Alright, readers. After having taken a bit of a break from writing, I have finally decided to create this new story that I came up with for this series!
Now, here are a few things that I'll bring up with you all before the story can start. First of all, this is an idea that I haven't done in a long time; an adaptation of The Thousand-Year Door; something I haven't done in at least a decade. Those two stories aren't bad, but they are dated, written in script format, and they were written when I was 19 years old. I was still a young rookie at the time.
The biggest difference with this one is that in addition to being in the regular story format that I've been doing for a few years now, it'll also involve an OC that I created to play the main role for the story instead of Mario. I've seen several stories try doing this before, but none of them went entirely through with the writing, or are unfinished. So I want to do something like that, only in my way.
Also, the OC I've created for this will have more depth and personality and will go through serious character development as the story progresses. Don't get me wrong. Mario is a great character and all. But he's something of a simple generic static character, as he mainly just goes on a journey to save the princess and nothing else, with everything he went through here not being brought up again in future games. His partners in this game have more depth than he does and have some development, in which for this story, they will get similar character development along with my OC.
Another thing that I'd like to bring up here, most of the dialogue for this story will be the same as the script for the game itself. But several pieces of dialogue will be changed and altered to fit my OC since he's going to be different from Mario. And that means he's gonna have a different personality, and everything else.
Lastly, throughout this story, there will be some extra parts added to the story without breaking the flow of the story that was used for the game. This is being done to keep things interesting and to have you become captivated by my OC and the adventure that he goes through here.
Well, that's enough for my author's note here. I'll have more to say at the end of the chapter. But for now, enjoy the new story that I have planned, everyone!
DISCLAIMER: I own none of the characters in Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door. They all belong to Nintendo and Intelligent Systems. The only character that I own here is the OC I created specifically for this story.
IN THE MUSHROOM KINGDOM:
It was a beautiful day in the Mushroom Kingdom. The sun was shining, the birds were singing, and the citizens who resided there were going about with their business, and taking advantage of the clear sunny day.
Even though the Mushroom Kingdom princess was away from her castle as she was on a vacation trip by boat, there was 'absolutely' no talk of any suspicious activity by the likes of Bowser.
Not to mention that Princess Peach was accompanied by her steward; Toadsworth, so he would try to make sure things would be in check, regarding the princess. So the residents were completely at ease, as they spent their time enjoying themselves, as usual.
In particular, we are focused on a specific house that was surrounded by a wooded area, as well as having a white picket fence. The front of the house was identified as being yellow, had a red roof on top, and the front door was green and brown, with a lamp hanging right above it. The back side of the house was light blue with a green roof on top.
There were several long green pipes on the left side of the house next to the lone tree that was there. Finally, there was a sign right above the front door that said 'MARIO'. That's right. This happens to be the home of the famous Mario Brothers.
Currently, they weren't up to anything important. Seeing that it was a fairly quiet morning outside, they decided to make the most of it. The tranquility of their morning was about to come to a halt when someone flew down towards the Mario Bros.' house.
This someone happened to be Parakarry. He was a Paratroopa; a Koopa with wings, who was wearing brown shoes, had a cyan colored shell, and was dressed as a mailman; with the messenger bag around his left shoulder and the pilot hat on his head.
He flew down right in front of their blue-and-white mailbox, as he had a letter that needed to be dropped off there. Opening his messenger bag, Parakarry took out a pink-colored envelope, that was sent to Mario by Peach.
Just looking at it gave the Paratroopa a brief deja vu; recalling what happened the last time Mario got a letter from Peach and the adventure that he went on with Mario and seven other people that joined them.
Deciding to put that memory in the back of his head, he dropped the letter into the mailbox and turned to face the house.
"Mail call!" He yelled out loud enough for the Mario Brothers to hear him before he flew off, having several other letters to deliver.
Then right on cue, the moment Parakarry was gone, Luigi stepped out of the house and approached the mailbox. The green-clad plumber opened it and pulled out the only letter that was in there. Upon seeing its pink color and who it was from, Luigi knew what this meant.
Well, if this is from Princess Peach, then this means that Mario has another adventure to go on... Luigi thought to himself before turning around and walking back into the house.
As soon as he set his foot in, he closed the door behind him and hollered out to his brother.
"Hey, Bro! Check it out!" Luigi called for him. "A letter from Princess Peach arrived for you!"
He then heard his brother yawning from the bedroom as he walked over to him. He then saw the famous red-clad plumber walk into the dining room, wondering what it was that Peach sent to him. Luigi stopped in front of him as he opened the envelope and took out the handwritten letter.
"I'll just read it to you, how's that sound?" Luigi queried.
Mario nodded, showing that it was a good idea for his younger brother to read it out loud for him.
"Ahem," Luigi cleared his throat before he gazed at the paper. "Now let's see here..."
The green-clad plumber then read what was written on the paper. This is what the letter said in its entirety:
Hello there, Mario! I am now on holiday, traveling in the Mushroom Kingdom. In my travels, I came into possession of a mystical map...a treasure map, 'actually'. It was inside a box I got from an old merchant in a town called Rogueport. But since it would be too difficult for me to try to go find the treasure all by myself...I thought you could help me hunt for it! You will, of course, won't you? I've included the map with this letter, so please bring it with you when you come. I'll meet you at Rogueport. (That means you MUST come!)
- Peach
As soon as Luigi finished reading it, Mario frowned. Great. Now this meant that he had to go on yet another seemingly crazy adventure. He wondered why he was the only one who went on these quests. Mario was brought out of his thoughts when Luigi found something else in the envelope.
"What do you know? It's true!" Luigi proclaimed, pulling out an old worn-out map from the letter. "There is a weathered old map in here with the letter. Check it out!"
He then handed it over to Mario for a second so he could check it out. He then saw the map in its entirety. There were a bunch of locations that were shown on the map, with the town of Rogueport right in the center near the ocean.
There was even a brown ship and compass on the bottom left side, and on the bottom right side was what appeared to be a Nibble; a piranha fish that bared several similarities to a Chain Chomp, in regards to the sharp pointy teeth in its mouth.
As Mario folded up the map, Luigi was beginning to frown as he sighed sadly. He knew what this meant. He just wished that he could go on his 'own' adventure too.
"Well, Bro, I guess this means that you'll be going out on another adventure without me," Luigi told him in a glum manner. "Good luck on your quest in Rogueport with the princess."
By contrast, Mario had a straight look on his face, as he raised his right hand over his ear; a sign that he needed to tell his brother something important.
"Hmm? What's that? Bro? You look like you need to tell me something important," Luigi decided to ask. "What is it?"
Mario raised his arm over his ear again as he managed to tell him everything, without making much of a sound. It would seem that most people would be unable to understand him, being silent and all. But fortunately for him, Luigi got what he just revealed to him.
"What's that? You're saying that you don't want to go on another adventure to this Rogueport place with the princess?" Luigi wondered.
Mario nodded, letting out an 'oh yeah' sound, to show that Luigi was correct.
Now the green-clad plumber was confused. Normally his brother would go the extra mile just to go on a new adventure, even in a foreign land if it meant traveling with the princess. So to see that his brother wanted to give this journey a hard pass just seemed too bizarre.
"I...I see... Gee, Bro. I'm curious. Usually, you are up for going on these quests with the princess. And you decided to sit this one out," Luigi then decided to ask him. "Is...there a reason why you don't want to do this? I'd love to hear it, Bro."
Mario nodded again to show there was a reason for this, and he then explained to Luigi why he wasn't interested in another adventure this time. After several minutes of the explanation being given to him, Mario had wrapped up the explanation, as his brother took in what he said and responded to it.
"Whoa... So that's it. It's about the whole Beanbean Kingdom fiasco, isn't it?" Luigi needed to ask him.
Mario nodded yet again, officially confirming what Luigi just asked him. It had been three weeks since the Mario Bros. traveled to the Beanbean Kingdom as a result of Peach's voice being stolen by the likes of Cackletta.
Combined with the shocking reveal that Cackletta 'actually' stole Birdo's voice, who was disguised as the princess, having to fight a Cacktella-possessed-Bowser; known as Bowletta; and all of the other mishaps that they went through in between, it was clear that the whole adventure was nothing short of crazy and insane.
The whole journey had left Mario feeling drained upon finishing the quest, especially after he and his brother returned home. So to see that Princess Peach wanted him to go on yet another adventure with her, three weeks after going to the Beanbean Kingdom, it felt like it came out of nowhere. For once, Mario wanted a break from adventuring, and he had let Luigi know about all of it.
"Wow. Mama mia. Sorry to hear that, Bro," Luigi apologized. "I didn't know that this adventuring stuff you've been doing has taken a toll on you."
Mario nodded, essentially Luigi knew that it was okay and that he never said anything about it to anyone until now.
"Well, Bro, if you aren't interested in going on another journey, then I won't force you," Luigi informed him. "Although if I may ask, what are we going to do about the princess? If you're not going on a treasure hunt with her, what can we do about it?"
Mario held his hand up over his ear again, as if he was explaining to his brother this great idea that he came up with.
"What? Say that again, Bro. You're saying that someone else should step in for you and go on this adventure instead?" Luigi asked, resulting in his brother nodding. "Well... Gee, Bro. I don't think I'm the guy for the job, and we don't know of anyone else around that could go to Rogueport instead of you..."
Mario then started thinking with his hand over his chin. It was then Luigi remembered something important.
"Hold the phone, Bro! I just remember!" Luigi snapped his fingers. "We still have the latest edition of the Mushroom Kingdom Phonebook in our possession! If we can look through that, we can find someone who could go to Rogueport for you. How does that sound?"
Mario nodded, showing that he was intrigued by that idea.
"Great! Let's go look through that phonebook," Luigi went into the kitchen and opened one of the cabinets, where he then pulled out the phonebook that he was talking about. It was a simple phonebook with a mushroom on the front and it said 'MUSHROOM KINGDOM PHONEBOOK'. "Aha! Found it! Glad that we still have it, even though this is the recent one that we got a little while back."
With the book in his hand, Luigi and Mario went to the table as the former opened it up and he skimmed through it. "Alright. Let's see here..."
The next few minutes were spent looking through the phonebook for the right person to choose from. Unfortunately, they weren't having any luck with it, as nearly everyone in the book was either too old, too young, too busy, too physically unfit, too overconfident, too cowardly, or had a massive ego on the service, and underneath it lied a real coward. Needless to say, Luigi wasn't happy as he looked down at it.
"Mama Mia, Bro. This is a lot harder than I thought," Luigi wiped his forehead. "There isn't anyone in this phonebook who would be perfect for the job. What should we do about this?"
Mario decided to get a chance at finding someone as he stepped up and looked through the phonebook. No sooner afterwards, Mario found a particular name that stood out as he then pointed to the name in the phonebook.
"Pardon, Bro? You say you've found someone?" Luigi asked, with Mario confirming it. "Well, don't leave me hanging. Who did you decide on?"
Mario removed his finger from the name as Luigi got to see the name for himself. The word that Mario pointed to said 'Andrew', and the address was not far from Toad Town.
"Hmm? Andrew? Is that who you decided on?" Luigi wondered reluctantly. Mario nodded as Luigi rubbed the back of his neck nervously. "Uhhh...I dunno... Are you sure about that? I-I mean, I've heard rumors around town that this Andrew is a recluse, and he barely talks to anyone in town. From what people had told me, Andrew doesn't seem to have any friends, and he's what they refer to as a loner. Plus, I heard that he moved into the Mushroom Kingdom four years ago. Are you sure that you want to settle on Andrew going on this quest?"
Mario nodded before raising his hand over his ear again. He was aware that Andrew moved to the Mushroom Kingdom not so long ago, but he felt that there was something to him that made him the perfect candidate.
"What's that? You're saying that you see some potential in Andrew and that he is the best man for this task?" Luigi queried, resulting in Mario confirming this. "Well... Since there is nobody else in this book that would be the best choice, and since you know the best, Bro, I guess we can have Andrew go on this trip instead of you."
Mario jumped up and let out a 'yahoo' sound from his mouth, showing that he was satisfied with his brother going with his choice.
"Well, Bro, I guess we should write a letter to Andrew, in regards to this favor we're asking of him," Luigi closed the book and put it to the side. "We just need a pencil, a piece of paper, and an envelope for this."
Mario was all over it as he had gotten out the stuff Luigi just listed out, including a typically white-colored envelope. He placed all of them on the table as Luigi grabbed the pencil and stood in front of the paper.
"All right. I can write this letter out for you, okay Mario?" Luigi offered, with Mario allowing him to do so. "Okay, dokey. Well, here I go."
And so Luigi spent the next few minutes writing out the letter that he had planned to write to Andrew on Mario's behalf. As soon as he was done, he folded up the paper, put it into the envelope, and stuffed the princess' letter and the map into the envelope too. He then sealed the flap of the envelope in the back and wrote out Mario and Luigi's home address in the upper left corner before writing out Andrew's house address in the center bottom.
"All right. That should do it," Luigi looked at the almost completed letter. "Now we just need a stamp and then we can send this letter out."
Mario nodded as he went and grabbed a spare fresh stamp from the drawer and gave it to Luigi. The green-clad plumber thanked him before placing the stamp in the upper right corner of the envelope.
"Great! We're all set!" Luigi declared. "Now we just need to drop this off at the post office and have Andrew receive it!"
Mario jumped up again and let out another 'yahoo', willing to go along with that as they went out the door.
They were about to go through the green pipe and get to the Town Toad Post Office to drop off the letter. However, they had caught sight of Parakarry, who was in the area and had just finished delivering more letters. The Mario Bros. saw this as their perfect opportunity to get the letter sent to the right address.
"Good idea, Bro. We can get Parakarry to deliver this letter for us," Luigi agreed before shouting. "HEY, PARAKARRY!"
Luckily for them, Parakarry was within earshot when he yelled that. Seeing that he was needed, Parakarry turned around and flew down to where the Mario Brothers were standing.
"Yes," Parakarry wondered. "What can I do for you?"
"We just want you to deliver this letter for us," Luigi held the letter out in his hand for the Paratroopa. "If that's okay."
"Ah. Yes. I'll be glad to," Parakarry was then curious. "But uhhh... who is the letter for?"
"Oh. It's for Andrew," Luigi answered for himself and Mario.
"Andrew?" Parakarry raised an eyebrow as he recognized his name. "Are you sure this is for him? From what I've heard, this Andrew person is a recluse and a loner. And he barely talks to anyone..."
"Yes. We know Parakarry," Luigi nodded. "But Mario here thinks Andrew is the perfect person to be given this letter. So we decided on him."
"Well... Okay... If you say so," Parakarry decided not to argue about it as he grabbed the letter from his hand. "Don't worry. I'll be sure to deliver this letter post haste."
"Great. Thanks, Parakarry," Luigi thanked him.
"It's my pleasure," Parakarry was about to fly off again. "Well, I best be going. See you around!"
"Yeah, see ya Parakarry," Luigi called out to him.
And with that, Parakarry flew off, supposedly heading for the house that Andrew lived at. Once he was out of sight, Luigi turned around to face his brother again.
"Well, Bro, that takes care of that," Luigi then sighed. "I just wish that someday, I can go on my 'own' adventure. Sure, I had that quest when it came to winning that mansion for a contest I never even entered, where I had to save you. But I'd like to have a journey without any involvement from you, or the princess."
It was then Mario placed his hand on his brother's shoulder; a sign that he was reassuring him and letting him know that he'll get that chance.
"Gee... Thanks, Bro. I know it'll happen someday," Luigi decided to put it to the side. "But in the meantime, what do you say we have some nice fresh morning cup of coffee, on me?"
Mario nodded, as he was willing to have some coffee right about now.
"Great. Glad to hear it. Let's a-go," Luigi remarked enthusiastically.
The Mario Brothers then headed back into the house to have some nice fresh coffee. They could only hope that Andrew gets the letter and that he can go to Rogueport and get the princess back to the Mushroom Kingdom safely with no conflict. They could only wait and find out how this'll go for themselves...
MEANWHILE - IN ANOTHER LOCATION:
We are now focused on another location in the Mushroom Kingdom. This time, we're focused on a different house that was near Toad Town. It was just a typical natural house, which was brown and tan, had a beige roof, a chimney on top, and the front door was colored navy blue.
The inside of the house didn't look abnormal in the slightest. The decor and setup of all the rooms in the house indicated that it was just an average ordinary home. And sitting on one of the sofas placed in the living room was Andrew himself. Andrew looked to be in his late 20s and early 30s.
He was also identified as having Caucasian-colored skin, had green-colored eyes, and had dirty-blonde hair. What was noticeable was that he didn't have a mustache or any facial hair for that matter. As for clothes, he was wearing a blue ballcap on his head, a yellow-orange handkerchief around his neck, a long-sleeved blue shirt, greyish blue jeans, black combat boots, and on both of his hands were white-colored gloves.
Something else that was worth noting was the fact that Andrew had some impressive-looking muscles on both arms, and under his shirt was a nice set of pecs, and he even had a six-pack abs where his stomach was. This was all the result of working out frequently.
Currently, Andrew was just sitting back, drinking some Koopa Tea, and reading today's paper. He didn't have anything important to do, so he decided to spend his morning in tranquility. Andrew had to admit, the Mushroom Kingdom wasn't a bad place to live in.
It was certainly better than the home he lived in before settling in the Mushroom Kingdom. There were just so many bad memories in his old home that he had to move away. And they were memories that he didn't like thinking about, and he wasn't willing to share them with anyone.
And because of that, he was often known as being a recluse who had no friends and hardly interacted with anyone, unless he went to the store for groceries or something similar, like running errands.
Andrew didn't care though. He also had quite a cynical perspective of life, and how nothing but bad stuff happens to everyone, himself included. He felt that things would always go wrong when people were having fun. And that, for a difficult situation, nothing would possibly turn out alright in the end.
After letting out a sigh, Andrew went back to reading while continually sipping his cup of Koopa Tea.
Meanwhile, Parakarry was seen having approached Andrew's house, as he had made it to the destination. He had decided to get this done and over with, and make sure Andrew got the letter before continuing on his merry way. The Paratroopa slowly flew down to the front door of the house as he then took out the letter the Mario Bros wanted to send to Andrew.
As soon as he was close to ground level, Parakarry looked at the letter, took a deep breath, and slid the letter right underneath the front door. He then loudly knocked on the door a few times before flying off.
He decided not to let out his usual catchphrase, considering the rumors that he heard about Andrew's reclusive behavior. So he left the area and moved on through the Mushroom Kingdom.
Andrew had heard the knock at the door, which caught his attention when he noticed that a letter was slid right underneath his door. He had assumed that it was addressed to him, as he raised an eyebrow.
"What's this? A letter for me?" Andrew wondered as he set his paper and Koopa Tea on the table. "This better not be another scam letter. I've gotten 12 of those in the past 3 months so far..."
Andrew walked over and picked up the letter and read what was written on the front. To his complete surprise, it wasn't a scam letter. Rather, it was a letter from the Mario Brothers.
Huh? A letter from the Mario Brothers? Andrew thought as he knew who they were. I wonder why they're sending a letter to me...
Wanting to find out more about this, Andrew ripped open the envelope and grabbed a folded-up paper that contained the letter written to him by the Mario Brothers.
"Okay... Let's see what it says..." Andrew then proceeded to read it. This is what the letter said in its entirety.
To Whom It May Concern,
This is a letter that we are sending to you, requesting that you do a favor for us. Included in this letter is a letter that Mario received from Princess Peach, inviting him to go on a quest with her to Rogueport, with a map included as well.
However, we had decided to turn down the offer, after all the fiasco that we had been through during our journey in the Beanbean Kingdom. The journey had taken a huge toll, leaving Mario drained and unwilling to go on any other adventures for a while.
Thus we are asking that you go to Rogueport and find the princess for us. Be sure to look over the letter Peach wrote to us, and then examine the map that she included with the letter before making any further plans to head to Rogueport.
We hope that this isn't too much to ask for, but since we're exhausted from traveling, we would like to see you get the princess back to the Mushroom Kingdom safely. We formally apologize for any inconvenience that we may have caused you, and we thank you for taking up this offer for us.
Sincerely,
The Mario Brothers of the Mushroom Kingdom
Andrew was rather puzzled by the letter. Why were the Mario Brothers asking them for this type of favor? And what is the Mushroom Kingdom Princess doing in a place called Rogueport? Upon seeing another letter in the envelope, Andrew pulled it out and read the letter that Peach had written for Mario.
After reading it, Andrew saw the map that was included in it, as he examined it. This resulted in Andrew feeling all confused. Why would the princess want to go on a treasure hunt with Mario, let alone in a foreign location such as Rogueport? This is especially true considering her reputation of constantly getting kidnapped by the likes of Bowser.
There's also the fact that Andrew barely knew anything about the princess at all. He recalled interacting with her a few times on the few occasions that he had been in the castle. But aside from short-word sentences, he didn't do much talking with her. So to see the Mario Brothers send this letter, asking him to get the princess from Rogueport was baffling.
With that said Andrew was reluctant to go on this quest. Truth be told, he never saw himself as someone who could do half of the stuff that Mario and Luigi have done for the Mushroom Kingdom.
He merely saw himself as an ordinary citizen, who just so happens to work out. On top of that, he didn't think so highly of himself. So it left some doubt as to whether he could be able to do something as complex as this.
On the other hand, Andrew had recalled reading up on what went on with the Mario Brothers in the Beanbean Kingdom. He heard all about the madness that they went through and what went down during that adventure.
Along with that, he could see why Mario would be so drained and exhausted from adventuring, and that he'd be doing him a favor by getting the princess back to the Mushroom Kingdom.
For all his reclusiveness and his cynical perspective of the world, Andrew was, deep down, a 'really' nice guy, and would be willing to help someone out when they needed it, even though the muscular man never stuck around to hear the praise or brag about it.
"Hmmm... I suppose I could go to Rogueport and pick up the princess," Andrew mused as he crossed his arms. "All right. I'll go to Rogueport to get Peach. But I'm going there only to get the princess and then we can head back to the Mushroom Kingdom."
With that decided, Andrew was debating on whether or not he should bring some of his stuff with him to Rogueport. There was a slight chance that he'd probably be held up in Rogueport, on the offset that something went wrong there.
Yeah. Knowing how often bad things happen, I can see something going wrong, especially in a place that happens to be called Rogueport. Andrew thought. So I guess I should bring plenty of my stuff with me, in case I'll have to extend my stay in Rogueport, just to see if I can find the princess.
With an objective clear in his mind, Andrew decided to get packing. In four suitcases, he packed up several days of clothing, his essentials, traveling material, and some food that he could have while he was there. He realized that his fridge was nearly empty, save for a few mushrooms, a jar of Honey Syrup, and five glasses of Healthy Juice.
"I guess I'm gonna have to go shopping the next time I go out," Andrew shook his head, taking out what was in there to pack up safely. "Oh well. It can be done sometime after returning from Rogueport. Besides, there's probably plenty of food and nourishment that I can get while in Rogueport."
With all that in his hands, Andrew closed the fridge and packed them up. He then loaded up his backpack with his primary essentials to have on hand at all times. He also grabbed what appeared to be a wooden bat that he kept in his room and put that in his backpack too. Since he was going to a place called Rogueport, something told him that he was going to need it if he was caught in a troubling situation there.
After packing up everything else that he was willing to bring, and loading up on a few other things that he could use, he finished up his Koopa Tea and placed his luggage right outside his house, next to the front door. Seeing that he was going to be gone for a while, Andrew grabbed his house keys and made sure he had everything that he was bringing with him, everything inside was turned off, and then he locked up the house.
He made sure it was completely locked up. He didn't want anyone trying to burst into his house while he was away, even though Toad Town was a relatively nice place to live. He then threw his backpack on, grabbed all four of his suitcases in his arms, and headed straight to the green pipe. He went down the pipe with his luggage, as he headed straight for Toad Town...
Upon emerging from the pipe, Andrew wasted no time touring through Toad Town as he headed straight for Toad Town's port, which is where boats leave Toad Town to go to foreign locations. Several minutes after getting through Toad Town, while not paying attention to anyone who saw him, Andrew made it to Toad Town's port, which also had the Club 64.
Andrew passed right by it and he then saw a nearby ticket booth for boat rides. And in the booth was a Toad, dressed up as a ticket seller. This Toad happened to have yellow spots on his white hat, and his outfit was also yellow. Disregarding that, Andrew had found the place to get a ticket for a boat ride to Rogueport.
Andrew approached the ticket booth before putting down his baggage. After that, he took out a bag of coins and placed them on the counter of the booth. This managed to get the ticket seller's attention as he looked at Andrew.
"Hello," The ticket seller wondered. "How can I help you?"
"Yes. I'd like to purchase a ticket for a boat ride today, please," Andrew said politely, directing him to the bag of coins he had. "I believe this should be enough to cover for it."
"Hmmm..." The ticket seller inspected the bag of coins for a moment before shaking it and checking to see how many were inside. Upon seeing it, he was satisfied as the Toad then did business for Andrew. "All right. This is enough to cover it."
The ticket seller then decided to ask. "And where would you like to go to on your boat ride?"
"I'd like to go to Rogueport," Andrew said simply.
It was then the Toad gave Andrew a strange look. It's as if he had misheard him for a second there. "Excuse me? Did...Did you just say you wanted to go to Rogueport?"
"Yes. That's exactly what I said," Andrew said calmly.
"Uhhh...I-I dunno..." The ticket seller sounded uncomfortable with his option. "Are you sure you want to go there? It might be...dangerous..."
"I think I can manage," Andrew told him in a cool and collected manner. "I'm just going there to pick someone up and then I'm coming back."
"Oh, wouldn't you rather take a boat trip somewhere else," the Toad ticket seller made other suggestions for him. "Like what about a boat ride to Lavalava Island? Or how about a trip to Sarasaland? Or a ride to the Beanbean Kingdom? Or maybe even a cruise to..."
"Just get me my ticket for a boat trip to Rogueport, will you?" Andrew was getting a little annoyed by the Toad's reluctance to get him a ride to Rogueport.
Seeing that Andrew was completely serious about wanting to go to Rogueport, the ticket seller sighed in defeat before obliging.
"All right. Fine. Fine," he went underneath the counter in the booth to get the tickets. "It's your death wish."
Andrew couldn't help but raise an eyebrow at what he said about it being his death wish. Before he could question him further, the Toad got out a ticket and used a stamp on it to approve the boat ride to Rogueport that Andrew wanted.
"There you are, sir. One ticket for a boat ride to Rogueport," the ticket seller gave Andrew the ticket, who took it from him. "The boat that's heading to Rogueport is right over there."
The ticket seller pointed to a particular boat at the end of the dock, as Andrew looked in the direction he was pointing in.
It looked something like a tugboat, as it was red, white, blue, and yellow. There were white stars on the side of the shift, with a life raft hanging over it. The bow was colored yellow, and there was also a cyan-blue door with a circular window in the upper center of it. On both sides of the ship were wheels that looked like helm steering wheels.
Lastly, Andrew noticed that there was a giant wind-up key right in the back where the propeller was supposed to be. Otherwise, it seemed like a pretty sturdy ship meant for trips to Rogueport.
He didn't care about its appearance though. All he cared about was that it could get him to Rogueport so that he could get the princess and bring her back to the Mushroom Kingdom.
"Oh. All right," Andrew then pocketed his ticket and picked up his luggage in both of his hands. "Thanks for that."
Without saying another word, Andrew headed to that particular boat to speak to the captain of the ship. As soon as he was right in front of it, he stopped and saw the captain for himself. He was revealed to be another Toad; this one had blue spots on his white cap as he was dressed up like a sailor. Andrew cleared his throat as he got his attention.
"Excuse me, sir," he asked. "Would this happen to be the boat that's heading straight for Rogueport?"
"Why yes. This is the boat that heads to Rogueport," the captain confirmed. "Would you happen to be heading to Rogueport today?"
"That's right," Andrew nodded as he put down his luggage and took out his ticket. "I happen to have the ticket I need to go on this boat."
"Uhh... I see..." The Captain had to double-check what he heard. "Are... Are you sure that's where you want to go? I know of sordid tales that life in Rogueport can get pretty life-threatening. In short, it's dangerous over there."
"I know. I know. But I'll be fine," Andrew sighed. He wasn't keen on going to Rogueport either, but he had no choice. He needed to get the princess back to the Mushroom Kingdom, safe and sound. "Now, can we get this boat sailing off to Rogueport?"
"All right. If that's what you want," the captain remarked. "Now get on board so we can make haste to Rogueport at once."
"Got it," Andrew then pointed to his luggage. "Uh, my luggage? Could I get some help with it?"
"Allow me, sir," another Toad got his attention as he looked at this particular Toad who walked off the boat.
This one happened to have green spots on his white cap. And he was also dressed up like a bellboy. The Toad loaded them onto the luggage cart before pushing it onto the boat.
"Thanks a bunch, sir," Andrew thanked him before stepping onto the boat. "Well, are we ready to shove off?"
"Only when you're ready for this trip," the captain proclaimed.
Andrew looked back at the Toad Town port before looking out at the sea ahead of them. He then started thinking about how he decided to go on this trip to Rogueport. Knowing that it was for a good and noble cause, Andrew knew that he had to do this.
"Yes, Captain. I'm ready," Andrew said softly.
"Very well then," the captain obliged. "Let's shove off."
After removing the board used to walk onto the dock and putting it on the ship, the captain then started the boat. The engine started rumbling as Andrew felt it moving. The ship then started sailing off from Toad Town's port, bound for Rogueport.
Andrew felt that now was a good time for him to relax for a bit, seeing that it would be a while before he made it to Rogueport. He swung his backpack right onto his lap and he then slid down on a nearby seat.
He was still wondering if it was gonna be worth making this trip to Rogueport, especially with all the luggage he brought with him. After a few moments, he decided not to worry too much. He was only going to Rogueport to get Princess Peach.
And once he finds her, he is going to take her back to the Mushroom Kingdom. But what Andrew didn't know was that not only would his stay in Rogueport possibly be extended, but he was also about to undergo a life-changing adventure...
END OF CHAPTER 1...
Yeah. That's it for the first chapter. I know the story does seem kind of slow right now. But it should get more interesting and engaging the more chapters that go by. Just bear with me on that.
Anyway, this story is different from those other ones that have a similar concept. Rather than have Andrew get Peach's letter by mistake, I decided to have Mario receive it but then turn it down and have someone else go to Rogueport instead. And that's where Andrew comes in.
I also know that Andrew's characterization isn't entirely shown here, especially since he wasn't in the chapter for long. But the next chapter will showcase his defining characterization that sticks with him throughout the story. Andrew will also undergo character development later in the story.
Another reason this seems slow is that there wasn't much that was lifted from the script, as the first half of the chapter focuses on Mario and Luigi.
By the way, I've decided to have Andrew use a wooden bat (as in a baseball bat) as his weapon instead of a hammer because it's to show that Andrew is nothing like Mario and that he's an entirely different character. I just want to let you all know right now.
Anyway, there's not much more to talk about than I said before, so the next chapter will focus more on Andrew. It'll be the official start of the story, as Andrew arrives in Rogueport, gets his first impression of it, gets into a fight, meets who will become his first partner, as well as meeting a professor, and some other stuff will happen. How will this go? Find out next time, readers.
For now, only if you like, you can leave a review for this chapter. I haven't done this kind of story in ages, so bear with me here if there are mistakes.
Otherwise, I have nothing else to say. So until next time, I hope you look forward to more of this story. And on that note, thanks for reading the start of this story, readers.