Daichi: Without Paper Mario's ability to flip… things happen a bit differently. Just a little.

Verity: She doesn't own this franchise, otherwise we likely wouldn't be trapped here.

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The four stared as the Paper Toad sidled through the little crack. Starlow turned to Paper Luigi.

"Well? Why don't you go after them?" Paper Luigi sighed and looked away.

"Some people have the innate ability flip themselves between dimensions like that. Most, like Big Bro, can learn it over time, or from somebody else. And then there's me. I can't flip."

Mario walked up to the crack. "Doesn't heat make things expand? Maybe with enough fire..."
"Mario, no! Remember, these people are made of paper!" Luigi warned. "Also, I'm not sure, but I don't think it works that way."

"It doesn't." Starlow eyed the rock. "Well, I don't think he'd trust me, and none of us can go through there, so… let's come back later and see if the situation changes?"

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The party glanced over the fence, at all of the Paper Toads who had fallen there when the book opened, and now couldn't get out.

'We really need to find someone who can flip,' Paper Luigi thought to himself.

'Yes, don't want them hurting themselves in all that empty space. Given that they can't run around everywhere like headless chickens and get lost, probably the best thing for them.'

Paper Luigi couldn't help but sigh out loud at that. 'You're really going there?'

'I don't like Toads.'

'You don't like anybody.' Mr. L didn't even try to deny it. The group put rescuing those Paper Toads on their list of things to do later.

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Several times on their journey, they encountered cracks and such that none of them could navigate. And each time, they carefully noted down the location on a list.

When Paper Mario joined the party, they did, eventually, get around to visiting all of the locations on the list.

Eventually.

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Paper Toad had been hiding in his little 2D-accessible enclave for nearly a month when the hero of the Paper Mushroom Kingdom came to find him. He was understandably annoyed that it took so long for someone to find him.

Paper Mario, meanwhile, was wondering why there were so many places only accessible through cracks that only a perfectly flat piece of paper could squeeze through. It made no sense. Not even for the Mushroom Kingdom.

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Daichi: It really doesn't. And, bad Mario, geology does not work like that!