Okay, readers. Here is the thirteenth chapter of this story!
Now, I don't have much to say about the author's note here, at least for now. So for this chapter, Andrew, Goombella and Koops go see Professor Frankly and tell him about their journey in Petal Meadows and Hooktail Castle, with the latter being introduced to Frankly himself. Also, Andrew and his two partners meet Merlon and put those Shine Sprites Andrew found to use, and they go to the Inn for Andrew to get some stuff and change clothes.
He will share some of the drinks that he brought from home with his two partners, and then they'll encounter that gray bug creature Andrew saw earlier. And some other stuff will occur. How will this go? Read and find out, now!
BACK AT PROFESSOR FRANKLY'S HOUSE - EASTSIDE OF ROGUEPORT:
Meanwhile, the professor was at his house as he was skimming through some of the books he took down that related to the legendary treasure behind the Thousand-Year Door. While Andrew and Goombella were on that trip to Petal Meadows, Professor Frankly had tried to ask around town about Princess Peach's whereabouts, as well as the suspicious gang that Andrew dealt with earlier at the harbor.
He had no luck in getting further information, as the good chunk of people either told them that they didn't know anything about Peach and the suspicious gang, or they didn't want to talk to him. One of the people that Frankly had asked rudely told him to get lost, while calling him 'grandpa'.
One of the people he tried asking even came close to mugging him and stealing his loot. It was fortunate that he made it back to his house safely, without anything bad happening to him. He knew that Rogueport would've been a rough place to live, but he never expected it to be this brutal.
Seeing that he was getting nowhere with asking around, Professor Frankly decided to keep reading one of his books, wondering if Andrew and Goombella were okay. He hoped that they didn't get into anything dangerous that could've killed them. That thought alone brought some unfortunate thoughts into his mind. Thankfully, he shook those thoughts out of his mind as he continued reading.
It was then a knock was heard at the door, which got him to perk up. The door opened moments later, and it was shown that Andrew knocked and poked his head in.
"Hey, Professor Frankly," Andrew greeted before coming in, with Goombella and Koops right behind him. "We're back."
"Ah! Andrew! Goombella! You've returned. I thought that you wouldn't have made it back, but it turns out I was wrong," Professor Frankly decided to ask them. "So how'd it go? Did you make it to Petal Meadows? Did you find that Crystal Star?"
"Well yes, Professor Frankly," Andrew decided to explain. "We made it to Petal Meadows, and for the most part, it was as peaceful as you described." It was then Andrew's tone darkened a little. "Only it wasn't completely peaceful, since as it turns out, a dragon named Hooktail was seen flying over the skies of Petal Meadows and terrorizing the village of Petalburg."
"Hm? Dragon? Hooktail? Oh my," Frankly then gulped as he caught himself. "Uh, now that you mention it, there was a book that I read on this dragon named Hooktail, saying that its castle was located in Petal Meadows. I suppose that was one flaw that I overlooked."
"We know Professor," Goombella told him while shaking her head. "But we made it out alive. We helped the village of Petalburg by destroying this dragon at its castle! We managed to beat Hooktail and came out alive and well!"
"Yeah. And there's more," Andrew said. "'Apparently', Hooktail had the Crystal Star we were after; the Diamond Star! And when it came out of Hooktail's belly, we were able to claim it!"
"Hooktail had the Crystal Star, and you fought the dragon to claim it? Astounding..." Professor Frankly mused as he walked away from his desk for a second.
It was then that Frankly had taken notice of Koops; someone that he had never seen before, and this got him curious.
"Oh, uh... And who may this young Koopa be?" Professor Frankly asked.
"Oh, right. That's something else we need to tell you," Andrew then introduced Koops to the professor. "Professor Frankly, this is Koops. He is a Koopa who lives in Petalburg. And he happened to accompany us to Hooktail Castle just to defeat that dragon. Just so he could avenge his father."
"But it turns out his father was alive and well," Goombella beamed. "And we were happy to have had him get the chance to help us beat Hooktail!"
"And now he's accompanying us on this adventure to find the rest of the Crystal Stars," Andrew wrapped it up. "So we wanted to introduce him to you since he'll be traveling with us for the remainder of this journey."
"Oh... I see," Professor Frankly examined Koops for a minute, who just shyly waved to him.
"Ummm... That's right Professor. My name's Koops," Koops greeted. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Frankly."
"Yes. It's a pleasure meeting you too, Koops," Frankly returned the gesture.
"Oh, and just a little thing to throw out here Professor," Andrew decided to comment. "I don't know if I'm correct, but something tells me that more people are going to be accompanying us on this journey to find the Crystal Stars. So don't be surprised if we come back here with someone accompanying us."
"I'll be sure to keep that in mind, Andrew. And may I add that you two had quite a tale you told about your time in Petal Meadows," Professor Frankly had to admit before clearing his throat and moving on. "But uh, that's all taken care of now. Did you three go to the Thousand-Year Door with the Diamond Star? Did a new location appear on the map?"
"Yes, and yes," Andrew nodded as he took out the map. "We went to the door before coming here. And now a new location popped up along with the second Crystal Star; the Emerald Star."
"Very good. Very good," Frankly then requested. "Just give me the map, and I'll observe it for a minute. Then I'll tell you where the next location is, precisely."
"Sure thing, Professor," Andrew handed him the map as he brought it to his desk and started observing it for a few minutes or so.
"So uhhh... Wonder where we're going to go next," Koops had to comment.
"Same here," Goombella beamed. "But I bet it's going to be somewhere amazing!"
"Yeah," Andrew tugged on his handkerchief. "Wherever it is, Professor Frankly will let us know, momentarily. We just have to wait patiently for him to finish observing it."
"Makes plenty of sense when you put it that way, Andrew," Koops nodded. "Umm... We're in no hurry at all. Really."
"Not at all," Goombella shook her head. "Not at the moment."
"Mhmm," Andrew nodded as he and his two partners waited for Professor Frankly to confirm where the next location was...
A few minutes later, it turned out that Frankly was all set looking through the map, as he was heard grunting to himself.
"Hrmm... Mmmm HRRRRMMMM..." Frankly murmured loud enough for Andrew to hear.
"Well? Do you see the new location?" Andrew walked over to him along with Goombella and Koops, as Frankly then closed a nearby book that he had taken down while observing the map.
"I see, I see," Professor Frankly nodded. "Crystal clear!"
"Yeah, great pun. C'mon!" Goombella had to roll her eyes at that along with Andrew, who had his arms crossed. "Where's the next Crystal Star, Professor?"
"Um... You can tell us where the next Crystal Star is, right?" Koops queried.
"Yeah. Where do we need to go next?" Andrew asked him.
"It's in the Boggly Woods," Frankly's answer was brief and simple. "The second Crystal Star is inside a great tree there."
"A great tree in the Boggly Woods?" Andrew, Goombella, and Koops all asked in unison as they tilted their heads in confusion.
"Yes," Frankly said simply.
"Never heard of that place," Andrew had to admit.
"Me either. But OK," Goombella decided to go with it. "That helps a little. Sorta."
"You know anything about the Boggly Woods, Professor?" Koops wondered.
"Yes," Professor Frankly opened his book again. "About those woods... I think...some odd creatures live there."
"What kind of odd creatures?" Andrew asked while putting his arms down.
"I'll show you one of them," Frankly then stopped on a particular page and then showed him the image that he needed to. "This is what one of them looks like."
Andrew, Goombella, and Koops saw the creature for themselves. It was a tiny gray bug-like creature with eyes on the top, an antenna behind the eyes, and a yellow orb connected to the antenna.
It was then something flashed through Andrew's eyes as he instantly remembered something. When he was heading to the Thousand-Year Door for the first time, he saw a bug-like creature that looked just like that one.
The only difference was that the orb on its antenna was green instead of yellow, and it had a couple of dark gray stripes on its back. He knew that it would be important. So to get to the Boggly Woods, Andrew would have to find it again.
"Wow. I see," Andrew said while nodding before backing away from the picture.
"Yeah. And if memory serves, there's a pipe beneath town that leads to those woods." Professor Frankly closed his book and placed it back on his desk.
"So we'll have to go through Rogueport Sewers to find another pipe leading to the Boggly Woods," Andrew nodded. "Okay. We can do that."
It was then Koops decided to share something with Frankly, and it involved the e-mail Andrew got earlier.
"Um... Professor Frankly..." Koops started. "You should probably know... It's about Princess Peach... Mr. Andrew got an e-mail from her just recently."
"That's right," Goombella agreed before adding. "It said that the people who kidnapped her are also looking for the Crystal Stars. Oh, and the worst part? She said that she doesn't even know where she is!"
"Uh-huh. She doesn't even know where she's being held. ...Yeah," Koops remarked.
"So I guess my journey here will be lengthed until we find her and the Crystal Stars," Andrew finished it up, allowing Frankly to take it in.
"Uh-oh. If Princess Peach's kidnappers are also looking for the Crystal Stars..." Professor Frankly gulped before thinking of some theories. "What could they hope to achieve? Could the treasure be... Ugh! Too many unknowns!"
Professor Frankly decided to shake it off and dismiss the notion he got for now before he told them. "Unfortunately, the only clues we can rely on are the Crystal Stars and that map."
"Yeah," Andrew sighed as he grabbed the map, folded it, and put it into his pocket. "And it looks like we don't have much of a choice."
"Then we'll head for Boggly Woods to find the next Crystal Star! Let's do it!" Goombella beamed.
"I guess we should just head to Boggly Woods to find that next Crystal Star!" Koops proclaimed.
"Yes, I recommend you do just that. And find it before the princess's captors do!" Professor Frankly encouraged them before adding. "But don't be hasty! Feel free to drop by the store or the inn first if it's urgent."
"Good idea," Andrew nodded. "I'm gonna have to go back to the Inn and change out of my clothes. I brought four suitcases of luggage that have been checked into that Inn, along with some other stuff that I brought along."
"Wowsers, Andrew. You knew that you'd be here longer so you brought four suitcases full of luggage?" Goombella queried. "That's smart thinking."
"Yeah. I know," Andrew seemed flattered by that.
"Guess we can head to the Inn so Mr. Andrew here can get changed into fresh clothes and get some other stuff for the trip," Koops remarked.
"That's right," Andrew nodded. "So we can stop by the Inn first, Professor Frankly."
"Good idea," Frankly said. "Meanwhile, I'll keep researching to learn more about the Crystal Stars and the ancient treasure."
"Good to know, Professor," Andrew nodded before facing Goombella and Koops. "Well, ready to head to the Inn, guys?"
Goombella and Koops nodded in anticipation as they followed Andrew out the door, where they left Professor Frankly's house.
As soon as they walked out of Professor Frankly's house, Andrew stopped and took notice of the house that was next to it; the one that had a Shine Sprite sign above it. Seeing that he had four Shine Sprites on him, something told him that this place would be important.
"Hold on, guys," Andrew got Goombella and Koops to stop. "Something tells me that this building could be something important for us to check out."
"You sure?" Goombella raised an eyebrow.
"Yeah," Andrew then motioned them to follow. "Come on. Let's check this place out."
"Okay. If you say so, Andrew," Goombella shrugged. "Let's go, Koops."
"Right," Koops nodded shyly as he followed Andrew and Goombella into the strange building.
When they entered the building, they were astounded by what they were seeing. It looked like the tent of a fortune teller, complete with a crystal ball in the center, on a stand. Andrew then saw the blue-robed Shaman behind it.
He was 'apparently' Merlon, and he looked an awful lot like the Merlon from Toad Town. The only difference with him was that his mustache was a little more puffier in appearance. As soon as he heard Andrew and his two partners enter, he looked up and focused his attention on them.
"Ah. I have visitors. Welcome to the home of Merlon, the super-magician," Merlon greeted them. "You must be Andrew, are you not?"
"Yes, I'm Andrew and-" Andrew had to stop himself when he realized that he didn't need to greet him. "Wait, how did you know my name?"
"I foresaw your arrival," Merlon proclaimed.
"You have," Andrew blinked before asking. "I have to ask, what's with the Shine Sprite sign? Are you someone important?"
"Yes. I can aid you if you wish," Melron nodded. "And the sign is to show that I can power up your partners, for three Shine Sprites."
"Whoa!" Andrew had to jump along with Goombella and Koops. "You can power up my partners? For three Shine Sprites?"
"Indeed. Of course, that means I boost their Attack power, or they get stronger in fights," Merlon explained to him. "But I also throw in a new move for free."
"Omigosh! A new move! That sounds 'totally' awesome!" Goombella beamed. "Andrew, we should do it!"
"Yeah," Koops agreed. "That sounds pretty cool."
"Okay, Goombella. Koops. I can do this for you," Andrew smiled while nodding. "Well Merlon, it just so happens that I have four Shine Sprites on hand."
"Four Shine Sprites," Merlon had to steady himself upon hearing that. "Well Andrew, I'm afraid that with four of them, you can only power up one of your partners. Since I take three of them."
"Right," Andrew sighed. "That works for me."
"So... Which partner would you like me to power up?" Merlon asked him.
As Andrew fished out three of the four Shine Sprites that he had, he took a glance at his partners. He saw that Goombella was giving him that hopeful expression on her face, eager to be the one that gets the power up. Koops was looking rather shy and patient as if he didn't mind if he didn't get the power-up this time. After thinking it over, Andrew had made his decision as he turned to face Koops.
"Sorry about this, Koops. But Goombella was traveling with me first," Andrew had to explain to him. "So I think it's fair that she gets the power up first. I hope you understand."
"Ummm...OK. That's fine by me, Andrew," Koops kicked his feet sheepishly. "I can wait for next time."
"Good to know," Andrew nodded as he looked at his Goomba partner. "Well, Goombella? You're up. I'm gonna give you the power-up."
"YAY! YAHOO! ALL RIGHT!" Goombella beamed and cheered like a preppy cheerleader. "It's 'totally' sweet that you went with me first, Andrew."
"Yeah, I know," Andrew smiled at this before facing Merlon. "Okay, Merlon. I'll go with Goombella."
"Fine by me," Merlon shrugged. "That'll be three Shine Sprites."
"You got it," Andrew dropped the three Shine Sprites into Merlon's hand.
After pocketing them, Merlon then went behind his Crystal Ball and worked out his magic on Goombella.
"SHA-ZIBBY!" Merlon shouted as the crystal ball floated in the air and started glowing. "SHA-ZOOBY!"
It was then a magical force started overcoming Goombella, as she seemed rather psyched about this sensation. She felt like the room was spinning in circles.
A few moments later, Goombella felt the magic force enter her body as she felt not only stronger but was able to use a new move that she was taught in the process.
"Woah," Goombella uttered softly after the spell was over. "That...was...AWESOME! That was SO 'totally' awesome! It felt like something amazing surged through my body! I feel stronger already!"
"I'm glad that I did this for you, Goombella," Andrew smiled before facing Merlon again. "You said that she learned a new move, right? What's the new move?"
"Oh, well, Goombella had just learned a move called Multibonk," Merlon explained to him. "With Multibonk, she can hit an enemy multiple times with her head."
"So it's kinda like Power Bounce," Andrew mused as he rubbed his chin.
"All right! Thank you so much for this, Andrew," Goombella thanked him as she grinned and rubbed against his left leg. "I swear, I'm gonna repay you by using my new move Multibonk the next time we get into a major fight!"
"I can hardly wait till then," Andrew tugged on his handkerchief.
"Ahem, if that's all you got for three Shine Sprites," Merlon then waved him towards the door. "Then you may go."
"OK! Come on guys, let's go," Andrew directed them to follow.
They did so as the three of them left Merlon's house, and headed straight for the Rogueport Plaza to head for the Inn.
"Don't worry, Koops," Andrew looked towards his Koopa partner as they walked on. "I'll be sure to get you next time."
"I know," Koops nodded. "And ummm... I can wait until then."
"Good. Now, let's get to the Inn," Andrew suggested.
"You got it, Andrew," Goombella winked at him cheerfully as she followed him to the Inn along with Koops.
Andrew was going to get himself ready for the trip to the Boggly Woods, and to claim the second Crystal Star; the Emerald Star. He just needed some supplies and a change of clothing first...
AT THE ROGUEPORT INN - IN THE ROGUEPORT PLAZA:
"Yes? Hello. Welcome to the Rogueport Inn," the innkeeper greeted Andrew, who made it upstairs with Goombella and Koops behind him.
The innkeeper was a female Toad who had a white cap with yellow spots, dressed like an innkeeper and had a small braided ponytail in the back. It was then the innkeeper looked at Andrew.
"Hmmm, you would happen to be Andrew, correct?" She took a guess. "I have you booked into this inn, you know?"
"Yes. That would be me," Andrew nodded. "Is all of my luggage in here?"
"Why of 'course'. The bellboy Toad dropped them off before leaving," the innkeeper motioned him to his four suitcases. "Your suitcases are over there."
"That's good to know," Andrew seemed satisfied with her service.
"Wow, Andrew. You brought all that luggage with you," Goombella blinked at them. "Jeepers. You 'really' are prepared for this."
"Yes," Andrew nodded before facing the innkeeper again. "That reminds me, I'm gonna have to extend my stay in Rogueport until further notice. I don't know when I'll be leaving, but it'll have to be when I find the Mushroom Kingdom Princess and I can escort her back to the Mushroom Kingdom."
"Not a problem. That's perfectly fine by me," the innkeeper told him politely. "You can stay here for as long as you have to."
Andrew had to smile at this. It seems that the innkeeper was one of the nicer folks that resided in Rogueport, aside from Merlon and Professor Frankly. Considering what everyone else was like, this was a pleasant treat for him.
"I'm glad to hear that," Andrew nodded.
"Oh, by the way, dear," the innkeeper directed him to the fridge. "I took the liberty of putting some of your food and refreshments into the fridge so they won't go bad."
"Perfect," Andrew grinned as he approached it and opened it up.
He saw five glasses of Healthy Juice still in there. He could use one of those so they don't go to waste. He might as well share them with his two partners too.
He grabbed three of the five bottles of Healthy Juice and approached Goombella and Koops.
"Here, guys. Have a Healthy Juice," Andrew handed them out to them. "I don't want this stuff to go to waste, so I'm willing to share some with you."
"OMIGOSH! Jeepers Andrew, didja say Healthy Juice!?" Goombella couldn't help but raise her voice in shock. "Andrew, I haven't been able to find this ANYWHERE in Rogueport! Where did you get them?!"
"Well Goombella, they 'actually' sell them in the supermarkets in Toad Town. That's where I bought them from," Andrew exclaimed. "Of course, these can be made by hand with a Special Shake combined with either a Stinky Herb, Dried Shroom, or a Strange Leaf."
"Golly Andrew, that's something..." Koops had to admitted. "Didn't think you had something like this."
"Well now you do, and I'd like both of you to have one," Andrew gave them the drinks. "We'll need all the energy we can get for our next adventure in the Boggly Woods."
"Smart thinking," Goombella smirked as she took the bottle. "Thanks for this Andrew. This was 'totally' amazing."
"Yeah... Thanks for the drink, Andrew," Koops thanked him, holding the bottle in his right hand.
"Anytime you two," Andrew then said. "Now if you'll excuse me, I gotta get changed up. I want to wear something fresh for our next travel."
"Good idea, Andrew," Goombella grinned. "Cause nobody wants to have a case of B.O. while traveling, y'know what I mean?"
"I know what you mean," Andrew smirked. "Now I'll be back in a few minutes."
As Goombella and Koops started to drink their Healthy Juice, Andrew grabbed some fresh clothes from one of his suitcases before heading toward the bathroom.
Once he was in there, he decided to change up and threw his clothes to the side, save for his handkerchief and gloves.
He also took off the badges that he was wearing from his t-shirt as he put them to the side. He would put them back on once he was in fresh new clothes, aside from the Attack FX R badge.
As he was getting himself dressed up in new clothes, the innkeeper told him from outside the bathroom.
"And don't worry about your clothes, dear," the innkeeper informed him. "I'll be sure to wash and dry them up for you so you can travel in fresh clean clothes."
"Hey, that's pretty great," Andrew said. "Thanks, ma'am."
"Anytime, dear," the innkeeper said as she walked away, allowing Andrew to change up in the bathroom for a few more minutes.
Afterwards, Andrew came out wearing lighter clothes. He was still wearing the greyish blue jeans, the handkerchief, and the blue cap, but now he was wearing a cyan blue button-up t-shirt that was unbuttoned.
On the left side of the inner part of the t-shirt were the badges that he had on before, save for the Attack FX R badge, which was put back into the badge kit. He also put on the Multibounce badge in case he needed it, which was right next to the Power Bouncer Badge.
Of course, he was shown with a white undershirt which was mostly covered by parts of his unbuttoned t-shirt. His muscles were still shown though, and one could spot the six-pack abs from underneath the undershirt.
Once he was done, he approached Goombella and Koops who were drinking their Healthy Juices, grabbed his bottle, and got their attention.
"Hey guys," he greeted. "Looks at my new outfit."
"Oh hey Andrew, that didn't take so-oooooomiiigoooooooosh," Goombella found herself trailing off as she saw Andrew's undershirt and unbuttoned t-shirt, along with his muscles. "Andrew? That looks nice."
"Why thanks Goombella," Andrew thanked her. "It wasn't easy choosing an outfit. But I chose this one for lighter wear and to find an easier spot to pin my badges on with-"
"No, Andrew. I mean, that looks nice too," Goombella then got to the point. "But I'm talking about your muscles. And...And I can even see the six-pack abs that you've gotten."
"Well, you know," Andrew seemed flattered. "It comes from working out a lot, you know..."
"It's, uh, how do I put this? It's 'really' manly," Goombella had to find the right words. "I-I mean seeing those muscles and six-pack abs makes you look kinda...attractive."
"Gee, thanks Goombella. I'm glad that you can make a compliment on that," Andrew felt a blush on his face as he tried to brush that off.
"Ummm... Yeah, Andrew. You do look strong," Koops had to admit. "Seeing your muscles makes me wonder why you were able to beat Hooktail."
"Oh come on, Koops. Defeating Hooktail was a team effort," Andrew had to remind him. "All three of us defeated Hooktail together."
"Yeah. I know," Koops murmured.
"So anyway, how were the drinks?" Andrew queried.
"Andrew, these drinks were great," Goombella admitted. "I seriously enjoyed it!"
"Yeah. I enjoyed it too," Koops added.
"Thanks, guys," Andrew then decided to comment. "You know, I enjoy having those Healthy Juices and other healthy foods to keep in good shape while working out."
"Wow," Goombella blinked. "With all the healthy foods and drinks that you've been adding to your diet, it's no wonder why you're so strong."
"Some could say that about me," Andrew walked over and sat down right in between Goombella and Koops. "It 'really' has helped me."
"You betcha that it had," Goombella smirked. "We could 'totally' wreck anyone that could 'possibly' threaten us."
"No kidding," Andrew couldn't help but chuckle at that. "Anywho, why don't we finish up these drinks before we head back to Rogueport Sewers to find the pipe to the Boggly Woods?"
"Gotcha Andrew," Goombella winked at him again.
"Would be a good idea to finish these up before leaving," Koops nodded. "So umm...why don't we?"
"You don't have to ask me twice," Andrew held his glass up before guzzling it down.
And with that, the three travelers drank their Healthy Juice simultaneously, as they seemed eager to get to the Boggly Woods sooner rather than later. They were gonna need all the energy they could get, as they were gonna be in for a massive surprise later on.
In the meantime, the three of them allowed the innkeeper to take care of the empty bottles while they shipped off to their next locations in the Rogueport Sewers. Things were gonna get a little interesting...
IN THE ROGUEPORT SEWERS:
"Hey, Andrew! Slow down, why don'tcha!?" Goombella hollered to him as she was working on keeping up with him. "You don't have to move so fast, y'know?!"
"Ummm... Andrew? Not that I doubt that you know what you're doing," Koops felt like asking as he was keeping up with the muscular man along with the Goomba girl. "But where are you taking us?!"
"I happen to know where we need to go," Andrew told them, straightening the backpack that he had on his back, that he also put some extra traveling equipment in there. "Trust me on this."
"Andrew, I do trust you. And so does Koops," Goombella spoke on her behalf and that of Koops. "But why are you heading this way? We're not going to the Thousand-Year Door right now, are we?"
"Who said we were going to the Thousand-Year Door? That's not where we're going," Andrew said as they climbed on top of a pipe that led them in the same direction that the door was located. "I'm bringing us this way because I recall seeing something earlier when I went to see the door for the first time. I want to know if my suspicions are correct."
"What?" Goombella blinked as they started walking away from the pipe. "What did you see earlier?"
Andrew didn't bother answering, as he decided to let his actions do the talking for him, hoping that that gray-bug creature would still be here.
Then as if hope was on his side, he saw it. The same gray bug creature from before, with its green orb on the antenna and the dark gray stripes on its back.
There is it. One of the creatures Frankly referred to. Andrew thought as he walked towards it.
Then just like before, the gray bug creature spotted Andrew and scurried right into the tiny hole near the barred fence. This time, Goombella and Koops saw it and they decided to comment on it.
"Andrew! Did you see that?" Goombella asked him.
"Yes I did," Andrew nodded.
"That was one of the things Professor Frankly mentioned!" Koops brought up.
"I know it was," Andrew remarked.
"So that's the thing you saw earlier," Goombella had to blink. "You wanted to know if it'd still be here? Wow. Way to use your wonderful memory there, Andrew. Good job!"
"Thanks Goombella. I do what I can," Andrew rubbed his right arm sheepishly. "Now, let's follow after that bug creature."
Goombella and Koops nodded as all three of them used the Paper mode to slide right through the bars that kept them from going through normally.
They then managed to get into the next room, which was spacious as they saw the bug creature. The bug creature saw them advancing on it, so it scurried over to the left side to get away from them.
Sadly, it was a dead end, as Andrew, Goombella, and Koops decided to walk over to it and check it out. Seeing that it was now surrounded and that it couldn't escape from these three big strangers, the creature decided to react accordingly.
"Eeeeeeeeeeeeek!" The creature squeaked in a frightened voice. "D-Don't eat me!"
Andrew heard the voice and assumed that this creature was a male. He was pretty much correct. Still, he seemed shocked that this creature thought that Andrew would eat it. Andrew decided to step up and get his attention.
"Hey little fella," Andrew assured him. "We're not gonna eat you. Honest."
"Huh? You're not?" The creature asked hesitantly.
"Not at all," Andrew insisted.
"And you're not bullies?" The creature asked him.
"Of 'course' not. I've never bullied anyone in my life, and I will not be starting now," Andrew informed him. "So no, we're not bullies. Isn't that right, Goombella and Koops?"
"He's right," Goombella backed him up. "We're not here to be mean to you, honest."
"Yeah, ummm...what they said," Koops commented shyly. "We're not bullies, I swear."
"For real? Phew!" The creature let out a sigh of relief. "Boy, that's good. I thought for a second I might have an accident."
"That's good to know, I guess," Andrew tugged on his handkerchief.
"You're one of the creatures from Boggly Woods, right?" Goombella felt like asking.
"Yeah. Why are you down here?" Koops queried.
"Did you get lost or something?" Andrew wondered.
Now the creature was getting frightened all over again. He had a feeling about what these three were associated with. And to him, it didn't sound good.
"Wh-What?! Why do you know about me? NOOO! Y-You must be..." The creature then came to a deduction before panicking in hysterics. "You guys are working for those X-Nauts, aren't you?! You chased me here! Noooooo! It's the end!"
Disregarding his panicked tone, Andrew, Goombella, and Koops were confused by that. The word X-Nauts did not sound familiar to them. Why would this creature think that they were something they never even heard of?
"X-Nauts?" Andrew tilted his head. "What the heck are X-Nauts?"
"Sounds like tissues...to the extreme or something." Koops guessed as to what he thought they were.
Andrew couldn't help but snicker at Koops's guess as to what the X-Nauts were. It did sound an awful lot like a brand name for a tissue product for extreme people.
Decided to push that to the side for now, Andrew along with his two partners, decided to find out more about this creature.
"Easy there, kid," Goombella had to assure him. "What in the world are you freaking out about? We're not gonna do anything to you, so chill for a [sec']! Just tell us what's going on."
"Yeah, so relax," Koops added. "Tell us what's going on, OK?"
"Now take it one step at a time and tell us what happened in the Boggly Woods," Andrew told him in a patient and calm manner. "And what the X-Nauts have to do with it."
"Well...OK," the creature decided to explain to them. "This gang of bad guys who call themselves X-Nauts came to where I live. They came inside our Great Tree and started tearing it apart and causing trouble. So...I've come all the way here looking for help."
"Wait, a bunch of bad guys came into the Great Tree and started tearing it apart," Andrew had to make sure he could confirm it. "Are you sure?"
"Yes! I wouldn't lie about this," the creature told him.
"Andrew!" Goombella got his attention. "That sounds like those guys who attacked us at the Rogueport Harbor. Remember? The ones who nearly abducted me, and you stepped in and kept them from kidnapping me?"
Andrew had to think about that for a second as he recalled what those creeps looked like. He then remembered that they had an X going across the center of their jumpsuits, and Lord Crump had one of those too. He was quite positively sure that the gang who tried to kidnap Goombella were indeed, X-Nauts.
"Wow. Now that you mention it, Goombella," Andrew rubbed his chin. "Those guys who tried to kidnap you were possibly X-Nauts."
"And I was glad that you saved me from them," Goombella smiled.
"Yeah," Koops decided to add. "And if they are the same guys who kidnapped the princess, they want the Crystal Star!"
Andrew had managed to piece it together. Could it be that Lord Crump; the same guy who nearly abducted Goombella and summoned X-Nauts to attack her and Andrew, also be leading the X-Nauts into tearing the Great Tree apart just to find the Crystal Star that is located there?
Given that Crump was demanding answers from Goombella about the Crystal Stars, it was likely that he was searching for the Emerald Star in the Great Tree while letting his X-Naut minions tear the place up just to find it. And on top of that, he was more than certain that the X-Nauts were the group that kidnapped Princess Peach.
He was brought out of his thoughts when that bug creature spoke up.
"Now that you mention it, they did say something about some Crystal Star thingy..." The creature had to be honest. "But we Punies don't know anything about any crystals or stars..."
This pretty much confirmed that this creature's species was called the Punies. For a moment, the Puni gave a good look at these three big people. They looked really tough and strong enough to take down jerks such as the X-Nauts.
Andrew, in particular, stood out the most out of the three, since the Puni saw that Andrew had some impressive muscles on his arms, legs, and his chest. He even caught a glance at the six-pack abs where his stomach was. There was no denying it. Andrew was very strong and looked like he could take out any X-Naut that tried to capture him.
The Puni hoped that this muscular man could be of some assistance to him, especially since he was nice enough from his facial expressions. It was worth a shot.
"Say, could you guys help us out? Maybe chase them off?" The Puni hoped. "If you do, we'll give you, uh... What was it? The Crystal Star? If you do, we'll have the Puni elder give you that!"
Andrew had a thoughtful look on his face as the Puni continued speaking.
"I don't know what it is, but if it'll help us reclaim our tree, I'm sure the elder will agree!" The Puni then begged. "So what do you say? Let's not waste any more time. I'm begging you!"
Andrew did not need to think for a second to know what his decision would be on that, as he then stepped up and said.
"Sure. Of 'course' we'll be happy to help you out," Andrew told him assuringly.
"Really?! You aren't joking?! You'll do it?!" The Puni asked, hoping he had heard him correctly.
"Absolutely," Andrew nodded, giving him a reassuring smile.
"I guess... I mean, we can't just ignore them, right?" Goombella was willing to help out. "I'd feel bad if we didn't otherwise."
"Plus, we do need to get the Crystal Stars before those X-guys do," Koops added, sounding as if he was willing to help out too.
"Great to see that my team is in on this," Andrew seemed satisfied by this.
"Oh, thank you so much! This is great! I'm so happy!" The Puni was jumping for joy at this.
"We're happy to help," Andrew then felt like asking. "But we didn't catch your name."
"Oh, right," the Puni introduced himself. "My name is Punio. Pleased to meet you!"
"Right," Andrew decided to introduce himself and his two partners to Punio. "Well, the name's Andrew and these two happen to be Goombella and Koops."
"Right. Pleased to meet you Andrew, Goombella, and Koops," Punio looked ready to get back to the Boggly Woods.
"Okay. Now that we know each other, we're not sure how to get to the Boggly Woods," Andrew had to express himself.
"Not a problem. I'll take you to where I live," Punio told him. "Follow me, OK? I know the way."
Punio scurried over to the tiny crack in the wall before looking at them. "It's this way."
Andrew couldn't help but raise an eyebrow in confusion, and Goombella and Koops were just as confused as they walked over to Punio.
"Uh, Punio. I know you're trying to get us to the Boggly Woods," Andrew had to point out to him. "But Goombella, Koops, and I can't possibly fit through that small crack in the wall."
"Oh right," Punio seemed to have noticed this as he said. "Wait, hang on a second."
Punio went into the small crack to find something important.
"I'm sure the Puni elder said some button around here opened the secret entrance..." It didn't take long for Punio to find the switch that he needed to find. "AH-HA!"
Punio then pressed a switch, which activated a new pathway for the three travelers to get to. Andrew had figured that he'd have to go to the right, which is presumably where the pipe to the Boggly Woods was located.
Before he went that way, though, Andrew saw a Damage Dodge badge on the platform to the left. Andrew decided to take the left passageway before he went and grabbed the Damage Dodge badge. He walked back over to Goombella and Koops. He took out his badge kit to put it into.
"Still got a good eye for finding those badges, huh Andrew?" Goombella gave him a sly look and a smirk as he put the badge into the badge kit.
"Sure seems like it to me," Andrew grinned, putting the badge kit away.
"Umm... Let's take the other passageway. Punio might be waiting for us there," Koops had suggested.
"Good idea, Koops," Andrew looked towards both of his partners. "Let's roll."
With that, Andrew, Goombella, and Koops took the right passageway, which led into another room where Punio was waiting for them. In front of them, pointing sideways was the pipe they were looking for.
This pipe looked more like a hollow tree trunk with the same texture and all, and it was colored gray. Some curly-looking plants were sticking out near the side of it.
Punio saw the three of them come into the room as he approached them.
"You can get to the woods we Punies live in by going through that pipe there," Punio then begged them. "OK! Hurry! Hurry!"
"Got it, Punio," Andrew nodded as he approached the pipe. "Ready for our next adventure, Goombella and Koops?"
"Ready as I'll ever be," Goombella smirked as she also walked up to the pipe.
"OK. I'm ready too," Koops remarked as he joined Andrew and Goombella near the pipe.
"Great. Let's go," Andrew then nodded as he pressed himself against the pipe, which he went right through.
Goombella, Koops, and Punio did the same thing as they pressed against it and went right through the pipe. They were in for a big surprise once they saw the Boggly Woods.
And they would be in for a bigger surprise with what they'll be dealing with in regards to the X-Naut and getting the second Crytal Star; the Emerald Star.
Needless to say, the three travelers were about to start the second part of their adventure...
END OF CHAPTER 13...
Well, that's it for this chapter. I hope you are all eager to start reading Chapter 2, and I hope you enjoyed the chapter.
Now, I am aware of how most people think Chapter 2 in the game is boring due to the Puni Escort mission and some minor backtracking. But I'm gonna make this part as interesting as I can make it. That I can promise.
Anyway, next time Andrew, Goombella, and Koops see what the Boggly Woods for themselves for the first time. Also, they'll encounter the Shadow Sirens for the first time, another part of Andrew's backstory is revealed, as it's another reason why Andrew left his old home, and Andrew, Goombella, and Koops see the Great Tree up close.
Other things that'll be featured are that Punio suggested seeing a wind spirit to get rid of a flappy thingy that's invisible, Andrew and his two partners agree to help find a necklace and a few other things will occur. How will this go for them? Find out next time, readers.
For now, only if you like, you can leave a review for this chapter and let me know what you think. I look forward to writing the next couple of chapters, though. Just to let you know.
Aside from that, there's nothing else to say. So until next time, I hope you look forward to the following chapters, and on that note, thanks again for reading, everyone!