"Hoo! What a job! Sorry to have kept you waiting. The gate is finally fixed. If you take this road straight ahead, you'll eventually reach Toad Town, the home of Princess Peach's Castle. I believe that Shooting Star Summit is just beyond there. It's too bad you can't stay... I feel like I just met you! But duty calls, I know. Come back and visit if you can."
"Best of luck, Mario," Goombaria wished after her father finished his piece. The gate was indeed fixed and looked only a few weeks old compared to the months or even years of age from what he had seen.
Mario nodded at these words and put a gloved hand on the gate pushing it slightly, but something made him retract his hand. It was a certain somebody whose voice sounded like a thousand violins.
"Heee! Yee hee heee!"
If they were played by a monkey.
A familiar hag swept in on her broom with a confident and booming voice, a rippling noise being made behind her as she flew. With her purple robes and crinkly skin texture, it wasn't difficult to match her up with the loyal worker- Kammy Koopa. Mario whipped his head up and his smile faded to a frown as he furrowed his eyebrows. Of course when things were looking up, things decided to get complicated. He honestly should've expected this by now after his long days of experience with Bowser.
"Bleah heh heh heh... Ah, my instincts were right... Mario... I can't believe you're on your feet after taking such a beating from King Bowser. You're a hardy one, all right. I was smart to come here to check on you," she spoke with great power and in an egotistical manner. A smug smirk made its way onto her lips as she stared down. This was all broken with the cry of a yellow-ribbon wearing child. "Whuh...what? What's that, Daddy!? What's that weird flying thing?" the girl spoke with a sense of bewilderment and quickness to her voice. The sorceress lurched backward before she moved in closer, pointing the end of her broom downward. Her face scrunched up with disgust and irritation, her eyebrows furrowing downward.
"Weird? You rude little... I am a beautiful Koopa with a beautiful name: Kammy Koopa! Hmmmph! I wish I had time to teach you a lesson, brat! But no." She stopped there and shifted to face the plumber, calming her nerves and temper bit by bit at this point. With a hand, she waved it upward and pointed it in an accusing manner at him. "Mario! Hear this! It is useless for you to try to save Princess Peach. Ridiculous! Laughable! As you have seen, King Bowser is more powerful than even you can deal with this time." Taking out her scepter, she waved it and held it skyward. It wasn't long until in a spark of pink light that a gigantic yellow block materialized, floating in the air. "Here's a gift from him!" With that, the block tumbled down and onto the gate with a big "thwomp!" to celebrate its arrival while the hero stumbled back and landed on his bottom onto the dewy grass. That was going to be the end of it until he was reminded that their other guest was still present up in the sky.
"Nyeah heh heh heh! Mario! You will kneel and weep when you see the wonderful changes King Bowser's made! Your world is ours now! Bleah heh ho hyuck heh heh HA!" She was gone as soon as she left leaving Mario to scratch his head and get on his knees. Once up, he walked over to the gate to see what shape it was in. The wooden white boards were now stained with both the rain and the dirt of the ground with cracks all around. The blockade had bent it badly out of shape and now it was squished between that and the dirt path like a piece of ham in a sandwich. It looked almost completely unrepairable. Goombaria had followed quickly behind and tugged at the plumber's bright red sleeve taking in the sight in front of her. She took her attention elsewhere and noticed her father trembling.
"Da..."
"Ummmmmm..," Goompapa managed to let out, interrupting his daughter. "I just fixed that gate..." There was an obvious tone of irritation to his voice at this point. He then grumbled, "Nobody say "gate" to me... Kammy Koopa, that fiend! Did you hear what she said about the princess? It didn't sound good," he bursted out shouting, refusing to turn around as he examined the damage. It was a while before he spoke as the two others stood in anticipation. "I hope nothing's happened to her..," he mumbled. Mario looked to the side uncomfortably with a sheepish chuckle and started to explain the situation. Not three words after his second sentence was finished was there an interruption. "Wha... Wha... What!?" Goompapa turned his head around quickly at last, his eyes widened and his mouth open wide. "Bowser went and kidnapped Princess Peach?! Again?! Oh, unbelieveable! And now you have to go to Shooting Star Summit and help save her, right?" he turned back and paced around in a small circle near the new obstacle. He firmly placed a hand on it, his free hand rubbing his temples. His voice let out in a considerably weaker and softer, almost defeated voice, "Ummmm... This could be a problem."
"Dad, we've just gotta do something, right? Mario's gotta save the princess! Nobody else can do it!" Goombaria yelled out, her cheeks puffy and her eyes sharp along with her arms crossed tightly over her chest. The man let out a long and deep sigh before he faced the two once more. "Ummmmmmm..," he began to think before he raised his head suddenly. "Oh, here's an idea! Maybe we can break this block with Goompa's big Hammer! I think he's using it now to fix the veranda. Go ask him for it, will you?" A big grin appeared back on his face as he pointed the way. The young girl shook her head furiously up and down as if to agree on the idea whole-heartedly. Mario tilted his cap upward and gave a thumbs up before he jogged into the home with a new-found purpose. He'd have to get that hammer if it was the last thing he did. He'd need it in order to continue and that's exactly what he needed to do. He entered the house less leisurely and dashed for the veranda, opening the door excitedly and rushed out onto it.
That was, he rushed out onto thin air as the door shut behind him and he found himself where there no longer was wood. Frantically waving his arms, he fell down once more into the trees. When he landed on the ground, he waited a few moments before hopping back up. Well, his body ached now. This wouldn't be too much compared to all the other injuries he'd had hopefully. He hoped he wouldn't make a habit out of falling. It didn't seem like it'd be healthy no matter what way he'd ever look at it. He searched the area and found parts of the veranda around. No hammer though. He'd have to go searching more in depth. Walking around, he eventually found someone else.
"Oh, my back... Hm? Who's that? That you, Mario? I remember a great crashing noise and then the veranda collapsed and I fell. Did you fall, too? Just stepped out the door into thin air, did you? Well, we're both OK. Problem is, we can't get home because that block is in the way. This block... This block shouldn't be here. Well, this is a problem for us. ...Huh? A Hammer? Oh, of course! Um... Where did it go? I was using it to fix the veranda, so it's likely to be around here somewhere... Hm! Nowhere to be seen. I guess it must have fallen somewhere over there. Mario, we'd better look for it," the old man rambled. They traveled over to another area in the opposite direction. Upon arriving in a section with plenty of trees but still a good amount of space to walk around and blocks scattered about, they were halted. "The Hammer has got to be somewhere close by. It looks like this," Goompa said, pulling out a blueprint from his pocket and then folding it back to return it to its origin. "Look for bushes that might cover it up. You can probably search the best if you get near the center of the bush. You got that?" Mario nodded and did as he instructed.
After a while, the male found the hammer with ease, holding it up in the air triumphantly. "You found the Hammer! Mario can do the Hammer attack now!" a cheerful voice echoed out. Mario lowered it slightly and looked around trying to find the source. Alas, there was not a single other soul around besides the grandfather. Their voices didn't match either. Raising an eyebrow at this, the voice returned to his mind. "You can smash a yellow block with this Hammer." This time, he could make out more about the voice. It was definitely a male's. A child's most likely- though the voice sounded a bit mature than a simple kid. It had enthusiasm and a pinch of rowdiness to it. He waited a bit more, but the voice did not continue any further, leaving him with that simple message. Looking down in his hands he saw that the hammer was worn and made of cheaper wood. It was sturdy though. It probably could pack a punch with the correct amount of force. Bouncing it up and down in his hands, Goompa ran up to him.
"Oh! There we go! That's it! That's the Hammer!" he took a break, attempting to catch his breath after he stopped. When he was ready, his voice lost some of the energy it had when he was running. "I'll wager that if you use that Hammer, you can break the block that's in our way. You can also use that Hammer to hit trees and make them sway. Sometimes stuff will fall out! You can use it by holding it tight and swinging it!" Mario nodded and swung it to test it. For this, he was rewarded with a proud grin. "Good, good! Just like that, Mario! You're quite the quick learner! Glad to know that we still have that old tool. It might not be in the best condition or be anything too fancy, but it does what it needs to. Now, shall we get going? Don't worry about me, I'll follow after you. You remember the way back, right?" The plumber proceeded to walk onwards, whacking at a few blocks and trees on the way back. One certain tree dropped something though. Kneeling down, he picked it up. It was a soft doll with a poofy pink dress with a crown, blondish hair, and some jewelry. "Oh! Well now! I believe that's the dolly Goombaria said she lost! She'll no doubt be overjoyed if you give it back to her. So many people lose things all over the place, you know. It almost makes one feel like looking around everywhere..," the man gave in his two cents. Mario looked back and put the dolly in his pocket. It'd be safer there than in his hands what with the hammer. Hopefully it wouldn't get damaged along the way. It'd be a shame if he couldn't deliver it to the young girl. Standing up, the two walked over to the exit of the forest. "Hmmm... Well! We found the Hammer, so I guess we should head for home."
"Youch!" the man yelled as he was pushed back after attempting to leave. "Who are you guys!? This is my playground, idiots! Nobody sets foot in here without my permission! Nobody! Prepare to start crying at the feet of Master Jr. Troopa!" The voice came from a tiny bruiser with eyes that spoke out his firey spirit clearly. He didn't look particularly threatening now. Perhaps he was just one of those "small name, big ego" types? Charging at the two, the plumber knew clearly what was about to happen. A battle was inevitable at this point. Behind him, he heard Goompa clear his throat. "Mario, this is Jr. Troopa. He's the boss of a neighborhood gang. A bit of a bully, obviously. He's more bark than bite. You can beat him easily. Just boost yourself up and don't take any lip! I'll stay right here behind you and watch your progress." With a nod, he faced his opponent. It'd probably be better to just jump on the guy rather than use the hammer. It'd be best to avoid giving someone brain damage on accident because he didn't know if they could take it or not. He was hoping he could get this done quickly. Taking a few paces back, the plumber started dashing and then leaped upward, descending down onto the child. Retreating back, he noticed he did a bit of damage. Seemed like this guy was at least a little more persistant than a regular goomba. "Oh, excellent! Good move! Go on!" the elderly man cheered on from behind. The battle went slowly as each took and gave damage. It wasn't too long before the other spoke. "Grrrr! I'm just getting warmed up!" It was clear at this point the other was starting to lose his temper and his will power. Though this also meant he was going to get more forceful if his experience told him correctly. Hesitating, Mario walked up and put a hand out to his hammer, gripping it tightly. Seeing this change in the sequence, the young boy cocked his head and opened his mouth slightly, furrowing one eyebrow in confusion. Raising the weapon, Mario shut his eyes and swung it down causing the boy to not only get hurt but jump back in surprise. "Mario, you've almost got him! Keep it up! Go on!" Goompa praised with a big excited grin plastered onto his face, his eyes lighting up with excitement.
"All right, you asked for it! Say hello to Jr. Troopa's special attack! Full power!" the boy exclaimed at the top of his lungs before charging at Mario. In response, the male finished him off with another classic jump. The child teetered back and forth before falling onto his chest, a bit dizzy and defeated. Moving a bit closer, Goompa held out a hand for the other to shake in congratulations. "Mario, that was wonderful fighting! You got Star Points! You get Star Points every time you beat an enemy. Every time you save up 100 Star Points, you'll go up a level. Always try hard to get points! You may not be able to see them all the time, but they are quite real! They can get you nifty things like help your health and such!"
Jr. Troopa then got up on hit feet and grumbled. "Shoooooot! I was winning, too! I'll be back, Mario! I mean it, I'll be back!" With that, he fled from the scene, scurrying away at a remarkable speed. They continued onward until Goompa tugged on Mario's sleeve, halting him. "Heads up, Mario! I see bad Goombas ahead. They're loyal to Bowser. If they see you, they'll attack you without hesitation. If you successfully attack an enemy in the field with a Jump or Hammer, you'll get the First Strike when you enter the battle. Striking first really helps when it comes to battling," he advised. He held a tight grip on the red sleeve for a long silence before he let go. It seemed as if he was looking for something in the area and gave up by the way he acted. Or maybe he was starting to jump to conclusions. Neither seemed like a good option to accept at this point. Gulping, he continued and after a few fights made his way back to the yellow block blocking the way. There was nothing special about the way back except one thing- the voice returned one more time. ""It's a glowing Star Piece! Wait and see what this is for," the voice had said that time. It seemed like this voice was more of something to help him whenever Goompa decided to stay quiet. With ease, the male took down the block and saw the familiar Goomba village.
