didn't take long to find the nurse. She was blankly eating food, ignoring everything around her. Mario shuddered. Hypnotism was always creepy. He pulled a Refreshing Herb out of his inventory and threw it at her. It exploded in a cloud of green dust, and the Nurse blinked in confusion a few times.

Mario grinned. He'd been right – Refreshing Herbs came through again.

"Hey, you alright?" Mario asked. "Feeling fine? I don't know how long you were under, but it can't have been a good time."

"I… Yes, I'll be just fine. You… what are you?" the nurse asked. "Oh, I'm sorry! That… didn't come out right."

"It's fine. I'm Mario!"

"Um… Hi. I'm Nurse Joy."

"… You haven't heard of me?" Mario asked. "… Huh. Been a while since that happened. Anyway, let's get out of here! I've got some friends with a submarine who can help us out."

"Um… How?" Joy asked. "You were in a Pokéball… I'm not even sure how that was possible, but…"

"I don't know what that is or how I got here. Anyway, let's go!" Mario jogged into the hallway, the nurse close behind him.

"Where are we going?"

"Somewhere on the shore!" Mario said. "I didn't really get much more information than that, but we've got to go."

'I don't think so.'

Mario groaned. "The big bad's right behind us, isn't he?" He turned around to see a purple flying cat. "… You're the one who ambushed me in that forest, aren't you?"

'I am… You're quite a curious Pokémon.' There was that word again. Mario still wasn't sure what it meant. 'Why do you disguise yourself as human?'

"Disguise?" Mario laughed. "... Okay, I fell through a time warp again, so things are a bit weird, but I'm not disguised. See, this is a disguise." Mario turned himself into a copy of the cat in front of him, quickly turning back before he lost his balance. "This? Just little young me, ha ha!"

'You are very strange,' The cat said. 'I was correct to assume you were a subject of interest… Regardless, I can't let you leave and tell others of my plans.'

"I don't even know anything about your stupid plans… Apart from that I'm going to end them before they really begin. Think fast!" Mario tossed his hammer at the ceiling, collapsing it between them. He rushed over to Nurse Joy and picked her up. "Sorry about this, but we're going to need some speed if we want to be safe!"

Mario dashed off, and Nurse Joy instantly understood why he was carrying her. There was no way she'd be able to move this fast.

Mewtwo appeared in front of them in a flash of light, but Mario reacted faster than he did, using the Genetic Pokémon's head as a springboard and going into another run as soon as he landed.

"How are you doing this?" Nurse Joy asked.

"I promise, I'll explain everything I can," Mario said. "After you're safe!"

Mewtwo blasted open one of the walls in front of them, and it was only Mario's quick feet that let him flip over a rock and kick it towards the Pokémon, not even bothering to see if he hit.

Up ahead, the hallway was quickly coming to a dead end. Mario braced himself, and did a front flip at the last moment, meeting the wall feet-first. Through a combination of speed, strength, and possibly sheer willpower, Mario kicked straight through the wall and hit the ground running.

Finally, he was outside. Mario began to really pour the speed on, hoping to get to the island's shore as quickly as possible. It didn't take him long to find the submarine – A very strange-looking vehicle shaped like a giant red fish.

As Nurse Joy was climbing in, Mario looked back to the castle. It had once been absolutely massive and grand, but the damages he'd caused to get out of there and mess things up had really done a number on it – Not enough to knock it down, but definitely enough to be a setback.

Mario hadn't even managed to get one foot in the hatch when the familiar light of teleportation went off in front of him, and a now-familiar figure faced him.

'You're much stronger than I had initially assumed', Mewtwo said. 'You truly are a perfect subject… It is a shame I won't get a chance to study you, as I'd hoped. A clone should do, though.'

The word 'clone' set off all sorts of alarms in Mario's head, but he pushed them to the side. Right now, he had to make absolutely sure that everyone was safe, regardless of anything else. Mario jumped from the submarine to the shore, getting in a fighting stance.

'I am the world's most powerful Pokémon.' Mewtwo said, amused. 'What do you hope to gain by fighting me?'

"Well, honestly, just a bit of your time," Mario said. "You see, most minions never get any of the evil overlord's time, so it really must be quite valuable. Hey, you guys! Get out of here, I'll catch up."

"That's insane! I've see what he can do firsthand!" Nurse Joy called out.

"Trust me!"

'Foolish… I'll deal with them-'

Mewtwo was blasted by a huge jet of flame.

"I'm just getting fired up!" Mario said, as he shot off another Ultra Flame at Mewtwo. He turned back to Team Rocket. "Go! I've got this."

"You don't have to tell me twice!" Jessie pulled Nurse Joy under, and slammed the hatch shut. The submarine shot across the surface of the water, leaving the island behind quickly.

'I'll return for you later.' Mewtwo said. Mario didn't give him a chance. He jumped in the air and grabbed onto Mewtwo's tail, and started punching the Pokémon repeatedly.

'Get off, pest!' Mewtwo attempted to shake the plumber off, but Mario held fast. 'Don't you realize this is hopeless?'

"Nope! I am hope!" Mario said, attempting to throw Mewtwo into the ground. Mewtwo caught himself and used his powers to fling Mario back into his castle.

Mario righted himself in mid-air, looking to hopefully cause a bit more damage to the castle before departing. It wasn't to be, as Mewtwo teleported in front of him and blasted him with an absolutely massive ball of shadows.

It was painful, but Mario held through. When he got up, he was in the center of some sort of arena behind the castle.

Mario was panting – This guy really was strong. Not very creative, but ridiculously tough. He needed just a bit more time to make sure his friends were safe, but he was almost beat.

'You've lost.' Mewtwo didn't even bother with the teleportation this time, simply floating down in front of Mario and alighting on the ground. 'Yield, and I may spare your life.'

Mario grinned. "Nope! I'm a Mario Brother! I'm not about to give up for some eight-bit villain of the week."

'Still, you insist upon this charade…'

"Nope, my turn! Take a good look at your castle, because it's about to be gone!" Mario leapt into the air.

'What are you…'

"Earth Tremor!" The whole island began to shake violently as Mario slammed into the ground. The castle began falling to rubble, and Mario and Mewtwo were both flung in the air by the vibrations. Mewtwo grabbed them both in his psychic grip.

'Is there no end to your surprises?' Mewtwo asked. 'Pity. You're far too much of a nuisance to keep around.'

Mario was nearly spent, but he still had an ace up his sleeve. "That's where you're wrong…" Mario looked behind him, judging just where the submarine was.

'Your friends are too far away to help you now. Once I find them, they won't be able to help themselves.'

Mario smirked. "Wow, you're really terrible at reading the situation. I've got one more magic trick up my sleeves, and it's a doozy!" Mario gathered his energy for one final burst. "Supernova!"

The attack took everything he had, but it did exactly what he wanted it to. A massive burst of star power went off just between Mario and Mewtwo, sending the Pokémon careening into the rubble of his still-collapsing castle, burying him under it.

The explosion proved too much for Mario in his exhausted state. He was knocked unconscious instantly, and went flying. He wasn't awake to see it, but he splashed down into the water just where he intended, not fifty feet from the Magikarp Submarine.

He wasn't awake to see a concerned talking Dewott grabbing him and pulling him up before he sank to the watery depths, or Nurse Joy looking over him to make sure he was alright. He didn't see James' worry, or Jessie's feigned indifference.

All that mattered was that he'd managed to get his new friends to safety.

"He's coming to," That was Oscar's voice.

Mario opened his eyes, seeing a sandy beach not far from the grass he lay on, and a peaceful midmorning sky.

"You were out the whole trip," Nurse Joy said, helping Mario to his feet. "We brought you out here to rest on softer ground."

"Thanks," Mario said.

"Alright, enough!" Jessie yelled, pushing Nurse Joy out of the way. "What was that?! Who and what are you, really? Because I'm pretty sure you aren't human!"

"He's not," James said. "He wouldn't have gone in a Pokéball if he was."

"… Why didn't you mention this sooner?!" James was now the target of Jessie's anger instead.

"We had other things going on, Jessie, and I haven't really had a chance to look over the files yet. Come on, calm down, let's just see what he's got to say."

"Fine… Talk, weirdo!"

"I think you could be a bit more grateful to someone who just saved us," Oscar said.

"Shut it, you!" Jessie said. "You think it means something that you talk? You're old news."

"Everybody calm down!" Nurse Joy said authoritatively. "Look, Mario… Start from the beginning, and explain yourself."

Mario nodded. "Have any of you heard of the Mushroom Kingdom?"

A series of negative responses.

"I was afraid of that…" Mario laughed. "Well… I think I've managed to end up in another world entirely. Again. Really, it's getting a bit ridiculous how often this happens."

"You too?" Oscar asked. Mario nodded, while everyone else just looked at the Dewott incredulously. "I'll explain after him."

"… Well… I'm Mario, from the Mushroom Kingdom! A few days ago… Actually, I'm not sure how long it was, but I was fighting Bowser, my arch-rival, yet again. He had this weird machine that sent him, my brother, and I through a rift in space and time. Which resulted in me looking like this… Normally I'm twenty-four, not fifteen."

"… How does that work?" James asked, genuinely curious. "Even if you fell through a rift, if you moved through time physically your body should still be the same, right?"

"You'd think so," Mario said. "But, well, when it comes to my life, it's better not to think too much. I come from a weird family, and me and my bro are the weirdest of the bunch. We're superheroes descended from a long line of wizards. I fight to protect people, to keep hope alive even when things are at their bleakest."

"… Are you human?" Nurse Joy asked.

"Well, yeah," Mario said. "A bit of an odd one, but I'm human. Odds are, I'm not the same kind of human, if that makes sense."

"That would explain why the Pokéball worked on you," Nurse Joy said. "I wonder what other sorts of creatures are in your world…"

"Great… A visitor from another world… Not like we haven't seen that before…" Jessie grumbled.

"Actually, Jess, we were the visitors."

"Shut up, James!"

"… Okay."

"… Is that it?" Oscar asked. "… I was kind of expecting more of a story."

"A visitor from another dimension is pretty out there," Nurse Joy said.

"Honestly, it's not much on top of the time- "

Jessie covered James' mouth. "SHUT UP, JAMES!"

"… Time we got into… this… situation," James finished. He looked to Jessie nervously, but she seemed satisfied.

"… I'd ask but you're terrifying and I don't want my tail ripped off," Oscar said.

"Good choice," Jessie said with venom. "What's your story, talking otter?"

"Um…"

"Is he not supposed to talk?" Mario asked.

"… Er… No, not really," Oscar said. "Um… Okay, the truth is, I used to be human. When I was a teenager, I got sucked into a world of only Pokémon to save it." Mario chuckled at this, seems he'd found a kindred spirit. "After I did that, I was actually able to travel back and forth between here and that other world. I was still an Oshawott, though, which kind of made some problems. Last I heard, my parents still think I ran away to be a trainer. That's the story my sister told them."

"That's quite a story," Nurse Joy said. "But, why didn't you tell them?"

"They were angry enough about the fake story… I think the truth would've been even worse. It took me a long time to work up the courage to tell them. When I was finally ready, there was a bit of an accident. My son was sent here and I lost the ability to travel between worlds. I know he's safe, but I don't know where he is. Just a few days ago, a portal opened up near my home, and I finally got the chance to find out. So, I came through."

"… How sad," James said. "Oh, Jessie, doesn't it tug at your heartstrings?"

"James, he just said the kid is fine. Pokémon are tough." Jessie rolled her eyes.

"Do you think it has anything to do with…" Jessie glared at him. "Oh. Right. Yes, I'll shut up now."

"Well, these stories are all nice and good, but we've got a very big report to make to the boss. We'll be leaving."

"I've got to get back to the Pokémon Center…" Nurse Joy said. "It's not too far from here."

"I'll go with Oscar, wherever he goes!" Mario volunteered. "You sound like you could use a hand!"

"Thanks," Oscar said. "And, um… I don't actually know how to talk like a Pokémon, so having someone to be my 'trainer' would probably be really helpful!"

"It's settled, then," Mario said. "And to our own ways?"

"To our own ways!" James exclaimed. "I hope we meet again, as friends and not foes!"

He and Jessie hopped into the submarine, and were off without another word.

"They're a strange duo," Joy said. "Well… I'll be off, as well. Take care of yourselves, you two."

"Don't worry," Mario said. "I can handle myself!"

Nurse Joy smiled. "Yes, you certainly can…" She pulled out two red-and-white balls. "Here. These are the Pokéballs Mewtwo captured you in. It's best if you have them with you – As long as a ball registered to you exists, you can't be captured again."

Mario scratched his head. "Well, I don't really understand, but thanks!"

"I'll explain later," Oscar said. "Good luck, Nurse Joy."

Nurse Joy smiled. "The same to you two."

So. Uh... That's what Jessie and James were doing. They were assigned to investigate New Island, and sent Meowth on his own to do their normal shenanigans.

... Humans from Mario's world are creatures of magic, just as humans from the Pokemon world and Pokemon themselves are. But they aren't the same species as humans from the Pokemon world. As far as the Pokeball capturing mechanism is concerned, that makes them Pokemon.

I feel like Mario should have made a few more stupid jokes and said a few more cheesy lines, but I couldn't think of good places to put them.

Oscar is supposed to represent the protagonist from Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Gates to Infinity. I haven't actually played that one, but I do know the story. The hero in this game actually does keep their memories, but their past isn't detailed like the other protagonists have been.

Next time, we return to the Mushroom Kingdom.