Sorry for the delay, life is butts.

Luigi and Yassie arrived at their destination in seconds flat thanks to Luigi's plumberly prowess. The two, along with Spooky, had emerged from the pipe to find themselves in a pleasant, lightly forested meadow, the sun still hanging brightly above them in the mostly cloudless sky while a calm breeze blew through the area. There was but one path in sight, a well-traveled dirt road that led into a small forest to the north, and in the northwestern distance past the treeline, there stood a tall, tall mountain, so high up that the top reached above the clouds. In short, it felt to Luigi as if he had stumbled into some sort of perfect setting from a storybook, a thought that started to itch at his mind once he realized that most of he and his brother's adventures seemed to begin in incredibly similar locations, but he didn't dwell on it too long. He was just happy to be anywhere other than New Appelle after all the unpleasant experiences he had already had in the city.

"Wow, that was INSANE!" Yassie exclaimed in utter amazement once she had exited the pipe. "I had heard that pipe travel was fast, but holy cow, that literally felt like it was in the blink of an eye!"

Luigi adjusted his cap and chuckled modestly. "Heh, yeah, I guess that's one of the very few advantages of being a plumber. Actually, I think that's probably the only advantage of being a plumber."

"Yeesh, if I'd known that, I would've just had my uncle take me to New Appelle, that would've saved a buttload on the train ticket..." Yassie muttered to herself, shaking her head. "Er, but anyways... Tee hee hee!" Yassie broke into an overly excited tittering fit before she could say anything more, causing Spooky to bound over to her and join in, wagging his tail to the rhythm of her hops. "I'm sorry, I'm just so giddy that I'm actually here doing this, I'm still halfway convinced this is all some kind of fever dream!"

Luigi could do little more than smile and nod his head in understanding. Inside, he probably felt just as giddy, as it had seemed like forever since he had last been able to go on an adventure of his own, without having to follow his brother. By all means, Luigi was completely content and comfortable to be a follower, but on those rare occasions where he had a chance to be the leader, he relished in it.

"Hoo... Okay, I think I've gotten myself under control." Yassie said after a moment, as she forced herself back into a calmer state, though Luigi could tell she was still absolutely beaming inside. "Anyways, woo, this place is GORGEOUS! It's been so long since I've been able to visit a place like this, to be able to breathe such fresh, unpolluted air." Taking a deep, almost snorting breath, Yassie soon after let out a long, contented sigh. "Ah... But yeah, this is part of Nimbi Grove, a small,wooded area on the outskirts of Nimbihurst that's said to be just as blessed as the town itself when it comes to good luck. And seeing it in person, I can easily believe it. I doubt we should have much trouble at all getting to Nimbihurst from here, there shouldn't be any enemies in these parts, and there's only the one, singular path that's in front of us that leads to the town, so there's no way we should get lost either."

Luigi was relieved to hear these things. "Whew, that's great to hear. At least we should have time to get our bearings and figure out a way to get the Dream Caster on the way there, then."

"Assuming it's actually there, of course." Yassie added lowly, before quickly perking back up. "But yeah, you're right, let's just take it nice and easy until we get there and enjoy the scenery, since it's never a good idea to rush into something without a plan."

Nodding in agreement, Luigi began to make his way leisurely down the dirt path, Yassie following close behind. Spooky, on the other hand, had other ideas in mind, and quickly rushed ahead of the two into the forest, yapping happily as his nose followed all the new, interesting smells that the area had to offer.

"Ah, Spooky, wait!" Yassie cried in alarm, looking at Luigi with fret, who strangely enough didn't seem particularly concerned. "Um, shouldn't we go after him, Luigi?"

Luigi shook his head. "Nah, he'll be alright. That's just... Kinda what he does. He just can't help himself, I guess. But he always seems to be able to find his way back to me, somehow, so I'm sure he'll come find us when he's good and ready."

Yassie looked curiously at Luigi for a moment before shrugging her shoulders in agreement. "Well, if you say so, Luigi..."

As the two entered the forest proper, the sunlight shining down through the treetop canopy was so bright that it didn't even feel as if they were walking through a forest at all. All around, the two could see and hear the pleasant, calming sounds of nature, with Spooky's distant yaps intertwined here and there. Thoroughly enjoying the atmosphere, the two discussed with each other what in particular they should try and do to convince the mayor to give up his priceless family heirloom, though neither could come up with one that seemed very satisfying.

"This is harder than I thought it'd be..." Luigi muttered after about twenty fruitless minutes. "I think the only idea so far that would even come close to working and not make us into cads would be to just tell him the truth and hope he believes us..."

Yassie shook her head and sighed dejectedly. "Yeah, but for all we know, he's gonna be one of those crotchety old jerks who doesn't believe anything and-LUIGI, WATCH OUT!"

Before Luigi could react at all, Yassie had jerked him down to the ground from behind, allowing him to narrowly avoid the Koopa shell that had went whizzing straight for his head.

"What the-?!" Luigi cried in shock, glancing up in the direction the Koopa shell had shot.

"Ah, Luigi, behind you!" Yassie cried again, yanking him down once more before the unsuspecting plumber had time to do anything, this time causing him to just miss the dive kick of the Paragoomba that seemed to appear from out of nowhere. Yassie herself, however, was not so lucky, and she took the brunt of the Paragoomba's attack square on the nose, knocking her off balance onto her rear.

Y-Yassie!" Luigi uttered in horror, quickly glancing from Yassie to the Paragoomba. Scrambling in front of Yassie, Luigi pulled his hammer out and held it at the ready, spinning around to make sure no other enemies were on their way. Surely enough, another Paragoomba sprang out from the treetops, but this time, Luigi was ready, and whacked it dead center with his hammer as it dove for him, knocking it silly into a tree trunk. As he did this, however, he had taken his eyes off the Koopa, which quickly shot itself back at him from behind, knocking his feet out from underneath him and sending him crashing onto his back.

"Gah!" Luigi shouted in pain, putting his arms up in front of his face to try his best to block the kick of the remaining Paragoomba, which once again was diving right at him. Before it could reach him however, it was knocked off course by an egg, causing it to tumble to the ground, though it was quickly back up in the air, just as Luigi had made it back to his feet and given Yassie a thumbs up of thanks.

"H-Hey, what gives?!" Luigi yelled at the sudden assailants, glaring at the Koopa and Paragoomba as he prepared himself for another round of attacks. "Yassie, I thought you said we wouldn't run into any enemies around here!"

Yassie looked back at Luigi embarrassedly, nearly at a loss for words. "I... I don't know what to say! There haven't been any reports of people being attack anywhere near Nimbihurst in... Well, ever!"

Luigi let out a groan. "Oh, great, that's probably not a good sign then..." Luigi had little time to contemplate any further on the situation, however, as the Koopa and Paragoomba quickly circled around him and Yassie in opposite directions in an effort to confuse them, the two barely managing to avoid their dual attacks and also being forced into an even tighter safezone.

Swiftly pulling out her camera, Yassie got to work tattling before either of the enemies had another chance to attack them. "I'm sure you know this, but that's a Paragoomba and a Koopa Troopa. Paragoombas have 2 HP, 1 Attack, and 0 Defense, but you can only reach them with your jump attack! ...Er, well, normally, at least... But anyways, if you stomp it, it'll lose its wings and become an ordinary Goomba, though that one's already weakened and any attack from us should be able to take it out. The Koopa, meanwhile, has 4 HP, 1 Attack, and 1 Defense, so don't bother trying to hit it with your hammer, since he'll just retreat into his shell. I don't think my eggs will be very effective against it either, so I think you should take him, and I'll get the Paragoomba! If you can manage to flip the jerk onto his back, his defense will become 0 and he'll be helpless, so look for an opening, Luigi!"

Luigi nodded in response, focussing squarely on the Koopa, as Yassie did the same with the Paragoomba. The enemies, none too pleased by Yassie's assessment of them, did their best to ruin that plan, with the Paragoomba heading for Luigi, and the Koopa launching itself at Yassie. The duo easily avoided their attacks this time, however, and quickly launched their assaults while the enemies were recovering from their own attacks. Yassie sidearmed an egg at the Paragoomba, but just barely missed it, while Luigi scrambled after the Koopa, managing to successfully hop on its head and knock it over helplessly onto its back just before it had a chance to see him coming.

The Paragoomba, in a fit of anger, divebombed itself headfirst at Luigi, but the plumber quickly ducked out of the way, causing the Paragoomba to smash headfirst into the vulnerable Koopa, the force of the impact so hard that it knocked the Paragoomba itself out like a light.

"Haha, oh wow, I'm kind of glad I missed my shot now, that was beautiful!" Yassie said with a giggle as she watched the Paragoomba take itself out of the fight.

The Paragoomba's attack didn't seem to be a very pleasant experience for the Koopa either, as it groaned in pain, still struggling mightily to get off of his back. Luigi wasn't about to let that happen, though, as he hopped atop the Koopa, dealing it even further pain. As he lifted his hammer up to deliver the decisive blow, however, he stopped himself momentarily, a question burning on his mind.

"Say, why in the world did you creeps attack us, anyways?" Luigi asked, holding his hammer menacingly in hopes of getting the Koopa to speak up.

"Yeah, I'd like to know why too, this place is supposed to be as serene and peaceful as they come." Yassie added, marching over to Luigi and the Koopa and folding her arms.

"Hngh..." the Koopa grimaced, not at all looking forward to receiving another whack on the belly. "...You guys... Ain't welcome here..."

"W-What?" Yassie exclaimed in confusion. "What are you talking about, I've never heard anything about Nimbihurst refusing visitors!"

"...Don't know... Don't care..." the Koopa responded painfully. "All we were told was that we weren't supposed to let no one through until the bosses found what they were looking for... Somethin' about not letting those octopus faced freaks steal all the glory or whatever... I don't know any more, honest..."

Luigi and Yassie looked at one another skeptically, neither of them sure whether they should actually believe the Koopa.

"...You guys gonna let me go now...?" the Koopa groaned, looking almost expectantly at the two as he continued to flail his arms and legs helplessly. "I mean, I did just help you guys out and all..."

"Yeah, and you also just tried to attack us for no good reason!" Yassie said in annoyance, shaking her head firmly. Luigi agreed, as he raised his hammer up to give the Koopa one good, final whack.

"Ah, crud..."

Smashing his hammer into the side of the Koopa's shell as if it were a golf ball, it slid and ricocheted violently into the trees, bouncing between them all like a pinball into the distance. Yassie and Luigi, meanwhile, looked at one another with troubled expressions.

"I have a really bad feeling about this..." Yassie exclaimed, frowning deeply as she recalled the Koopa's words.

"Yeah, me too..." Luigi said in agreement, his mustache drooping. "I think we may already be too late..."

"Don't say that!" Yassie said quickly, reprimanding Luigi. "Whoever it is that those guys were working for, it sounds like they haven't found the Dream Caster yet, so if we hurry, we might still have a chance to beat them to it!"

"Ah, you're right, let's go!" Luigi responded, and without any further discussion the two began to rush down the remainder of the forest path, Yassie taking the lead and practically dragging Luigi behind her in her haste. Along the way, however, they had to stop several time to deal with more groups of Goombas and Koopas who attempted to ambush them, though they were much more prepared for these encounters and dispatched with them all rather quickly. On the positive side, they also managed to find a few item blocks as well, adding another Mushroom and Honey Syrup to their collection. As the two reached what appeared to be the clearing to the forest's exit, their faces lit up.

"Finally, we're almost there, Luigi!" Yassie said in triumph, as she was able to make out the outline of the town in the distance through the clearing.

"I guess Spooky will just have to find us on the way back..." Luigi said with a tinge of sadness in his voice, though he knew they couldn't afford to wait for the pooch at that point. "I just hope he doesn't get too-"

"HALT, VILE INTRUDERS!"

Luigi had no time to finish the thought, as a sudden, booming voice rang out from above them, and they were both knocked back by a strong gust of wind as a shadowy figure jumped down from the canopy and landed between the duo and the exit. For a moment, the figure remained nothing but a silhouette, as it stood in front of the blindingly bright sun that shined from the exit, but after a moment for their eyes to adjust, Luigi and Yassie were able to make out the figure to be another Koopa, albeit a very odd looking one.

Opposed to the usual colors of red or green, this Koopa's shell was a bright, sky blue, which was matched in color by its boots, gloves, belt, and, strangest of all, mask. Though, honestly, it seemed more like just a bandana with eyes holes cut out in it, along with two holes in the back where a pair of short, orange pigtails stuck out. Nevertheless, the Koopa struck a menacing pose... Or at least, attempted to. In actuality, it stood in such a goofy manner that Luigi and Yassie were having trouble deciding whether they should take it seriously at all.

"Fools! Do not think that I would allow such disgusting villains as yourselves to set foot into the sacred village of Nimbihurst and befoul its beauty!" The Koopa exclaimed boldly after a moment of stunned silence, her voice clearly cracking as she attempted to make it sound as deep and menacing as possible.

"Villains? Oh, come on..." Yassie muttered impatiently. "We don't have time for this, just let us through unless you wanna get hurt like all your little 'buddies'!"

"Buddies...?" the Koopa asked in confusion, before quickly letting out a laugh of bravado. "Ha! You expect me to fall for such a pathetic trick? How naive do you believe me to be? You simpletons wouldn't be able to so much as lay a finger on my masters, even if they weren't super extremely busy at this very moment searching for the sacred treasure! You insult my and their honor by even SUGGESTING such a thing!"

"Geez louise, cut the dramatics, will ya?" Yassie said in annoyance at the Koopa's 'unique' manner of speech. "I don't know what in the world you're going on about, but obviously you must be on the same side as those other guys. We're kind of in a hurry though, and I'm afraid we can't let your little masters or whoever get their hands on that 'sacred treasure' if it's what we think it is, so if you don't want to get hurt, then step aside!"

"Again you insult me!" the Koopa yelled defiantly, not budging an inch. "To even suggest that I would let filth such as yourselves pass through unhindered is simply madness! I heard the two of you earlier, as you traipsed about the forest, coming up with your sinister, heinous plans to rob gran-I MEAN the village elder of his sacred treasure! Do you truly believe I would let such insolence go unpunished?!"

"W-Wait, what?" Luigi stuttered, before realizing what the Koopa was talking about. "Wait, no, you've got it all wrong! We specifically decided NOT to do any of those things, because we're not bad people and would never stoop so low! If you'd just let us explain, we-"

"Do not even try to trick me with your honeyed words, fool!" the Koopa growled, sending her into a slight coughing fit before she did her best to recover and save face as if it hadn't happened. "E-Er, I would never in a million, billion years trust the words of one who looks as skeezy and untrustworthy as you, you mustachio twirling villain!"

"Skeezy and untrustworthy?" Yassie repeated incredulously. "Says the girl wearing a mask in public? What is WRONG with you? You obviously dropped out of your little eavesdropping session before hearing the whole thing, because everything Luigi said is true. we're not as pathetic as you and your masters' other little stooges are as to try and steal anything from anyone! We were just going to ask the guy to borrow it, but hey, why am I bothering trying to explain this to you? You're obviously completely delusional and have no idea what you're talking about!"

"Silence!" the Koopa spat, clearly past her breaking point due to Yassie's words. "It is YOU who are delusional if you think you can pull one over on me! I grow tired of mincing useless words, now comes the part where I make you fools regret your fiendish plan!"

With that, the Koopa entered into a battle stance, which was even goofier than her previous one. Sighing to themselves, Yassie and Luigi realized they were going to have one more fight on their hands before they reached Nimbihurst, and readied themselves appropriately.

"Let's see if you fools are prepared for THIS!" the Koopa exclaimed, and in the blink of an eye, seemingly vanished into the trees.

"W-What the heck?!" Yassie gasped, as she and Luigi looked around frantically for any sign of the Koopa.

"You fools!" the Koopa cried out suddenly, having reappeared behind the duo, throwing a barrage of what seemed to be sharpened and hardened Koopa Leaves at them, striking them both before either of them could see it coming.

"Yeowch!" Luigi winced, as he and Yassie grasped their bottoms in pain from where the leaves had struck them. As they whipped around ready to counter attack, however, the Koopa had vanished yet again, this time reappearing above them and showering the two with another barrage of leaves.

"Ha, far too easy, just as I expected! You're no match for my flurry attack!" the Koopa laughed as she disappeared once more into the trees.

"Luigi, this isn't working, let's split up!" Yassie cried, to which Luigi nodded, the duo hastily scrambling away from each other to opposite ends of the clearing.

"Take this!" the Koopa shouted, reappearing from the treeline once again, and sending out another flurry of leaves... Where the duo had previously been standing. "W-Wait, no, you're not supposed to do that!" the Koopa cried in frustration once she noticed that the duo had split up. Before she could properly react, Yassie had sent an egg straight at her, nailing her in the head before she could retract it into her shell. "W-W-Wah! Th-That's not fair! That's not honorable at all!" she whined as she rubbed her head gingerly.

"Oh yeah, and your little disappearing act is?" Yassie retorted, rolling her eyes. "We're just evening the playing field!"

"Grr..." the Koopa growled, clenching her fists angrily. "...Fine, if that's how you're going to play, then I guess I have no choice! Get a load of this!"

The Koopa suddenly began to sprint towards Yassie at a blinding speed, penetrating her defenses as she delivered a precisely aimed slide kick.

"Oof!" Yassie grunted, falling over as she clutched her ribs in pain. "Hngh, h-how did you-"

"Ha, no defense in the world is a match for my ninja training, let alone one as pathetic as yours!" the Koopa proclaimed, laughing at Yassie's plight. While she did so, however, Luigi took the opportunity to rush up behind her and attempt a surprise jump attack to knock her over. The Koopa, however, heard him coming and dashed out of the way before he could do so, causing the plumber to stumble forward and land awkwardly. In the meanwhile, the Koopa took advantage of the situation and sent another leaf attack at the duo while they were once again nearby each other.

The Koopa sneered smugly to herself as she watched the two hop up and down in pain. "I cannot even remember the last time I faced a pair of fools as foolish as you! I'm not even breaking a sweat here!"

Yassie sneered back at the Koopa, though in a much angrier manner. "Yeah, real big talk, girl..." Yassie's sneer slowly morphed into a grin. "But now I know your secrets."

"Ha, you wish!" the Koopa spat, clearly not phased by Yassie's claim at all.

Grabbing her video camera, Yassie pointed it squarely at the Koopa. "What an irritating girl... She's younger than I am, but she acts like she's all big and intimidating. She thinks she's hot stuff, but I can prove that she isn't. Her HP is 10, Attack is 1, and Defense is 1, so all she has over a normal Koopa is a little more HP. Her flurry attack is a pain and can hit us both simultaneously, but only when she has the element of surprise on her side. Her other attack though, that slide kick, seems to be defense piercing... So you'd better be ready to superguard it, Luigi. Other than that, if you can get her flipped over, she should be just as defenseless as any other Koopa, and then we can show HER who's the fool!"

The Koopa looked back at Yassie with a hint of uneasiness on her face, but quickly replaced it with her usual bravado. "Ahaha, y-you think you know all of my secrets?! What a laugh! Uh... Yeah, so, take this!"

Once more, the Koopa disappeared into the brush, though this time, Luigi and Yassie had ample time to split up again, and the Koopa's leaf barrage harmlessly hit the ground they had previously been located at. While the Koopa looked around frantically for the two, Yassie sent a volley of eggs at her, and she just barely managed to dance out of the way of each of them. While she was distracted, Luigi once again tried sneaking up behind her, but the Koopa heard his footsteps like last time, and swiftly escaped unharmed.

"Grr, you think you can get away with such a tactic?!" the Koopa sputtered, dashing towards Luigi. Though he was anticipating it, he couldn't time his superguard right, and was plowed into by the Koopa's slide kick.

"Pathetic!" the Koopa said, before launching herself at Yassie again. Yassie, however, was ready for it that time, and managed to land a perfect superguard, socking her right in the face before she could initiate her slide kick. She did, however, manage to retain her balance, though just barely. Rushing after the Koopa to take advantage of her temporary wooziness, Yassie nonetheless came up just short with her egg attack, as did Luigi with his stomp attempt as the Koopa ran past him.

"Hrgh... Perhaps we are more evenly match than I thought..." the Koopa muttered, shaking her head angrily. "But only because you two are totally big fat cheaters!"

Yassie couldn't help but let out a giggle at the Koopa's outlandish claim. "Ha, not sounding so high and mighty now, are you?"

The Koopa shot Yassie an icy glare, her tone of voice radically different, now high-pitched and whiny, with no attempt whatsoever to mask it. "Sh-Shut up! I'm not gonna let you jerks anywhere NEAR my hometown!"

Dashing towards Luigi again, the Koopa suddenly thought the better of it and instead made a u-turn into the trees. However, all Luigi and Yassie had to do was merely move out of the way and they easily avoided the Koopa's flurry attack. Again, however, they failed to actually hit her themselves, as she was just too quick on her feet for either of them to touch.

"Geez... She may not be able to hit us anymore, but we still can't hit her, either!" Luigi said, glancing at Yassie fretfully.

"Just... Keep it up, she'll wear down eventually!" Yassie responded after a moment, not sounding particularly confident in that claim.

And so it continued for several minutes, neither side able to hit the other, and luckily for Yassie, she seemed to be correct, as the Koopa was beginning to noticeably slow down.

Unfortunately, so were Yassie and Luigi.

"Yassie, I don't know how much longer I can keep this up!" Luigi wheezed, as he missed yet another, sloppier stomp attempt.

"Just... Keep going, she's... She's bound to run out of steam eventually...!" Yassie huffed back, her eggs missing by considerably wider margins now.

"Idiots... I never... Grow tired...!" the Koopa gasped in between breaths, and though she was visibly slowing down, she still seemed to be in slightly better shape than Luigi and Yassie.

"Yassie... I don't think this is working..." Luigi said, doing his best to catch his breath and keep his eye on the Koopa at the same time.

"...Argh, I know, but... What else is there that we can do?" Yassie replied in frustration.

"I'll tell you what: Nothing!" the Koopa shouted, as she began to dash towards Luigi. "But there IS something I can do! Now that you're both so tired, neither of you will have the energy to counter my slide kick! Say good night, skeezy!"

Before the Koopa could reach Luigi, however, she, along with Luigi and Yassie, were distracted by the sudden appearance of... A swarm of butterflies?

"What in the world?" the Koopa said to herself in bewilderment at the sight of the butterflies, who all seemed to be frantically fluttering away from... Something. "I've never seen so many butterflies in one place before... What could possibly have disturbed them so much as the make them all-"

"YAP YAP YAP YAP YAP!"

The Koopa let out a gasp of horror as she turned around just in time to be slammed into by Spooky, the Butterfly Wrustler, who pinned her to the ground and helpfully coated her face and mask in slobber before quickly taking back off after the butterflies.

"N-No...! This... This cannot be!" the Koopa cried, quickly dropping her act again as she began struggling to right herself off of her shell. "N-Not fair! Totally not fair! Th-This is complete and utter garbage!"

Luigi and Yassie, who stared on in dumfounded shock, quickly burst into simultaneous fits of laughter.

"S-Stop it! Stop laughing, you jerks!" the Koopa cried, still unable to do anything more than wiggle her limbs fruitlessly.

"Oh man, that... That just happened." Yassie said in between laughs, still stunned at what she had just seen. "...That did just happen, didn't it?"

"I think so, yeah..." Luigi responded, never happier to have seen Spooky than he was at that very moment. "I don't know how, but it did..."

"Gah, stop it, you... You... Big fat smelly dingoloids!" the Koopa wailed, struggling mightily and only managing to wear herself out further in the process.

"Well, what do you think we should do now, Luigi?" Yassie asked, walking over to the Koopa and grinning oh-so-smugly down at her once her laughter had finally fully subsided.

"Hmm..." Luigi pondered to himself as he too walked over to the Koopa, who looked rather pitiful in her current state, a far cry from the horrible beast she had been not even a minute prior. Looking up at Yassie, he shrugged his shoulders. "I guess there's no real point in doing anything else, let's just leave her here, she's not going to have the energy to right herself for a while."

"N-No, don't you dare!" the Koopa shrieked in defiance, which Yassie and Luigi merely ignored.

"Aw, can't we just rough her up a little?" Yassie asked, semi-jokingly, before slumping her shoulders and agreeing with Luigi. "Oh, alright... But let this be a lesson to you and whoever you work for, girl, you don't mess with us. Got it?"

"P-Please, no, don't leave me like this!" the Koopa wailed, her limbs already beginning to go numb. "You can't take the sacred treasure, you CAN'T! I... I won't let you!"

"You don't really seem to be in any state to make such claims, unfortunately." Yassie said, waving goodbye to the Koopa in a self-satisfactory manner as she and Luigi made their way past her and out of the forest. "But don't worry, we'll put it to good use, much better than whatever you freaks are planning on using it for! Bye now!"

"No, noooooooo!" the Koopa screamed, continuing until her voice went hoarse. Limbs hanging limply in defeat, the Koopa contemplated the words that Luigi and Yassie had been saying for the first time. "...Wait, what freaks...?"

It didn't take Luigi and Yassie very long at all to get to Nimbihurst once they had exited the forest, and after sharing a mushroom between the two of them, they both felt good as new as they surveyed their new surroundings, wary in case they stumbled into any other sudden trouble.

The town of Nimbihurst was about as quaint and picturesque as a place could ever hope to be. A decidedly small place, its size only added to the cozy atmosphere of the seaside town, and the view of the sea on one side, the giant mountain on another, and a lush, sprawling forest surrounding the rest was an absolutely breathtaking sight. The town itself was layed out in a circular pattern, a large, bronze statue of a strong, important looking Koopa holding a sword displayed proudly in the center of the cobblestone streets that lined the town square. The buildings and houses, though few, each had their own unique, inviting looks to them, though they all had the same, rustic charm that the rest of the town as a whole seemed to radiate. The only thing that either Luigi or Yassie could notice about the town that seemed off in any way were the townsfolk. Or rather, the complete and utter lack of them.

"This is Nimbihurst, the most pleasant town in the Mushroom Kingdom." Yassie began, as she and Luigi stood in the town square, looking all around for any sign of life. "Or at least, so they say. Looking at this place though, I can definitely see how it got such a lofty title. Strange though, I figured there would be people out and about right now, it's so nice out today. Then again, it's probably like this everyday in Nimbihurst, so maybe the townsfolk are just used to it and figure they can come out whenever... Anyways, other than the few residential houses, there's an item shop, an inn, and a Town Hall, which I'm guessing is the first place we should be heading if we want to find the mayor. The statue, by the way, is supposed to be of the town's founder, but I get the feeling they may have taken a few liberties with its design... But regardless, to the south is Nimbi Grove, to the east is the sea, and to the west is Mount Manjaw, the world's longest dormant volcano. Legends state that there's also supposed to be an incredible treasure somewhere inside it as well, since that seems to be the favorite type of rumor people like to spread in the Mushroom Kingdom. Last I heard, the base had become something of a tourist attraction, though obviously no one's allowed inside the volcano itself, dormant or not."

Nodding along to Yassie's info, Luigi couldn't help but feel a shiver roll up his spine due to the town's eerie, empty atmosphere. "Yeah, this place seems swell and all, but it almost feels like a ghost town... So uh, l-let's just hurry up and find the mayor before any actual ghosts show up, shall we?"

"Oh, don't be so silly, Luigi, I'm sure everyone's just inside, for whatever reason." Yassie said with a dismissive hand wave at Luigi's claim. "But yes, we should show a bit of urgency if there really are other people around here searching for the Dream Caster, so let's go check out Town Hall."

And so Luigi and Yassie made their way towards the Town Hall, Luigi walking at a much brisker pace than usual. The building itself was the largest in Nimbihurst, though it shared the same unpretentious sense of facade as all the other buildings in town. Not wanting to waste anymore time, Luigi and Yassie made their way inside the building, which distressingly enough, seemed to be just as empty as it was outside. The building itself seemed much smaller inside, as they stood in a modest waiting room, with a few chairs and tables and an unoccupied receptionist's desk in the back. A short hallway ran off to the east, and there was a singular, closed door to the north to the side of the receptionist's desk, which had a small name plaque on it indicating that it was likely the mayor's office.

"H-Hello?" Luigi called out, knowing he wouldn't get an answer, but still whimpering at the non-response all the same.

"...Okay, so maybe Town Hall is just closed today." Yassie said quietly, trying to think up reasons as to why the whole town seemed deserted.

"B-But the door was unlocked..." Luigi reminded, to Yassie's chagrin.

"...W-Well, maybe the mayor is in but everyone else isn't..." Yassie stuttered, less than convincingly. "You know, in case of emergencies... Or... Something."

Luigi merely let out another wheezy whimper as the two walked over to the northern door, where they could make out that the plaque indeed read 'Mayor Koover'. Luigi gave a few light knocks on the door, and the two waited with baited breath for anyone to answer. They didn't have to wait very long. Almost immediately, the door opened, and out hobbled a skinny, older looking male Koopa with a dull navy blue shell and a graying, drooping mustache. Unfortunately, he seemed none too pleased to have visitors, and immediately began to poke and prod poor Luigi with his cane, backing him and Yassie away from the doorway.

"I already told you, I AIN'T gonna go along with your dumb-" the Koopa began, suddenly cutting himself off and doing a double take once he actually had noticed who it was he was assaulting. "...Oh, wait, you two don't look like you're with either of those awful groups... But then, just who in the world are you? We ain't had visitors here in ages!"

Luigi and Yassie looked at one another dumbfoundedly, neither exactly sure of what to say.

"...Er, would you believe it if we were to say we're heroes here to save the world from an unspeakable calamity?" Luigi asked awkwardly, after a few tense, uncomfortable moments of silence.

"...Heroes?" the Koopa repeated, blinking rapidly, to which Luigi and Yassie both nodded. "...HEROES?!" the Koopa repeated again, though this time with a voice and face filled with an unspeakable rage that made Luigi's heart simultaneously sink and rise into his throat. "THE LAST THING THIS TOWN NEEDS RIGHT NOW IS ANYMORE SO-CALLED 'HEROES'! I ALREADY LOST MY GRANDDAUGHTER AND THE WHOLE REST OF MY BELOVED TOWN TO THOSE OTHER IDJIT "HEROES', I AIN'T ABOUT TO LET YOU BRAINWASH ME TOO! NOW YOU TWO JUST GET OUT OF HERE BEFORE I SICK OL' CHOMPERS ON YA!"

With one final, particularly hard thrust from his cane into Luigi's chest, the Koopa slammed his office door in a flourish, leaving Luigi and Yassie standing in stunned, utter silence.

Yassie blinked in confusion. "...Well, that could have went better."

Hopefully my fight scenes aren't too dreadful/repetitive, I haven't really ever written any before. I probably already said this though in the prologue fight scene chapter. Anyhow, I'll try not to take a month to get the next part up.