A/N: So here's the next update. I've also decided that instead of uploading every few days, I'm gonna try to update weekly, specifically every Monday, since I have schoolwork and tests to study for over the next couple of weeks. That way, I can spend the rest of the week to keep writing more chapters. If I miss my deadline, expect an update the following day or so. If not, it's because I'm busy with college and I'll have to upload the week after that (lame excuse, but that's the way it goes). Thanks for being patient, and I hope you understand!
Second note: Thanks for 900+ views on this story! It's been almost two months since I started writing this fanfiction and I'm glad it's earning some recognition. The only thing I would like is more reviews though. So please leave feedback after reading the chapter so I can either re-edit any mistakes, or get your opinions on what you think of the story so far. :)
Disclaimer: Still don't own anything but the plot.
Chapter 10: Invading and Kidnapping
As the brave heroes were outside fighting against Bowser and his troops, the rest of the gang were running through the halls of the castle. Peach guided the gang as the Chaotix were running in front of her. Just in case they encountered danger, the three would be there as bodyguards.
"The West Wing is large to find a hiding spot. It's also where my bedroom is. But if someone comes through my window, then we could be in trouble," the princess in pink explained.
"How about the attic?" Daisy suggested, running beside her friend. "I'm sure those jerks won't reach the top that easily. And the windows should be secure."
"If it's safe, then we'll head there. We don't want you guys to be caught knowing how dangerous Bowser is," said Vector.
"Which way is it?' Espio asked for confirmation.
"Down this hallway, and to the left," Peach replied.
Rouge and Blaze were supervising from behind as Cream, Orbot, and Cubot sprinted ahead. In front of them were Toad, Toadette, and Toadsworth. At one point, the red-dotted and the pink-pigtailed guardians had to help support the brown-dotted elder who gasped of exhaustion.
"Eh, don't mind me. I used to… be a good runner… back in the day. I'm too old for this… repetitive danger," Toadsworth huffed.
"Well we're here for you. We're not gonna leave you behind! You're too fragile to be hurt and we have to keep you safe with the princesses," Toadette assured him.
"How much further until we get to the attic?" Blaze called from behind.
"Almost there! It's to the left up ahead!" Daisy pointed down the hall, signaling where they needed to run.
"I can't believe this party went from 100 to 0 all because of that ugly beast and his annoying pests he calls his children," Rouge complained.
Hearing the bat's comment made Charmy whiny. "And I was just about to devour that cake! It looked so delicious. And now it's just sitting there, waiting to be eaten!"
"Now's not the time to be thinking of that, Charmy!" Vector argued. "We have to get everyone to hide before something bad happens."
"I just hope Mr. Mario and Mr. Sonic can take care of the fight by themselves," prayed Cream. "Did you see all of those airships?"
"Chao, Chao!" Cheese replied with worry.
Blaze assured her friend. "I've seen Sonic take care of Eggman and other dangers before, so he and the others should be fine."
"And Mario was always there to help me. Luigi and Yoshi, too. I believe in them. I always do," Peach boldly pointed out.
"As much as I have confidence in Luigi, I can't help but worry for him. What if he gets hurt? I don't want his birthday to end on a horrible note." Daisy knew that Luigi isn't the strongest or the bravest of the bunch. But his kind personality and smile was the reason the flower princess admired him. His charm warmed her heart whenever she was with the man in green. Yet, Daisy had her doubts as she was scared that her significant other could get injured or even worse.
Espio broke up her silent thoughts. "Well isn't already on a horrible note? I mean, it's not Eggman, but Bowser is just as bad. The party's been disrupted and the guys are fighting down there. But can the rest of the day get any worse?"
He finished his inquiry as soon as the gang rounded the corner. But at the same time, they all heard a response to the chameleon's thought. "I believe I can answer that."
Vector put a stop to his feet. Unfortunately, that caused a collision as Espio ran into him, followed by Peach, Daisy, Cream, Cheese, the trio of Toads, the robots, Blaze, and finally Rouge. The group fell into a jumbled cluster as Charmy just stopped in midair. Thankfully for the bee, he wasn't toppled from the pileup.
They all looked up in surprise. But it was Orbot and Cubot who reacted to the individual in front of them, standing with an evil grin on his face.
"OH NO! It's him!" they screamed simultaneously.
Previously, Silver, Shadow, Yoshi, Amy, Knuckles, Tails, and Sonic all took down the seven Koopalings from their airships. After that, they chased down the remaining members of the Koopa Troop whom invaded Toad Town. Most of them were defeated while the minority retreated back to Bowser's base, including the seven Koopa kids. Now, the heroes were settling on the bridge in front of Peach's Castle as they anxiously waited for their friends, Mario and Luigi, to defeat Bowser and his son.
"I sure hope they don't get too roughed up there," Silver pondered.
"Don't worry, Silver! I've seen these two have some stellar moves back in the Smash Tournaments! Mario's improved on his grabbing and punching skills, and Luigi pulls off a mean Green Missile. If he's lucky, he could win this fight by doing absolutely nothing!" (1)
"But he's nowhere as competent like you, nor like me. I am the Ultimate Life Form, and I can easily beat his ass any day of the week." Shadow bragged as Tails shook his head.
"Okay, Mr. Egotist. You don't need to act like a showoff if you're already one."
The black hedgehog glanced at the fox for his remark. "He must be acting like this to me since the phone call this morning," he thought.
"Yeah, you know why I said that," he further commented.
"Is this kid psychic or something?"
Yoshi, Knuckles, and Amy didn't bother to pay attention to the other guys as their eyes were glued to the scene on Bowser's airship. They barely caught a glance of some ugly figures from above, both of them showing off red and green. Oh, and then there's the Mario Bros., of course. (2)
"Come on, guys. I know you can do it." pleaded the green dinosaur. His stomach growled afterwards. "Aw man, I'm hungry. I wish I had some of that birthday cake."
"It amazes me how hungry you can be all the time and you still look like strong and healthy," Knuckles said as he turned to him.
Amy patted his large nose for assurance. "Don't worry, Yoshi. I'm sure the two of them can take those guys down easily. Right, Sonic?"
"Definitely!" the blue hedgehog replied with a large smile and a thumbs-up pose. "With the two of them together, they're unstoppable. Just like me and Tails!" he finished as he put his arm over his friend's shoulder and pulled him in.
"Heh, yeah! I, too, am confident that they'll be fine."
Luigi and Mario both stood in their Fire Flower clothing as they prepared fireballs in their grasps. Bowser took a fighting stance as he evilly glared at the guys who stopped him countless times in the past, but he wasn't going to stop after every defeat he suffered from. Jr. was still inside his Clown Car floating above the three of them, but (obviously) he was on his dad's side.
Luigi looked at Bowser Jr with anger. The young Koopa shot a gaze back at him.
Mario glared at Bowser. The Koopa King returned the glance.
It was as if they were waiting for a gong to be struck to begin the fight. Ironically, there was a Hammer Bro standing next to one on the side of the ship while clutching his trusty steel mallet. Using said tool, he crossed his arm in front of his body and whipped it back to vibrate the metal disk.
*BONG*
Mario made the first move and ran up to Bowser. With the red flame in his hand, he chucked the fiery object to the antagonist. Bowser leaped to the side and counterattacked with his flame. The brothers dodged his attack and split themselves up. Luigi pursued Jr. while Mario focused on Bowser.
Luigi took off for the little tyke who flew towards the bow of the ship. With a green fireball prepared in the palm of his right hand, he went on a spamming spree, tossing flames left and right, up and down, in all directions towards the Koopa Clown Car. Jr. navigated the flying contraption evading most of the attacks while he ended up getting hit by two of them.
"OWWW!" Jr. flinched from one of the fireballs. He shook his hand from the burnt impact. "If you think your fire is superior, I dare you to have a taste of my own." With that statement, he breathed in deeply and spewed out three separate fireballs. Luckily for Luigi, they all spread apart and hovered slowly in the air, making it easy for the man in green to dodge them.
"You're killing me, smalls. (3) Is this all you're gonna do to fight me?" he taunted sarcastically.
"This is just the beginning, Greenie! You're gonna get what you deserve!" Jr. responded irreverently.
"It's like almost everyone doesn't know my name. Then again, should I be surprised?" he pondered.
While Fire Luigi was in his thoughts for a second, Jr. answered back with the Bob-ombs that were in his helicopter cart.
"Have a taste of fiery explosions!" he yelled as he threw the detonating object.
Being the skilled jumper he was, Luigi hopped over the bomb and missed the explosion range. He continued to dodge whenever Jr. threw more from above. Yet one by one, the excelled jumper evaded every Bob-omb to the point where the Koopa kid ran out.
"Dang it! Why won't you get hurt?"
"Either I'm good at dodging or you have horrible aim. And we all know the first side isn't entirely true, I must admit, so you must be a terrible thrower!"
"Grrr! That's the last straw! I'm coming for ya!" Jr. cried with fury.
Next thing Luigi knew was that Jr. propelled with a nosedive and headed straight towards him. Unfortunately, the Koopa Clown Car was wide open without its glass dome making Jr. vulnerable. Due to this, the plumber crouched down and timed his leap. With a large hop, Luigi crushed his right boot onto his enemy's noggin and spread his arms as he made contact. He followed his attack with an acrobatic front flip and landed flawlessly on the wooden floorboards.
Jr., on the other end of the stick, suffered from the blow and fell out of his flying vehicle.
"Man, all those fights with my dreamy self helped me with timed jumps!" Luigi exclaimed. (4)
"Ehh, screw the Clown Car. I'll take you on myself!" Jr. charged towards the green man as they began a more physical fight, dodging punches, and spewing fire at each other.
Meanwhile, Mario and Bowser were going through the same battle scene they usually had: throwing fists of fury, emitting fire, and jumping at each other to try to pounce their opponent. After ten gruesome minutes, neither of them had the upper hand. They stood on the airship as the two glared at one another, panting from exhaustion after the duration of their brawl.
Since the very first adventure when the Koopa King transformed the Mushroom Kingdom's residents into rocks, bricks, and horsetail plants and held Princess Toadstool captive in his fortress, Mario had been the primary protagonist to save the kingdom and help rescue the pink-dressed ruler so she could reverse Bowser's spell. (5) Since the fall of the Koopa King, the two have been archenemies for who knows how long. However, some of Mario's quests would force him to work together with the evil beast, much to their disdain. (6) Regardless, they loathed each other with a passion.
After catching most of his breath, Bowser muttered to his foe. "So Mario, are you ready for part two where I get to finally destroy you?"
Mario shook his head, trying to maintain his stamina. "I'm only ready to grab that tail of yours and toss you out of here," he pointed. (7)
"I got my eyes on you, plumber boy. And when your ass gets kicked, I'm gonna roast your animal buddies and kidnap Peach so she'll be with me forever."
"Leave the princess and my friends out of this. Besides, she wasn't yours to begin with."
"This is for a different reason. But I would say the same to you."
"You're a selfish prick, you know that?"
"And you're nothing but a damn annoyance, like a thorn splinter stuck in my knee."
"More like getting a boot up your fat ass."
"Hey, I'm not fat! I got a large shell. And that's coming from the guy with a stomach bulge!"
"Well at least I exercise daily by running!"
"And I always train myself and my kids by lifting weights and fighting them. Try to 1-Up that!"
"Maybe you better shut your trap before I go full nelson on ya!"
Luigi was standing on the stern on the ship as he dodged another fireball from Jr. He took a glance at the two before getting frustrated. "I suggest you both shut up and start fighting! Mario, why the hell are you still standing there throwing insults when you should be taking him down?" he yelled as he spammed another green fireball at Jr.
"I will, Luigi! Just let me- AAAAHHHH!" Unfortunately, Mario couldn't finish his sentence. When he responded to his brother, Bowser took advantage of the opportunity and clawed through his overalls, leaving a major gash in his chest. With the pain stinging in his body and blood seeping through his clothing, Mario hissed in pain as he covered the injury with his gloved hand. "Ow! Damn it!" The injury wasn't undetected as Luigi glimpsed at his older sibling in trouble.
Then, neither Mario nor Luigi didn't see what was coming next. As soon as he looked up, still covering his slashed stomach, the red plumber's eyes widened as a large, yellow fist came flying towards him.
"URRGH!" Bowser punched Mario so hard that he flew backwards to the edge of the ship! His Fire Flower powers immediately disintegrated as his clothes returned to their normal colors. However, Mario barely managed to grasp the side of the ship, yet he was holding on for dear life. "Whoa!"
"MARIO!" Luigi cried. He dodged another fireball from Jr., but he couldn't keep his eyes off his brother as he started to get anxious.
From the castle bridge, Yoshi became aware of his friend's condition. "Guys, look! Mario's about to fall!" he yelled as he pointed up. The other guys looked to where Yoshi indicated and noticed that Mario was in trouble as he dangled from the flying ship.
"Oh no! We gotta help him fast!" Sonic panicked.
"But what can we do?" Amy wondered. "We already took down the other Koopas and destroyed their airships, so we can't use them to reach up there. Bowser is way too high!"
"Maybe I can fly up to Mario and help him escape," offered Tails.
"But what if you get caught in one of his attacks? You know how dangerous Bowser is. He's as corrupted as Eggman," Knuckles interjected.
"And we don't want to risk you getting hurt, Tails," advised Silver.
"I don't think I have a choice, guys. Mario's in danger and if you guys can't reach the airship, then I have to try."
"If that's what he wants, then let him do it," Shadow mumbled as he continued to watch Mario struggle. "Frankly, he does need help."
"Since when did you care about Mario, Shads?" Sonic chuckled as he elbowed the black-furred hedgehog.
"Hey, watch it!"
"I'm just saying, Shads. You never seem to feel, or even act sympathetic towards others," he added with a smirk.
"Would you stop calling me that, faker?! How would you like it if I kept saying that to you?"
"Ehh, it's better than being frequently called a rat by Egghead," Sonic said as he shrugged his shoulders.
Shadow muttered under his breath. "Whatever, asshat rat…"
The blue hedgehog raised an eyebrow. "You wanna say that again?"
"I said, whatever, ass-"
"YOU WANNA FREAKIN' GO?!" Sonic let out with an ear-splitting voice.
"Guys, enough! Do I need to pull my hammer out for you two to stop bickering?" threatened Amy.
"Amy, calm down!" Knuckles tried to interfere to hold Amy back, but ended up putting the pink creature on edge. In turn, she slapped her hand upward. However, Knuckles ducked with his quick reflexes and Silver ended get whacked in the nose.
"Owww! What the hell, Amy?" he remarked.
"Don't blame me! Knuckles got out of the way!"
"What does that have to with this?" grumbled the red echidna. The five of them continued their quarreling much to the dismay of the other two, Yoshi and Tails, who were actually focusing on the main problem.
The friendly dinosaur rolled his eyes as he watched his Mobian friends argue. He looked over at the two-tailed fox who had the same expression on his face. "You sure you can handle, Tails?" he asked with worriment.
"Believe me, I'm a little nervous. But don't worry, Yoshi. I'll try to get him out of there as fast as possible." With that, Tails spun his appendages and hovered up to the airship.
Yoshi looked back at the gang who were still in their predicament. He shook his head with discontent. Like Luigi, Yoshi abhorred fighting, especially when it's between his friends.
Tails flew towards the floating ship, but kept his height at a low level so he didn't get spotted by Bowser or his son. He barely saw Luigi, still in his Fire Flower outfit, throwing more green flames at Jr. while the little brat sped up charging towards his friend. But for now, his main concern was helping Mario in case he accidentally slips off. But as he approached the plumber, he heard a loud roar coming from the Koopa King.
Tails gasped. "Oh no! I gotta hurry!" The yellow kitsune spun his tails faster and managed to be within two feet of him. "Mario!" The red plumber looked to his right to see Tails flying toward him. "I'm gonna get you down safely."
"Oh, Tails! Thank goodness you're here!"
Tails extended his arms out to Mario's available arm. But suddenly, Tails yelled in pain when his right hand got burnt. "AAAAHHH!" he wailed.
Mario's eyes widened when he saw his friend got hurt. It got even worse when he saw the fox get caught in the hands of his enemy. He looked up angrily to see Bowser grasping Tails in his large fist as he dangled from the starboard edge. He grimaced when the villain snorted from his nostrils.
"Let him go, Bowser!" he demanded.
"No way. This little freak of yours tried to help you escape before I had a chance to get rid of you! If he doesn't want to suffer more third-degree burns, he better not interfere with me!" Tails started to cry when he heard the speech from the malevolent Koopa. "Now get off before I have to make you let go."
Mario was hoping for a miracle to help him in this dire situation. Tails was stuck in the king's grip as he struggled to stop the tears from flowing. Luigi was still occupied fighting Jr. and was praying he could stop Bowser soon. He was helpless as he clutched the bleeding chest while still hanging onto the airship with his left hand. At this point, it seemed like Mario and his friends was doomed and could only hope the rest of his friends, and his special one, to remain safe.
The Koopa King was impatient to the point where he was going to desperate measures to dispose Mario. Then, out of nowhere, a disturbing force interfered with Bowser's plan.
"Hrrgh? What the? What's happening?" Bowser felt a strange aura around his body before he received an electric shock to his body. "AAARRRRRGGGH!" he bellowed which caused him to let go of Tails. Bowser went down on his knees and claws as the electric jolt ran through his nervous system.
After landing on the deck, Tails ran over to Mario and helped him climb back up. He caught a glimpse of Mario's bleeding chest.
"Are you okay, Mario?" he asked hesitantly.
Mario felt like he was on the verge of fainting from his blood loss. However, he managed to express his gratitude to the fox. "Yeah, I am. Thanks for helping me, Tails. I didn't think I would stay hanging for any longer."
"No problem. But what just happened to Bowser? It seemed odd that he released me. Now he's on the ground," he mentioned as the two looked at the detained Koopa King.
"I don't know. I was wondering if you did since you're the smart one."
"I wish I had a clue."
As the two stood there with confusion, they heard Luigi, who was back in his regular green hat and shirt and blue overalls, running towards them. He managed to knock Bowser's son off the airship during the course of events.
"Guys! I finally got rid of Jr. and…" He paused when he noticed Bowser struggling on the floor. "Uh, what happened here?"
"That's the same question we thought," answered Mario.
"When you were busy fighting, I was caught his clutch until he groaned in pain and let me go," informed Tails. "Then I helped Mario up and now here you are."
Luigi was close enough to see the injury his older bro sustained. "Oh my god! Mario, are you okay?"
"Don't worry, Luigi. I'll be fine."
"We better get you to Dr. Toadley fast." He stopped for a few seconds and let his head down. "This is all my fault."
Tails was confused by Luigi's comment. "What do you mean it's your fault?"
"I distracted Mario which caused Bowser to lash him. If I didn't catch him off guard, he wouldn't have this injury."
"Luigi, don't blame yourself. I'm gonna be okay. Although, I do feel somewhat faint." Even though Mario tried to assure his little sibling, Luigi had guilt running through his veins. He continued to condemn himself on the inside, but tried to conceal his thoughts from the other two.
Then, all of a sudden, the three heard some familiar voices. Familiar female voices.
"Mario!"
"Luigi! Help us!"
The brothers knew those sounds from anywhere. They came from none other than the princesses. They looked around to find the source.
"That sounded like Peach and Daisy!" exclaimed the yellow fox.
"Yeah, but where are they? Aren't they hiding in the castle?" the green-clad man wondered.
"They should be," Mario wheezed, trying to breathe normally.
Unexpectedly, the propellers on the tall masts got hit with an electric bolt and stopped spinning. The airship started to rumble causing the three heroes to lose their footing.
"G-g-guys! What's going o-o-on?!" shouted Tails.
"I-I-I don't know!" stammered Mario. Then the ship started to plunge towards the ground at a fast pace.
"We're descending! We're gonna crash!" Luigi called out.
"Hold on to the walls or something!"
"Never mind that, Mario! Guys, hang on tight!" Tails extended his arms for each brother to hold. Mario took his left hand while Luigi hesitantly clutched his right.
"You sure you can carry us out of here?" queried Luigi.
"No time for questions! We gotta jet!" The kitsune held on to the Mario Bros. tightly as he spun his tails and ascended from the surface of the falling aircraft. He carried with all his might and approached the bridge where their friends were. As for the airship, it crashed into the grass and left a large explosion that stunned the guys who stood in front of the castle. They were all shocked at the result.
"Well, I wasn't expecting that," proclaimed Knuckles.
"Tails! Mario! Luigi!" Sonic yelled. "Thank goodness you're safe."
Tails hovered slowly as the trio approached the ground, making sure the brothers have a soft landing. When it was safe, Luigi and Mario let go of his hands and fell onto the bridge securely. Then, the guys noticed Mario's recent injury.
"Oh no! What happened?!" Yoshi hollered when he saw his buddy hurt.
"Bowser got a piece of me during our fight," Mario replied. "But don't worry. I'll be okay."
"I sure hope so," worried Amy. "You look terrible!" Luigi grimaced at her response, still feeling bad about the incident.
"What happened to the ugly guy anyway? And that little twerp of his?" Silver asked.
"Well that's the weird part. When I tried to rescue Mario, Bowser burned me and-"
Sonic interrupted Tails' speech. "Whoa, whoa, whoa! He burned you?! Are you okay?" he asked as his overprotectiveness got to him.
"Sonic, I'm fine! Let me finish though." Sonic nodded and let his friend continue. "As I was saying, he did burn my hand when I reached out to Mario. Then, he grabbed me and tried to push him off the ship. But before he could do that, he released me from his clutch for some weird reason. I helped Mario and Luigi took care of Jr. But then, the ship came crashing down as you saw before." He concluded his story by pointing to the remains of Bowser's dirigible.
"So where is that bastard now?" Shadow asked.
"Wait a minute," Luigi wondered and turned to Tails and Mario. "Wasn't he still on the ship? Did that mean he fell off from the crash? Or is he still there?" The two looked at each other as they didn't know how to answer his questions.
Then, Yoshi noticed something strange and caught everyone's attention. "Guys! Look up there!" As everyone looked in the direction he pointed, all of their eyes widened. Up above them was Bowser and his son, both unconscious, levitating in the air and trapped in a purple barricade.
"Okay! What the heck is going on here?" asked Silver, bewildered at the sight.
"I thought you guys took care of them," Amy spoke.
"We did, but we have nothing to do with this!" Luigi told the others.
"I'm terribly confused by all this," Sonic added.
It got even worse when the Mario, Luigi, and Tails heard the same voices from before. The rest of the group also heard the cries.
"Mario! Luigi! Help us!"
Everyone looked up and were instantly shocked. Hovering above them was Princess Peach, standing inside a separate purple barrier. Along with the Mushroom princess were Daisy, Cream, Cheese, Blaze, Rouge, the Toads, the robots, and the Chaotix. Their prison drifted next to Bowser's.
"Peach!" Mario yelled.
"Daisy!" Luigi shouted.
"Blaze!" Silver called.
"Rouge!" Knuckles added.
"Cream!" Tails howled.
"And there's everyone else! What's going on?" Yoshi thought.
Later, out of nowhere, a figure appeared from the top of the castle and floated towards the captured victims. The heroes glanced at the figure and noticed him. He had a purple face, a large black cloak, and a magical staff in his hand.
Shadow widened his eyes when he saw the two Chaos Emeralds in his scepter. Immediately, he blurted out. "It's you!"
END OF CHAPTER
The battle between the Mario Bros. vs. Bowser and Jr. ended with an awkward note. But now, the heroes have encountered the dark figure for the first time (with the exception of Shadow) and he kidnapped their friends! Can Mario, Luigi, and the others save them? And what will become of Bowser and his son now that they're caught? Stay tuned for the next chapter!
***Even without author's notes, this is the longest chapter I've written (so far)! With author's notes, it's over 5000 words!
Please review, PM if you want, follow/favorite the story if you haven't already, and I'll see you guys later!
Post-Chapter Notes:
(1): You should know about this meme: 'Luigi Wins by Doing Absolutely Nothing.' KlydeStorm uploaded a video on YouTube of Luigi playing minigames in Mario Party 2 by literally doing nothing (hence the title). This trend continued in other Mario Party games, and even in Smash Bros.
(2): I decided to use a joke where I was referring to the Mario Bros. when it's supposed to be was towards Jr. and Bowser.
(3): A famous quote from 'The Sandlot', one of my favorite childhood movies!
(4): (SPOILERS!) I was referring to the Giant Dreamy Luigi fights in Mario & Luigi: Dream Team, for the 3DS. There were instances where Dreamy Luigi had to jump and dodge attacks from his enemies.
(5): This goes back to old days of Super Mario Bros. for the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES). This described the story of the game.
(6): Two games that Mario and Bowser reluctantly joined forces were in Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars for the SNES, and Super Paper Mario for the Wii. I would recommend both games if you haven't played either one or both! Try SM: RPG if you enjoy a genuine action-command fighting game like the first two games in the Paper Mario series. Try SPM for its hilarious dialogue and the deep, intriguing story it offers. Either or, they're some of my favorite Mario games!
(7): Super Mario 64 throwback! This is the strategy to defeating Bowser for all three of his fights in this game.