CHAPTER 2
-Of Glitz and Glory-
Chopper noticed Glitzville was up ahead while looking out the window of the blimp. It looked absolutely marvelous. Balloons can be seen flying up from the town, and it seemed that there were rocket boosters that were keeping the town floating up.
"Wow... This looks interesting." Chopper blinked.
The platform began to bring Chopper and Vivian down to Glitzville once they reached the place, and they could see a big building up to the north. It looked like it was the Glitz Pit that Professor Frankly was telling them about. Over to the right was a bar where some fighters could go to relax, and over to the left was an ice cream truck with a pig named Mr. Hoggle. However, he doesn't sell ice cream. He sells hot dogs.
"Ummm… I guess this is Glitzville, all right." Vivian said quietly. "I don't understand how they can make this place float. I mean, it hasn't ever plunged down from the sky. This is really weird..."
"Well maybe it's magic? No, really. It could be some kind of magic the Gods themselves did to make this place afloat! It MUST be the answer!" Chopper declared, making Vivian giggle.
"Tee hee! Oh, let's just find that Crystal Star, OK? I think we should just start by going into the Glitz Pit."
They headed over to the entrance of the Glitz Pit and found two stairways going up to the upper floor and a door near them that led to the arena. A pineapple news reporter was there, with a Lakitu that snapped pictures for the newspaper.
Ms. Mowz appeared to be there as well, which Chopper happened to notice.
"Wait, what's that mouse doing here?" Chopper wondered, remembering her. "Oh, let's not worry about it. I don't think she's going to cause much of a problem here anyway. Let's see what's going on at the battle arena."
On the walls, there were posters of a yellow bird person who looked pretty tough, a red Chain Chomp and also a dark blue armored Koopa with red glowing eyes.
When they both headed into the arena, they could see a massive audience around, and they looked like they were ready to see some action. The yellow bird person and the Koopatrol were in the arena, knocking each other back and panting.
"Wow! This place looks really cool!" Chopper gaped. "Hey, Vivian, look up there! There's a match going on right now!"
"Cough… Yeah, you're pretty tough!" the yellow bird wheezed. "It makes me so ANGRY that I lost to you before! There's no way I'm going to let my number one spot go! I think it's time for you to FEEL THE RAAAAAWK!"
The yellow bird charged at the Koopatrol and tackled him, knocking the armored Koopa onto the ground and also leaving him flattened.
"OOOOOOOOOF!"
The Koopatrol was defeated as a blue Clubba wearing sunglasses, a black hat and jacket, a green vest and bow-tie came walking over to the yellow bird.
"Stay down, pincushion! There's no way you want to deal with this again!" the yellow bird scoffed. "Why'd you even have to show up to take me on, thinking you would win? Yeah, you hear me talking, Wimpy! Stay outta the ring, or feel the burn, baby! Tell you what: do about a million push-ups and then come see Uncle Rawk Hawk! I'll give you another world-class spanking and send you crying home to Momma again! Will you regret it? I'm pretty sure you will!"
"Huh... That sounds jerkish of him..." Chopper trailed.
"Yeah, his personality doesn't seem likable," Vivian agreed.
"Hooooo-WEEEEEEE! Champ! That sure was a grade-A whuppin' you put on fer us!" the Clubba ringmaster cheered. "Yer thoughts on the match!"
"You call that match? Pbbbbbbbbt! That was nothin'! Ain't there a fighter besides Gonzales who can take on the Rawk? No! No one can! Hear me? Ain't a fighter out there that can even make me sweat! They're all a bunch of little crybabies, running around in stinky diapers! You got a bone to pick? Come fight me! Bring it! I'll take on anyone! I'll make you amateurs wish you stayed home playing Super Smash Bros. Melee! 'Cause I'll give you more than a paper cut! YEAH! NUMBER ONE, BABY! RAWK HAWK IS BACK IN THE HOUSE! Harharharharharharharhar!"
After gloating, Rawk Hawk held up a black belt while the audience cheered. Although, there was one thing that caught Chopper off guard.
The Crystal Star was on it.
"Vivian! Look at that! It's the Crystal Star we're looking for! Right on the belt!" Chopper gasped.
"You're right, Chopper! I can see the Crystal Star on the belt! But… Why would it be on the belt?" Vivian wondered as they left the arena, pondering. "I can't believe we found the Crystal Star so easily. But… It's not like we can steal that guy's belt. That wouldn't be right. What do you think we should do, Chopper?"
"Well I don't think stealing it would be the right idea," Chopper frowned. "…Maybe we can battle our way to the top! I can always just fight that guy to get to the top and get it!"
"Yes, I think you're right, Chopper. I think we should get started now. Maybe there's a novice sign-up somewhere…"
"Let's go see who's in charge of this place," Chopper noticed a door to the left where a guard in a black suit and sunglasses was standing. They walked over to him and spoke with the Security Guard.
"What's that, bub? You wanna become a fighter?" the Security Guard gawked. "You don't even look like you're one. You're probably too innocent for this stuff, so I would suggest coming back when you're a little older."
Chopper felt a little sad and turned around and began to walk away with his head hung low. He also let out a sad sigh as well.
"Chopper! Wait!" Vivian cried as she went after him. Ms. Mowz also noticed him leaving. She happened to have a red headband with her too.
"Hold on a second! Don't go just yet! You should take this!" Ms. Mowz threw the headband toward Chopper. When he turned around, a red ! appeared over his head before he inhaled it. After swallowing it, he had the red headband tied around his head, now becoming Fighter Chopper.
"Hmmm? Wait a minute…" Chopper trailed. "If I have the Fighter ability on… I think I can actually get that guard to let me in!"
Vivian smiled as she followed Chopper back over to the Security Guard, who was getting
"Listen, bub. I told you before. You're too innocent to be coming over here to fight. And also…" the Security Guard paused for a moment as he looked at the red headband. "Wait a minute… Wow, you sure look like you're a fighter. All right, I think you better go meet Grubba. He's the promoter, and his office is just down through the hallway."
The Security Guard moved aside and Chopper and Vivian walked in and made their way down the hallway. They finally got to a door that said "Grubba's Office," with a Security Guard standing in front of it.
"What's that? You want to be a fighter, bub? Well, you look like the type of fighter with that red headband. All right, go on in. Mr. Grubba's just inside." the Security Guard stepped out of the way, allowing the two to go in.
Before Chopper could open it, however...
"Hold on Chopper. You can't go in there looking cute." Vivian informed. "You need to look tough to make sure that this Grubba person knows that you're a real fighter!"
"Oh... Well that makes sense!" Chopper made a battle face as he kicked the door open into the office. It looked very nice, with the shiny floor, the comfy chairs, a cabinet and a desk with a laptop. Grubba was right behind it, sitting on his chair. Grubba, however, was not happy when he turned his chair around to meet them.
"Who in tarnation are you, son?! And who let you in?!" Grubba gawked. "This is Grubba's office yer in! Yep, that's me, Grubba! An' you, yer one rude dude, comin' in without knockin'!"
"No no, listen! I'm here to fight in the Glitz Pit! I mean, look at me! Hi-YAAA!" Chopper punched the air, but he stopped when he saw Grubba looking at him for a little bit.
"Well now, yer sure one heck of a...something! So you wanna be a fighter?"
"Of course," Chopper nodded. The moment he nodded, coins suddenly appeared in Grubba's eyes as he grinned big.
"Hoo-WEE! That definitely changes a thing or two, son! I always got time for an up-an'-comer! Yep, this place is packed to the gills with young fighters, all primed and a-rarin' to go! I gotta say, son, yer a bit small and innocent-lookin' fer my tastes, but I'm willin' to give you a shot. Now, play me straight, son: you wanna live the glamorous life of a champ, don'tcha?"
"Well... Ummm... Yeah! Throw anyone you've got at me and I'll take 'em!"
"Hyuck hyuck hyuck! Now THAT'S an attitude of a fighter right there! All right! All right, son! I hear where yer comin' from, son, loud an' clear!"
Grubba walked away from his desk and he walked over to Chopper, facing the cabinet. "When I was just a poor pup, I didn't give a Pokey's patoot for fancy, big-city ways. But I jumped into the world of martial arts and fought my way to fame and riches! An' know what I realized? Bein' rich an' famous is diggety-dang DYNAMITE!"
"...Do you even know what he's saying?" Vivian whispered, but she noticed Chopper beginning to doze off.
"Now, I can't mix it up in the ring no more, but I earned enough to set me for life. You readin' me here son? Dreams do come true, even if they ain't yours, exactly! Yep, that's the key, son! Dream big, and you'll GET big, that's the winner's way! And when you make it big, you'll look back at all those small-dreamers and LAUGH! You readin' me here, son?"
Upon hearing this, Chopper jumped in surprise and quickly gave Grubba a nod.
"That's the spirit there, kid! Here, let's have us a little walk 'n' talk. C'mon now!" Grubba walked out of his office while Chopper and Vivian followed.
"Well this is interesting..." Vivian commented as Grubba led them into a room with a black carpet, presents over to the left corner and also a nice, comfy bed. Only one thing stood out, and that was the air duct to the upper right.
"Ooh! This is really nice!" Chopper smiled.
"Yeah, I had a feelin' you would like this room, pard! Just feast yer eyes, go on! This...is the champion's room. Isn't it a sight? Deee-luxe! you become champ, and you get the key to this room! That ain't all of course! That's on TOP of the big money and screamin' fans! Yeah, no doubt about it, son! Apply yourself an' a life of wealth an' comfort awaits."
"Fans... That sure would be a lot, considering that no one really knows about me on my home planet."
A moment later, they were in a room with red and gray tiles, the Koopatrol from before was also in the room, along with a dark Koopa with a light blue shell, a Hammer Bro., and a Buzzy Beetle with a red shell and a spike. It was definitely a nice room, but it wasn't as nice as the Champion's Room.
"Now, uh, here we have the major-league locker room. A lotta contenders here! Whatcha think, son? Huh? Not exactly glamorous, but it's clean and comfortable. Totally sanitary, too. Maybe I'm old fashioned, but I CARE about my fighters, darn it!"
The next moment, they were back to Grubba's office, where he happened to be back behind his desk.
"Man... That flipping made me dizzy..." Chopper trailed.
"Now... I'm sure you know this already, son, but there ain't but one world champion. Clawin' your way to the top an' takin' the belt to become champ ain't an easy thing..." Grubba trailed. "But that's the point, son! Wouldn't be worth it if there weren't no challenge! I can see you got the fire for it, too, pard! You got the eye of the tiger, there! Yer gonna be champ, I can just FEEL it!"
"You...really believe in me?"
"'Course I do! An' normally I'm not wrong with this! Yer one of the few people that I've never been so sure about a fighter in my life! You've even got the looks of a champion, just like the first champion I've had here!"
"First champion? Is he here?"
"Unfortunately, he ended up retirin'... I kinda wish he were around, but some people have to move on in life..." Grubba trailed, but he suddenly blink in realization before he pulled out a piece of paper. "Oh, hey, there's just one other thing left... You gotta sign an itty-bitty contract to be a fighter. It ain't no thing, just take a second or two of yer time. Just jot your name here on this paper, OK?"
"OK, I'll sign it," Chopper walked over to Grubba's desk and signed the contract. "Done!"
"Best thing you ever done, son!" Grubba grinned. "Now yer Chopper? Ain't a bad handle... Still, I gotta say, pard, it lacks a little punch as a fighter's name, get me?"
"What? You don't like my name?" Chopper gawked.
"No, it's not a bad name. It just needs to sound real cool fer the fans, you get me? Havin' a good name always gets attention from fans. Now, lemme see, here... Hmmmm... Bam! Hoooooo-WEEEEEEEEE! I got it! From now on, yer gonna be…the Great Contadre!"
"The Great...Contadre?"
"Hoo! Ain't that a beaut? Dang if that ain't a stroke of genius! You don't get good names like that everyday! Yep, everyone will soon bow before the Great Contadre! Make me proud, son!"
"What does the name Contadre even mean?"
"Well, now that we got the business side outta the way... Jolene? Could you come in a minute, darlin'?" Grubba asked.
At that moment, a secretary Toad with pink polka dots on her cap and in red came into the room.
"Yes, sir? You wished to see me?" Jolene asked.
"Sure did, hon. Jolene, this fighter here is the Great Contadre, our newest risin' star." Grubba informed. "Be a peach and take him on down to the minor-league locker room, all righty?"
"Minor-league locker room?" Chopper blinked. "Why didn't we go there?"
"Time restraints, son. I've got other fighters to attend to, you get me?"
"Mr. Contadre? If you would be so kind, please follow me." Jolene suggested as Chopper shrugged and followed her, along with Vivian. As they went through the hallway, they started to walk in the opposite direction of the major-league locker room. "As you know, you are a contracted now, so you must abide by some rules. First and foremost, what Mr. Grubba says, goes. Period. You must do what he says. Also, as per your contract, you cannot quit until Mr. Grubba releases you. There are many other small guidelines that I will explain as they become relevant."
The Security Guard standing by the door she was leading them to stepped out of the way and allowed Jolene to walk into the room. When Chopper and Vivian got a glimpse of it, their faces fell at the sight of the sloppy room. The tiles were ripped up, along with the wallpaper. It didn't smell all that great either. Even the people didn't look all that exciting. All there was was a green Bandit, a Hyper Bald Cleft, a Bob-omb, and a Koopa Troopa with a golden shell.
"What a mess..." Vivian commented.
"Well, here we are. This is your locker room. You're starting in the minor league, of course, as you've just now started your career. If you don't like this dingy room, I suggest you work your way up through the ranks." Jolene walked over to the screen that looked like a Gameboy Advance. "When you're ready to fight, you just log on to this computer terminal here. Mr. Grubba will then decide who you'll match up against. You will have no say in this. Why don't you try it once? Walk up to the screen and log on with A. Then pick 'Reserve a match.'"
Chopper shrugged and walked over to the screen and chose to reserve a match. At that moment, Grubba appeared on the screen to greet him.
"Well, howdy Contadre! Ready to get yer fists dirty, huh?" Grubba asked. "There you go, son! Now I got a treat fer you: yer first battle's going to be against the Goomba Bros.! Don't worry 'bout them... They'll be a piece of cake! Just mop 'em up, OK, son? Hey, we wanna get everyone fired up, though, so appeal to the crowd at least once! You got any questions about detailed rules, just ask the lovely Ms. Jolene, OK, son? Well, good luck, pard!"
"Wow, so you can just reserve a match by using this? This is pretty interesting." Vivian commented as Chopper adjusted his headband while Jolene began to give out a long explanation.
"OK, your battle is reserved. At this point, you just wait until Security comes for you. Fighting is pretty basic. The team that drops the opponent's HP to 0 first, wins. If you beat an opponent who ranks above you, your ranking will go up. Then again, if you lose to a lower-ranking opponent, your ranking goes down. Simply winning is not enough. When Mr. Grubba sets fight conditions, follow them. In this case, the condition is to appeal the crowd at least once. Fairly easy. If you satisfy the condition and win, you can battle a higher-ranked opponent next. If you get your rank up to 11th, you'll get a shot at the major league. That's all you need to know for now. Did you understand all that?"
"Yes, I got all of that," Chopper nodded.
"OK, good. For now, just wait until Security comes to get you, Mr. Contadre."
After waiting for a couple of seconds, a Security Guard came into the room. "Contadre! Match time! Follow me, bub."
"OK, Security's here to escort you to the ring," Jolene noted. "Try not to get completely destroyed out there."
"No worries! They're only Goombas! They'll probably fear me more than I fear them!" Chopper assured as he and Vivian followed the Security Guard out of the room to the ring.
Meanwhile, at the pit, five Goombas were at the right side of the square ring, while Grubba was in the middle.
"Squarin' off next, folks...are the Hoppin' Hardheads...the GOOMBA BROS.!" Grubba called out. "Aaaaaand... A newcomer with a hankerin' for punchin' and eatin', the Greeeeeat CONTARDRE! The Goomba Bros. have been waitin' an' gettin' all het up for the fight! Let's check in!"
The crowd began to cheer as Grubba walked over to the Goombas. "How do, Goomba Bros.! How're y'all feelin' today? You ready for this fight?"
"Ha! Are you kidding, man? We're ALWAYS ready to bonk a fool or two with our heads!" the Goomba leader scoffed. "Who is this Contadre rookie? A cocky idiot, that's who! Waiting just makes us mad! We're gonna teach this tardy punk how to respect fighters with seniority! I think you oughta call an ambulance for him now, just to save time later!"
Grubba heard the door to the left open and saw Chopper come out along with Vivian. They began to walk over to the ring.
"Hot-diggety-DANG, fight fans! There's the Great Contadre now, stridin' on up!" Grubba cried as Chopper and Vivian got onto the ring. "I tell you, this little boy's got some guts, stollin' up late like he owns the place! Hoo!"
"Wow... Look at all of these people here." Vivian gaped. "I've never been in a place like this before..."
"Same here," Chopper agreed.
"OK, now, Contadre, listen up," Grubba began as he walked over to Chopper. "Lemme just explain the rules of the match real quick..."
"Have a bonk, you little punk!" the Goomba leader cried as it bonked Chopper in the head and took 1 HP out of him.
"Hey! That's not fair! You can't attack before the bell rings! You cheaters!" Vivian shouted as she clenched her fists and surrounded them in flames.
"Aw, quit crying, will ya? That was just a little welcome gift for the rookie! Where's out thank-you?"
Chopper glared at them, but since he had to appeal once, he simply waved to the crowd with a cute-looking smile. Several squeals were heard as a result.
"Who'd think that this rookie would have a babe with him?" one Goomba remarked, getting a look at Vivian. "We'll let you off the hook if you ditch this freak, OK?"
"I'd never ditch Chopper. Not after what he did for me." Vivian declared as she raised a finger and struck the Goombas with her Fiery Jinx, defeating them easily. As a result, they got 5 Star Points.
"Uuuuuuuuuurgh..."
"The Great Contadre wins! Tell me, son, what was this first taste of victory like?" Grubba asked as he brought the mic over to him.
"Uh… I didn't even get to do anything." Chopper blinked. "I just waved to the crowd and then Vivian defeated them. But it was easu."
"I'll tell you what I just saw folks: a whuppin'! This kid's got skills! We got ourselves a new hero! Let's hear it for him, folks! Yeah! The Great Contadre!"
The crowd began to cheer for Chopper and Vivian, who both smiled. Once that was over, they both headed back to the minor-league locker room, where Grubba and Jolene were there to congratulate them.
"Well, Contadre, that fight wasn't a total loss..." Grubba trailed.
"Of course it wasn't! They were EASY!" Chopper scoffed.
"Yeah, I do agree..." Vivian trailed.
"Yeah, but I think there was somethin' missin' out there... Listen, son, fighters gotta play to the crowd! You know, pump 'em up more! I'm hopin' you'll gimme more razzle-dazzle next time, huh? We understand each other? Good. I'll be on my way, then, Ms. Jolene here'll give you yer fight money. See ya!"
Grubba waved goodbye as Chopper made his way out of the minor-league locker room.
"Here's your fight money, Mr. Contadre," Jolene said as she gave Chopper 3 coins, whose rank rose to 19. "The next fight will not be set up until you select 'Reserve Match' on the terminal. You can also check your current ranking on the terminal's screen. Feel free to do whatever you like until your next fight. You have a nice day, Mr. Contadre."
Jolene adjusted her glasses and left the room, leaving Chopper and Vivian to sigh in relief.
"I don't know why, but she does seem a bit serious with her job..." Chopper trailed.
"Well, I think something's..."
"Yo, Rook! How was your first fight, dog?" the Koopa with the golden shell asked, cutting Vivian's sentence as he walked over to Chopper. "So you're the new fighter, huh? What do they call you?"
"Well, Grubba said I'm 'The Great Contadre,'" Chopper shrugged. "I know, it's a weird name if you ask me."
"Are you kidding? I think it's better than mine! The name's King K. here, man. I'm just a bush-league scrub like you. Good meetin' you, man. You look like a stand-up dude. I think I can hang with you."
"Oh... Cool!" Chopper smiled. Perhaps these people weren't all that bad?
"Hey, so, why don't you meet the gang, huh? This Bob-omb guy here's Master Crash." King K. noted as he pointed to the Bob-omb.
"Nice to meet you BOMB!" Master Crash greeted. "Well. Now that we've gotten to know each other, I will give you advice BOMB! As Ms. Jolene was saying, you'd better BOMB obey Mr. Grubba's conditions. If you clear the conditions and win, you get to fight higher-ranked foes BOMB! If you can't clear them, you BOMB end up battling a lower-ranked fighter BOMB! You can't climb the BOMB ranks fighting the bottom of the barrel BOMB-BOMB!"
"Yeah. My man's got, you know, some speech issues, but he's got good advice sometimes."
"Not just sometimes BOMB! My advice is ALWAYS useful BOMB-BOMB!"
"Riiiight, man, whatever. Anyway, this lean machine over here is Bandy Andy." King K. pointed to the green Bandit, who had been smirking the whole time.
"Heh. Nice to meet you." Bandy Andy greeted with a smirk. "I'm not usually in here too often, but if you see me around, say hi. ...Oh yeah. If you sleep in the bed over there, your HP and FP will fully recover. It's not like the cushy bed in the champ's room, though: it doesn't refill Star Power."
"OK, cool, and this last guy with the sweet purple kicks is known as Cleftor," King K. introduced as he pointed at the green rocky being called an Hyper Bald Cleft.
"Grack! Cleftor no like make friend with pale green kid with antennae." Cleftor grunted as Chopper jumped up a bit.
"Easy there, Cleft-dog! Dude ain't the friendliest guy, but you get used to him. Anyway, that's the core minor-league crew, man! You need something, ask us. Oh yeah... I almost forgot. You and me gotta eventually square off, so good luck, man."
Chopper decided to sleep on the bed to refill his stats, but not his Star Power. The bed was pretty uncomfortable, but he was able to handle it. After the rest, he walked over to the screen to reserve a match.
"Well, boy howdy, Contadre!" Grubba greeted. "Fixin' for a fight, huh? Well alrighty then! Lemme just see here... Yer next will be... Ranked 18 in the Glitz Pit… The KP Koopas! Now listen, son: in this battle, I want you to avoid usin' any of them special moves! I think the crowd's cravin' a nice, long battle at its simplest and finest! Now get in there an' don't go a-grandstandin'!"
"KP Koopas?" Chopper gawked. "Does that mean..."
"Hey, dog… Looks like your next match is against me." King K. noted. "Good luck, man…to both of us."
"Oh… That's interesting… We're going against you." Chopper realized as the door opened right by him, which made him step back as the Security Guard came in.
"Contadre! Match time! Follow me, bub." Chopper and Vivian followed the Security Guard to the Glitz Pit, while another guard escorted King K. and his other two buddies to the ring. One of them happened to be a Paratroopa as well.
"Fer our next battle, we got the Red Headbanded Fighter, the GREAT CONTADRE and... The Shell Machines of Doom…" Grubba introduced. "Yep, a fight to the finish with the KP Koopas!"
"You're about to have a really terrible experience!" Vivian declared, clenching her fists.
"Meet my peeps, Contadre!" King K. grinned. "I told you we were gonna square off, and now it's ON!"
"Get yerselves ready to… BAAAAAATLLE!" the gong rang, and the fight began with Chopper using a take down move on the Paratroopa, knocking him down and dealing 2 damage.
Vivian finished off the Paratroopa that was knocked down with her Shade Fist, which dealt 4 damage and defeated him, knocking him over on the ground in defeat.
"All right, here it goes!" King K. got in his shell and tossed himself toward Chopper. But with a Superguard, Chopper tossed him back away, damaging him along with it. He even Superguarded his friend, too!
"Vivian, you finish off the second Koopa, and then I'll knock down King K.!" Chopper declared. Vivian nodded and sunk into the shadows and appeared right in front of the Koopa, punching him and sending him back with the Paratroopa.
"OK! Good!" Chopper stomped on King K's. head, who was knocked down. To finish it off, Chopper used a Vulcan Jab, knocking him back toward the others and rewarding him with 6 Star Points. He even leveled up and upgraded his BP to 9 now.
"We've got ourselves a winner! THE GRRRRRREAT CONTADRE!" Grubba cried.
"Looks like we overdid it a little bit…" Vivian trailed, looking down at the dazed Koopas. "Do you think they're OK?"
"I'm sure they are. Don't you worry." Chopper assured. At that moment, they left the ring to head back to the locker room. Jolene gave Chopper 4 coins instead of 3, and now his rank rose up to 18.
"Now, if you'll excuse me… I must be going." Jolene adjusted her glasses and left the room, while King K. walked over to Chopper to congratulate him.
"Hey, way to hand out a beatdown out there, man," King K. huffed. "You beat me, straight up. Could swing the other way next time, though, you know what I'm saying?"
"Yeah, I understand," Chopper nodded as he walked over to the screen to reserve another match.
"Again?" Vivian questioned.
"Yea, why not?"
"Well, boy howdy, Contadre! Fixin' for a fight, huh? Well alrighty then! Lemme just see here... Yer next will be... Ranked 17 in the Glitz Pit… The Pokey Triplets! Now listen, son: in this battle, I want you to avoid usin' any of them special moves again! I think the crowd's cravin' fer some nicer, long battles at its simplest and finest! Now get in there an' don't go a-grandstandin'!"
Chopper waited for a little bit and a Security Guard came to take him and Vivian to the ring, where they saw three Pokeys waiting for them.
"Fer our next battle, we got the Red Headbanded Fighter, the GREAT CONTADRE and... The Spiked Terror Triplets…" Grubba introduced. "Yep, a fight to the finish with the Pokey Triplets!"
"We can do this, Chopper! They don't look so tough." Vivian assured.
"Go ahead… Touch usssssss… It won't hurrrrrrrrrrrrt…to muchhhhh…" the Pokey leader grinned.
"Get yerselves ready to… BAAAAAATLLE!" Grubba shouted, which made the gong ring, starting the battle. Chopper was able to use his Vulcan Jab on them, since his quick punches wouldn't make him get hurt. Unfortunately, Vivian had to defeat them with her Fiery Jinx, because her Shade Fist would make her get hurt. At least they got 6 Star Points!
"We've got ourselves a winner! THE GRRRRRREAT CONTADRE!" Chopper jumped up, cheering, and Vivian was happy too.
"Man... That was way too easy!" Chopper declared.
"Well, let's not get our hopes up too high..." Vivian trailed. "This is the earlier fights. They're probably going to get harder later on..."
"Oh... You do have a point..."