Disclaimer: All assets of the Mario Movie belong to Nintendo and Illumination.

Chapter 3: Customer

Present Day

Luigi smiled as he watched the accumulation of the past couple of years in a commercial that he and Mario worked hard on, and Luigi was surprised he even went along with it, but in the end, it was his decision, one he didn't regret.

After they left Wrecking Crew, Mario immediately began to search for jobs under an actual plumber, preferably a Master Plumber since they had more experience and a couple weeks later, he managed to snag a job under one as having a certain amount of experience was required to be certified. Meanwhile, Luigi spent many days and nights looking at many professions, but nothing screamed out to him. Sure, there were some professions that were interesting, but nothing truly grabbed his heart. Plus, Mario's offer remained in the back of his mind as some sort of failsafe should he not find a profession of interest. Two weeks after they left Foreman Spike, Luigi had come to a decision as he called Mario to his room.

"Yes, bro?" he said. "You said you made a decision about your career choice?"

"Yes." He sighed. "Truth be told, I had a hard time picking out something, but I decided to accept your offer. I'll help you with your business."

"Are you sure? I don't want you to make a decision just because I said so."

"I know. Though you had influence, this is my decision and mine alone. It was mainly because of you, and maybe a little of all those talks we had when we were little. It may have been a fantasy, but I want to help you succeed because I want to thank you for all you've done for me. So, consider this my thanks."

"If you're sure, then OK. Welcome aboard, bro!" Then the rest became a breeze. Well, not really, but at least Luigi had a clear goal in mind. With that settled then began their steps of turning that dream into reality, starting with Mario basically begging the Master Plumber to let him join them, but beforehand, Luigi did prior research on the field and after a test of said knowledge, Luigi was hired, and so for the next two years, the plumbers worked together to get certified, get business licenses and insurance for the place all so they could own their own business, and something that Luigi wasn't quite used to was the fact that it was his and Mario's business. Mario in his youth was all about how he was gonna run the business, but now him and Luigi were co-owners, staring at the fruits of their labor that was the commercial that they spent hundreds on just to have it aired, but now that the commercial, website, and everything else was set up, all that was left to do was to wait for potential customers then they could truly start working.

As the commercial ended, Mario scratched his chin. "Was the accent a bit much? I'm starting to think it might be."

"It was your idea," Luigi said. "You said to do it in order to stand out from our competitors."

"Yeah, but maybe I was wrong."

"What are you-a talking about?" said a nearby bystander as he momentarily stopped playing his arcade game. "It was-a great! Wahoo!"

"Thanks. I love the enthusiasm." The man gave him a cheeky smile before returning to his game.

"Yeah. That commercial was so well done." Luigi froze as chills flew down his spine. Why was that voice familiar? Well, in the corner stood the one and only Foreman Spike as he sarcastically clapped. "Five stars. Chef's kiss."

"What are you doing here, Spike?" Mario hissed, walking to him.

"What? Can't a man eat his pizza in peace? No need to all hissy. Besides, it's been too long! We gotta catch up! Tell me, how's this business of yours doing? Has it been booming?" The two stayed silent. "Oh, come on. Don't give me the cold shoulder. We're best friends!" He placed his shoulder around Luigi. "Tell him, Green Stache! Aren't we friends?"

"We never were. Drop the act!"

Spike dramatically gasped. "Oh, always so dramatic! You hurt my feelings! I think I'm gonna cry."

"Why you little-"

"Shh." He pointed to the numerous people staring at Mario from his sharp rise of his tone of voice. "You wouldn't want to destroy your future customer base, right?" Spike whispered in his ear. "Look at them, all your potential customers, and you're giving yourself a bad image if snapping's how you react to other people's words. Talk about bad first impressions. I wouldn't give yourself a bad demeanor if I were you. In fact, you should say you're sorry. Go on. Do it."

Mario sighed. "I'm sorry."

"That's a good boy." He stood up, finishing up his pizza. "Well, as fun as this was, this man's got business to attend to. See ya around!" He walked out of the pizzeria.

"Mario?"

"I'm fine, Luigi. I got caught up in the moment. That jerk hasn't learned a thing."

"But he's right. These are our potential customers. We can't ruin our image when we haven't got a single customer. How about we wait till-" Before he could finish, his phone buzzed, catching him by surprise with the sudden ringtone. He pulled it out, not recognizing the number, but he couldn't help but wonder. Was this their first customer? Only one way to find out. "Hello. Super Mario Bros. Plumbing, Luigi speaking."

"Yes," the receiver said. "I'm calling because of a drip in my faucet that just won't stop! My poor husband has tried everything, and we desperately need help. Surely you wouldn't mind helping a couple of old geezers, would you?"

"Of course not! We'll be there on the double! All we need is your address and we'll be on our way!"

"Of course. The address is 1529 Long Street. See you chaps then."

"Yeah. See you in five." He hung up and cheered. "We got one!"

"Wait! Really?!"

"Yes, bro! We finally got one!"

"Yes!" They hugged each other. "Our success is finally paying off! We should go right away! Give me the address quickly!" Luigi was a bit surprised by the urgency but gave it to him anyway. The reason why wasn't surprising since Mario did want to make a good first impression that wasn't giving someone ear-piercing words. And so, the two brothers ran out of the pizzeria to the car parked outside. "Alright!" Mario said. "First customer, here we come!" He turned the key to the ignition, but all the engine did was stall. He tried again, yanking the key. "Oh, come on! You worked this morning!"

"Mario, we're gonna be late."

"Don't pester me!" After a few minutes, he gave up as he whacked the steering wheel in frustration. "Dang it! As soon as good luck comes our way, something else must always come along to ruin it!"

"So, what now?"

Mario glanced at the address. "Thankfully, the house isn't too far from here." He got out of the car in a hurry.

"Mario?" Luigi scratched his head.

"Follow me! I know a quick way to get there!"

"Mario, wait up!" He scrambled to grab the tools as he took off after Mario. They ran down the streets of Brooklyn, hopping over any traffic that got in their way as they zigzagged around the city. "Mario, wait up!"

"This way! I know a short-cut!" Luigi sighed as he gazed at a construction site that Mario was leading him. This was the short-cut? "Luigi, quit dawdling! Time's-a ticking!"

"Oh, sorry!" The two ran through the construction zone, with Mario knocking down any obstacles that got in the way as he helped him cross gaps, over bridges, and all over the construction zone as they ignored the protests of the workers. Within minutes, they arrived at the address.

"And with that, we have arrived," Mario chirped, glancing at his phone. "With a few minutes to spare." As he knocked, Luigi glanced at the huge, five-story mansion that stood mighty and high before him.

"Well, you must be the Mario Brothers!" Luigi returned his gaze towards the woman as she shared hugs with him and Luigi. "I'm so glad you're here! Come, come! My husband and I will guide you so you don't get lost." As they walked inside, Luigi was even more astonished by all the ceramic tile and shiny granite the mansion had.

"Wowie-zowie!"

"Amazed by our mansion, huh?" the woman said as she led them upstairs. "Not very surprising. We've owned this mansion for years. My husband often expands upon it every once in a while." As she led them down the hall, Luigi stared at a golden retriever, who darted its eyes as it held a bone in its mouth.

"Hey, cute dog-" It growled at him, causing it to drop its bone as Luigi backed away in fright.

"Pay no attention to Francis," the woman said. "He doesn't like visitors all that much, which is why we don't have people here often, but he's our cute boy, regardless!"

"Luigi!" At the sound of Mario's name, Luigi scrambled to the restroom as he heard a crack sound. He stared at the now-broken bone, and the dog's growl intensified.

"Also, don't worry about his bone. We've got plenty in the pantry. You just head on back, OK, dear?" Luigi nodded at the woman's advice, but couldn't help but gaze at the dog once more before running inside the bathroom.

"Bro, what took you so long?" Mario asked in annoyance.

"Kinda got caught up in some hiccups."

"Can't imagine what kind of 'hiccups' you got yourself into, but I found out where the problem was, and I was waiting for you to come considering you have our tools and all. I can handle this one since this is pretty simple to fix. You can have the next one. Wrench, please." As Luigi handed him the tools he needed, he couldn't help but smile. He could see the determination that Mario had despite all the obstacles life threw at them. Mario never caved into said obstacles to give up on his dream, and Luigi wanted to help pay back for all that Mario did for him. Sure, his interest in plumbing wasn't at an all-time high, but Mario did so much for him over much of their childhoods, willing to take any blows and consequences that Luigi couldn't because all he could do was run away, hoping his problems would disappear, but they didn't. They kept coming back over and over, haunting his life forever, but so did Mario. He was Luigi's hero, which was why the green plumber wanted to repay the favor, even if it was small, but he didn't care. Having to ruin his brother's dream because of him was something Luigi wouldn't be able to stand. So, he didn't regret not choosing the career of his life because his brother was his life. What else could he possibly need? "And done." Mario finished tightening the socket and placed the tools in Luigi's bag. "That is our first job well-" There was a slam, causing the brothers to jump in fright. There stood Francis, his mouth turned into a snarl as the dog slowly inched towards the pair.

"Um," Luigi said, "Brother, remember what I said about hiccups earlier?"

"You're referring to the dog."

"Yeah. I kinda broke his bone earlier, and now he's here to kill me. I just know it." The dog leapt at him, causing the plumber to scream as he ran around the room, his arms flailing as Francis rammed into the walls and parts of the furniture as cracks emerged, spewing water from them. As Francis backed him into the bathtub, Mario threw a soap bottle at him, causing Francis to dart his eyes at the plumber. Luigi scratched his head. What was he doing? Mario was strong, but there was no way he could handle a 65 pound dog with menacing claws, but Mario wasn't intimidated as he gestured to the dog, and Francis accepted his challenge as he leapt at him, but the plumber grabbed him by the leg and slammed him into the ground before proceeding to choke-hold him amidst avoiding the dog's menacing jaw and claws as he barked and snarled at him, causing the two to shift around the room.

It wasn't surprising that Mario was using the same techniques he used on dozens of bullies in the past who dared lay a finger on Luigi, but there was a difference between a grown man and a grown dog as Francis had managed to escape Mario's chokehold, something not many humans have done. As he snarled at Luigi once more, he slammed the bathtub door closed, the dog's claws scraping against the glass surface. "Enough!" Mario ran at the dog and picked him up by the tail, twirling his body as he slammed the dog into the wall, and at last, the dog fell unconscious as his limp body fell into the plumber's lap as he heaved in the end, the sweat pouring from his face. Luigi wasn't surprised at the feats of strength considering how many times over the years he used it on his fellow beings, but taking out a huge, menacing dog was a feat of its own. Unfortunately, their victory was left short as cracks emerged from the slam traveling all over the bathroom, spewing water as they destroyed the granite tiles one-by-one. Mario tried stomping them into the ground, but another one shot straight up. "Luigi, help me!" Luigi scrambled out of the bathtub as the two tried to stomp the tiles, but that created more cracks as more parts of the bathroom became destroyed, starting with the mirror and evolving to the shower head falling off before the brothers were forced to evacuate the room as Mario grabbed the unconscious dog before the hallway flooded. The woman and her husband walked up the stairs before staring at them in disbelief. "Ma'am," Mario said, "This isn't-"

"Shut up!" she hissed. She ran inside the room. "What did you do?! And my poor baby!" She held Francis in her arms. "You killed my baby!"

"She's only unconscious, but please let me expl-"

"There's no need." The man walked to them. "I don't care how this started. What matters is you not only hurt our pet but caused major property damage that's gonna take weeks to repair! Do you hear me?! Weeks! I've spent thousands of dollars in taxes to keep our house in tip-top shape, and you ruined everything! Forget about paying you for your services! I'm gonna outright sue you for all the property damage you've done to my home!"

"We'll fix it!" Mario glanced at Luigi. "Sir, I know we did horrible things to your pet and home, but please let us fix this! It's all my fault! I was the one who broke his bone! He got angry and tried to attack me, but my brother was forced to step in or else I would've been killed! On behalf of me and my brother's actions, please! I beg you for your forgiveness! We never wanted any of this to happen! We're just a struggling company barely trying to get our foot in the door, but we can use all our savings to pay for the damages. Right, Mario?"

The red plumber sighed. "Yes. I am so sorry for what happened, Ma'am. We originally had it fixed, but things took a turn for the worse when your dog outright attacked my brother. I had no choice but to step in. Please forgive us."

The two were silent for a few moments. Luigi sighed. Thank goodness Mario went along with it, even if he might've not agreed, but that wasn't a bluff. All the damage done would be required to use all of their savings, all $10,000 worth, and this wasn't a cheap mansion. Thank goodness Mario had a savings account for emergencies, but would the couple believe their word? He could only hope. "To be honest," the man said, "That isn't a surprise. Our poor Francis never got along with anyone, dog or human. He only loved us and hated everyone else, and I suspected because he was being very protective of us. He always had anger issues, and I don't find it surprising that he would try to kill you given those issues. I'm sorry, Mr. Luigi. It's also our fault. You and your brother did what you had to do, and our bathroom is the price for that. I won't sue. We accept your proposal." He held out his hand. "How about we call it even?" Luigi nodded and they shared a handshake.

"We'll get right on it, sir."

"Take your time. Just send the money later. My wife and I will do what we can to remedy the situation. You're both good men for owning up to your faults. That's what I like about you two. Who knows, maybe if there's another problem, maybe Francis won't become a problem, but an acquaintance. That's just wishful thinking for now. You two just go home and don't worry about this for now. I'll call you when we're ready for the money." The two nodded and walked out of the home. Luigi couldn't help but catch Mario's down-gazed look. Luigi didn't say anything and followed his bro in silence.

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