All right, fellow readers. Here is the 23rd chapter of this story!
Now, we're almost to the start of Chapter 3, where things start picking up in pace. But first, we have to get through the final part of the intermission.
For this chapter, Andrew and his three partners see Frankly, with Flurrie being introduced to him, and Frankly updates them on something he discovered from his books about the legendary treasure. Additionally, Andrew gets Koops and Flurrie powered up at Merlon's place with the six Shine Sprites he has, and he stops at the Inn to drop some stuff off and change his uniform, while also packing in some other stuff.
Then after some sidequests done offscreen and after finding out a secret, Andrew and his three partners negotiate with a mafia syndicate crime boss and get wrapped up in the middle of finding the crime boss' daughter and one of his associates who are planning to elope, and then they get the blimp tickets, along with a few other things that'll occur. How will things go for Andrew and his three partners? Read and find out now!
BACK AT PROFESSOR FRANKLY'S HOUSE - ON THE EAST SIDE OF ROGUEPORT:
Meanwhile, the professor himself was at his house as he was shown skimming through a couple of books that he had found regarding the legendary treasure behind the Thousand-Year Door.
He had just uncovered something from one of his books that involved the legendary treasure. What he had found out was that the town that rested on the spot where Rogueport stands currently a thousand years ago ended up sinking due to an unknown cataclysm, and being the ruins that are still held up in the Rogueport Sewers.
He also found out that the door was sealed shut by the Crystal Stars, which would last for a thousand years, and that the user of the Magical Map must gather the power of all seven of the Crystal Stars.
Professor Frankly was still unsure of a few things about the legendary treasure, such as what the cataclysm was in particular. The book he read that involved it was very vague in its description.
He'd have to look into it some more at another time. For now, this was one thing that he needed to inform Andrew, Goombella, and Koops about once they got back from their little trip to the Boggly Woods and got the Emerald Star that rested in the Great Tree there. He was wondering what was keeping them, and if they had gone to the Thousand-Year Door already.
Fortunately, his call was answered when he heard a knock at the door, to which he responded properly. "Come on in!"
The door opened up and poking his head into the house was Andrew. "Professor Frankly? We've returned."
"Ah, Andrew," Professor Frankly seemed ecstatic to see him again when Goombella and Koops poked their heads into the house as well. "And Goombella and Koops. You guys made it back safe and sound."
"We sure did," Andrew opened the door as he entered the house, with Goombella, Koops, and Flurrie following right behind him. "And we had quite the adventure with obtaining the Emerald Star from the Great Tree."
"I can tell from the expression on your face," Professor Frankly then proceeded to ask him. "Now tell me. You managed to obtain the Emerald Star from the Great Tree, correct?"
"Yes, Professor. But getting it wasn't easy," Andrew had to explain. "You see, the Great Tree was being invaded and raided by these bad guys who are called the X-Nauts."
"X-Nauts?" Frankly seemed curious.
"That's right, Professor," Goombella explained. "The X-Nauts were the same guys who tried kidnapping me at the Rogueport Harbor, with the person they were following, Lord Crump, leading the raid through the Great Tree and capturing the Punies there while they hunted for the Crystal Star."
"Yeah. And ummm..." Koops decided to speak up. "We also believe that the X-Nauts were the ones who kidnapped the princess and are after the Crystal Stars as well."
"Oh my. That sounds rather...bone chilling..." Frankly admitted before he took notice of Flurrie. "Oh! Uh, I don't believe we've met. Who is this woman that's with you guys?"
"Oh right. Professor Frankly, this is the glamourous Madame Flurrie," Andrew decided to introduce her to him. "She is a famous actress who had retired and was living in the Boggly Woods. And she helped us with driving the X-Nauts out of the Great Tree and saved the Punies that were living there. On top of obtaining the Crystal Star. I don't suppose you've ever heard of Flurrie, have you, Professor?"
"I'm sorry to say I haven't. But I'm glad that she was of big help to you guys with obtaining the Crystal Star instead of these X-Nauts." Professor Frankly admitted.
"Why Mr. Frankly, it is an honor and a privilege to be here in your acquaintance," Flurrie decided to greet him.
"Well, it's nice to meet you too, Madame Flurrie," Professor Frankly told her formally.
"My, my, no need for the formalities Professor," Flurrie insisted. "Just call me Flurrie, darling."
"All right, Flurrie," Frankly then had to ask her. "And I take it that you've decided to help Andrew, Goombella, and Koops here to collect the rest of the Crystal Stars, am I right?"
"Absolutely," Flurrie nodded. "I daresay that collecting the remaining Crystal Stars with these three would be a divine and terrific experience for me as a former touring actress."
"I see. Well, that's very good," Professor Frankly was willing to accept that.
"Yes, it is. Now that you've been introduced to Flurrie, we've gone to the door and held the Emerald Star up for the third location to appear," Andrew took out the Magical Map, opened it up, and placed it on Frankly's desk. "And we're ready to find out what the third location is."
"Wait! Before I check the map for you guys, there's something that I'd like to inform you on," Frankly told them.
"Oh? What is it, Professor?" Goombella raised an eyebrow.
"I've been looking through some books on the legendary treasure behind the Thousand-Year Door," Professor Frankly explained. "And there are a few things that I feel are imperative enough for you four to be notified of."
"Well, what are they?" Koops asked.
"Why, don't leave us in the dark," Flurrie encouraged him. "What did you find out, pray tell?"
"Hrmmmm, well..." Professor Frankly opened one of the books that he found the information in. "Perhaps maybe it'd be easier for you to see it for yourselves before I go into further details about it."
"OK, Professor. We're ready," Andrew crossed his arms and looked at him curiously along with Goombella, Koops, and Flurrie.
Professor Frankly wasted no time in opening the book to a page to show them the picture of the town that once stood where Rogueport is currently standing a thousand years ago.
"Professor? Isn't that the town that stood here a thousand years ago?" Andrew asked.
"Yes, it is. But there's more," Professor Frankly then turned the page to a picture of the supposed cataclysm taking place which destroyed the town and caused it to sink underneath. "Take a look at this."
"Hmm? Ooo... How spooky," Goombella commented rather wryly. "Wasn't that the town that got destroyed and became the ruins that is currently Rogueport Sewers?"
"Correct, Goombella," Frankly confirmed before turning it to another page. "Now take a look at this."
The four of them looked at it and saw that it was a picture of the Thousand-Year Door being sealed up by the seven Crystal Stars, and the supposed legendary treasure was being held behind it.
"Professor? That's the Thousand-Year Door," Koops decided to voice himself. "And the Crystal Stars as well. Ummm...are the Crystal Stars doing something to the door?"
"Yes, they are, actually," Frankly exclaimed. "You may assume that they're casting a lock of some kind on the door to keep it shut with the legendary treasure kept behind it."
"Oh my! How mysterious," Flurrie had to admit. "So the legendary treasure is supposedly being held behind the door. Am I correct in assuming so?"
"Correct," Professor Frankly said. "The legendary treasure spoken of by many has been kept behind the door which was sealed up for a millennium."
"Uh, I don't get it, Professor. What's the point of all this that you showed us?" Andrew had to ask him. "What does any of this mean?"
By the looks on the faces of Goombella, Koops, and Flurrie, they were also curious about what all of this meant. Frankly noticed the looks as he decided to elaborate in better detail for them.
"...That means that beneath this town, the thousand-year-old ruins remain intact," Professor Frankly explained as he pulled the book away, placed it on his desk, and then closed it up. "And that door's been sealed shut for a thousand years by the Crystal Stars... In order [to] open that seal, we have to muster the power of all the Crystal Stars."
"Wait, hold it, hold it, hold it, Professor," Andrew decided to speak up. "There's something that we don't get. Why would anyone want to seal the treasure behind the door?"
"Andrew's got a point, Professor Frankly?" Goombella agreed with him and spoke up. "I mean, the real question is, why did they seal the legendary treasure away to begin with?"
"Yeah," Koops agreed before saying. "You think maybe they just wanted to protect it from thieves and robbers?"
"If not, then what?" Flurrie asked as she pretty much agreed with the others about it.
"No, that's not..." Professor Frankly paused suddenly, unable to find a way to finish his sentence. Andrew and his three partners took notice of it as the muscular man decided to break the ice.
"Uh, that's not what, Professor?" Andrew asked with a raised eyebrow, with his three partners giving the professor a similar look.
"I don't KNOW!" Frankly yelled rather abruptly.
"WHOA!" Andrew lost his balance and fell over by that, while his partners couldn't help but flinch and yelp at Professor Frankly's sudden reaction to it.
Flurrie helped Andrew back onto his feet before they voiced themselves on this reaction.
"Sheesh, Professor..." Goombella huffed while panting.
"Whoa, Professor Frankly!" Koops yelped as he put his right hand over his chest while breathing heavily.
"Frankly, please!" Flurrie had to gasp in shock as she was also panting at this.
"Goodness, Professor Frankly," Andrew moaned as he then asked. "Were you trying to give us a heart attack or something?"
"I'm sorry. So sorry!" Professor Frankly apologized before elaborating further on what he already knew. "I know that the treasure was sealed away around the time the town was destroyed... But the problem is... No one's even sure what it was that caused the town's demise."
"Are you sure?" Andrew queried at that.
"Yes. At least, not that I'm aware of at the moment," Frankly told him. "All that's written is this: 'Darkness stole the sky and the cataclysm rained down.'"
"Yeah. That description is very vague," Andrew had to admit.
"That's why I must research this more," Professor Frankly exclaimed. "Assuming will just make an... Well, you know the saying."
"'Actually' we don't," Andrew admitted.
"But whatever," Goombella said in a rather sassy tone as she rolled her eyes along with Andrew.
"Yes," Flurrie made her comment on this before adding dryly. "How inappropriate."
"Anyway, what about the next Crystal Star?" Koops decided to ask. "It looks like it's floating on that map!"
"Yeah. It looks like a floating city in the sky," Andrew pointed out for Frankly to look at. "Do you happen to know what that location is?"
Frankly only observed it for a few moments before he realized where that location was.
"Hmm... Very interesting..." Professor Frankly mused before making the reveal. "Perhaps it's pointing to the floating town of Glitzville..."
"Glitzville?" Andrew tilted his head in confusion.
"Yes!" Professor Frankly explained to him. "There's a stunning arena there where great warriors engage in furious battles! Ostensibly, families go there on vacation to lounge and enjoy the fights, but... Behind the scenes, the richest people in the world wager on the bouts."
"I see," Andrew rubbed his chin before a thought crossed him. So our next location is in a public attraction that involves wrestling... Great...
"Y'know? I've heard all about Glitzville," Goombella had to confess. "I've always wanted to go there, but I've never been able to. I think I was supposed to go there on a field trip at the University of Goom. But it never happened since the professor who was assigned to take us there called in sick, so it never happened."
"Gee. That must've been rough, Goombella," Andrew told her. "Sorry to hear that."
"Oh, don't worry about it, Andrew," Goombella informed him. "The thing is, that's where the third Crystal Star is. So the four of us get to go there!"
"Um...there's still one problem, though," Koops decided to ask. "If it's a floating city... How the heck are we supposed to get there?"
"Indeed. Are we just supposed to sprout wings and fly there, darling?" Flurrie felt like asking.
"Hey! Why don't we just have Flurrie fly us there," Goombella proclaimed. "Surely you can get us to Glitzville, can't ya?"
"Afraid not, hon," Flurrie shook her head. "I can soar to great heights individually. But to carry all three of you up to a floating city such as Glitzville would be quite overwhelming."
"Yeah Flurrie," Andrew decided to assure her. "We wouldn't dare to put some extra pressure on you. So you won't have to do that."
"I knew you'd understand the dilemma of the situation, darling," Flurrie told him.
"Yeah," Andrew smiled before asking the Professor. "So, how do we get to Glitzville? I take it that there are no pipes that lead there, right?"
"Nope. There are no pipes that can get you there. Instead, a special blimp flies there... It departs from Rogueport several times a day," Frankly exclaimed before adding. "The problem is getting a seat. The only way to get a ticket is through certain 'channels'..."
Andrew felt his face pale up when Frankly mentioned channels, while his three partners were curious about this.
"What? What 'channels'? Stop being mysterious!" Goombella yelled at this. "How do we get seats on the ship?"
"Yeah," Koops decided to say. "That doesn't sound hard. Anyone can use these 'channels', right? Right?"
"Oooh! That sounds exciting! A little...on the seedy side," Flurrie then requested. "Show me the way!"
"Uh, guys. I don't think we should be hasty about these channels," Andrew decided to explain to them. "When he means channels, he's talking about a mafia. We'll have to deal with a mafia to get them. And that means we'll be interacting with a crime boss. Considering that this is a place called Rogueport, I shouldn't be surprised."
"Yeah. I can't argue with that," Goombella agreed. "If we deal with a mafia, then we should be extra careful."
"Exactly. I mean, didn't Al Koopone teach us anything about dealing with mafias?" Andrew asked in a serious tone.
"Uh...gulp. Yes..." Koops had to gulp. "That does sound scary..."
"I do believe that I have to agree with that," Flurrie also shared a similar reaction.
"Well, we might as well figure this out," Andrew asked the Professor. "What is the mafia that we have to deal with to get the Blimp Ticket?"
"Hrmmmmmmm... I don't know... But I guess we don't have much choice," Frankly was reluctant, but he obliged to it. "Word on the street is, all tickets go through Don Pianta on the west side."
"Don Pianta? Would he happen to be of the Pianta species?" Andrew had to query. "The Pianta species that resides on Isle Delfino?"
"That's correct, Andrew," Professor Frankly confirmed this to be true. "Anyway, you can head west from Rogueport's main plaza and you'll reach the west side of town. That part of town is under the control of Don Pianta, the Pianta syndicate head. 'Apparently', Don Pianta makes pretty regular jaunts over to Glitzville."
"So, no problem! We'll just go meet this Don Pianta guy, and we'll be on our way!" Goombella beamed.
"Well, hey, that sounds easy! We just have to talk to this Don Pianta person." Koops agreed.
"Mmmm... I like the sound of this Don Pianta fellow. I cannot WAIT to meet him!" Flurrie remarked in a fascinated manner.
"I dunno... If this Don Pianta person isn't any different than the Piantas who pulled a kangaroo court on Mario to get him to clean up their island and fix a mess that he never made in the first place, then something tells me that it might be difficult," Andrew had to explain to them wearily. "Combining that with the fact that he's the crime boss of a mafia syndicate; the Pianta Syndicate, it might not be easy to get that ticket."
"Andrew is correct, folks. He's a syndicate boss. The rumors about him are scary," Frankly agreed before telling them something else that was important. "And Don Pianta is a recluse. Just getting an audience with him will be difficult."
"Well that certainly helps," Andrew said sarcastically before sighing. "I know the feeling of being a recluse. I happened to be one until I came to Rogueport."
"Right," Frankly then cleared his throat as Andrew grabbed the Magical Map and put it in his pocket. "In any case, here's hoping that you four reach Don Pianta and safely get the blimp ticket for Glitzville. And good luck with getting the Crystal Star. I'll continue to look into the cataclysm however much I can. You just be careful out there."
"We will. Thanks, Professor," Andrew sighed before facing his three partners. "Come on you guys. We better get going."
Goombella, Koops, and Flurrie obliged as the four of them exited from Frankly's house.
Once they exited the house, Andrew stopped in front of Merlon's house. Considering that he has six Shine Sprites, now would be a perfect time for him to power up both Koops and Flurrie.
"Hey guys, while we're in front of Merlon's house," Andrew then looked at Koops and Flurrie. "I think now would be a good time to power up both of you and to have you learn a new move."
"Great idea," Koops agreed with this. "Would be a great time to do it with six Shine Sprites on hand."
"My, my, you are certainly full of surprises, darling," Flurrie said in excitement. "I would be happy to accept such a gift."
"I'm glad to hear that," Andrew walked towards the door. "Let's go see Merlon."
All three of them nodded as they followed Andrew into the house of Merlon. Merlon noticed that Andrew came back into his house, as he looked at him.
"Ah. I see that you've returned, Andrew," Merlon remarked.
"That's right," Andrew then pointed out. "And I got six Shine Sprites on hand this time."
"Excellent! That's great news," Merlon then had to ask him. "So... Which partner would you like me to power up?"
"I'm gonna start with Koops first," Andrew took out three of his six Shine Sprites. "Are you ready for this, Koops?"
"Sure. I'm ready," Koops nodded as he stepped up. "Ummm...I guess I look forward to this."
"Good," Andrew then faced Merlon again. "Well, Merlon. I'll go with Koops."
"Very well," Merlon then requested. "That'll be three Shine Sprites."
"Here you go," Andrew dropped the three Shine Sprites in his hands as he pocketed them.
From there, Merlon went behind his Crystal Ball and worked out his magic on Koops.
"SHA-ZIBBY!" Merlon shouted as the crystal ball floated in the air and started glowing. "SHA-ZOOBY!"
Just like with Goombella, Koops felt that magical force overcoming him, as he was curious about this. He felt that the room was spinning in circles.
After a few moments, Koops felt the magic force enter his body and he felt both stronger, and he was able to use a new move that he was taught.
"Gosh," Koops blinked as soon as it was finished. "Wow... That felt amazing. I didn't think I could feel any stronger than I did before. This is nice."
"I'm sure it is," Andrew said to his Koopa partner before he asked Merlon. "What was the new move that Koops learned?"
"Well, Koops had just learned a move called Shell Shield," Merlon explained. "With Shell Shield, he can summon a giant shell-shaped shield that can be used to defend you from attacks."
"Hey, that sounds pretty useful," Andrew admitted. "Koops, if you use that move when we're in a dangerous situation, I'm sure that it'll help me pull through quite all right."
"Gosh, Andrew. I'm glad to hear that," Koops rubbed the back of his head. "I'll be sure to use it to help you whenever a drastic battle takes place for us."
"I already look forward to that," Andrew smiled as he adjusted his handkerchief.
"Anyway, care to power up more?" Merlon had to ask.
"Sure do," Andrew smiled as he took out his remaining three Shine Sprites. "I'd like to power up Flurrie here as well. Are you ready for this, Flurrie?"
"Why, 'absolutely'," Flurrie floated to the center. "I wouldn't dream of missing such a perfect opportunity such as this to take place."
"Very well. Here's the other three Shine Sprites that I have," Andrew gave Merlon the Shine Sprites. "Now let's get Flurrie powered up as well."
"As you wish," Merlon nodded before pocketing the other three Shine Sprites he was given.
The same thing happened to Flurrie, as she felt the room spinning in circles and felt that magical force overcome her. The crystal ball floated in the air until Flurrie felt that magic force enter her body as she felt like a stronger woman, and had just learned a new move.
"My, my, my! Mercy me, darling! I've never felt better in all my life!" Flurrie had to admit in excitement as soon as it was over. "Why, I feel like I've become a whole lot stronger! That sensation was fabulous!"
"I'm glad that you enjoyed it, Flurrie," Andrew smiled at her before asking Merlon. "What new move did she learn?"
"Flurrie just learned a move called Lip Lock," Merlon explained again. "With Lip Lock, she can kiss her enemies and smooch out some of their energy and add it to her own."
"Hey Andrew," Goombella decided to tease him. "That's probably what Flurrie could've done with you when you two were on that rendezvous at her house."
"Come on Goombella," Andrew had to warn her before he focused on Flurrie. "Anyway Flurrie, that sounds like a useful move that you can use."
"It most certainly is," Flurrie agreed. "I daresay that I shall promise to use it whenever we are in a rut of a battle out there, darling."
"And I look forward to that too," Andrew grinned.
"Ahem! Since you are all out of Shine Sprites," Merlon then motioned them towards his door. "Then you may go."
"Right," Andrew looked at his three partners. "We better get going."
And that's what they did, as the four of them left Merlon's house.
"I have to stop at the Inn first," Andrew advised them. "There's some stuff that I have to drop off, and some other stuff that I want to pack up from the four suitcases of luggage that I brought with me."
"I beg your pardon? You said you have four suitcases on hand, correct?" Flurrie queried in confusion.
"Yes, Flurrie. I am gonna be in Rogueport for a while," Andrew explained to her. "So it'd make sense that I'd pack up four things of luggage for the time that I'll be here."
"How splendid. Let's make way for the Rogueport Inn," Flurrie declared.
"You got it," Andrew nodded as he headed for the Inn along with Goombella, Koops, and Flurrie. Andrew had some stuff to drop off and other stuff to pack into his backpack...
AT THE ROGUEPORT INN:
"Hello again, Mr. Andrew," the innkeeper greeted the muscular man who had just finished putting his old black combat boots into the corner next to his suitcases. "I take it that your travels are going well, correct?"
"They have," Andrew nodded. "Thanks for looking after my stuff, ma'am. And for washing my clothes and keeping my food and beverages refrigerated."
"Anytime, dear," the innkeeper noticed the Goomba, Koopa, and Wind Spirit who were traveling with Andrew. "You must be in good company with those companions of yours, huh?"
"Yeah. They have been helping me with this journey," Andrew told her. "I'm here to put on new clothes, and pack up some extra stuff that I'd like to bring with me to my next stop."
"Of course. Feel free to do so, dear," the innkeeper encouraged.
"Thank you," Andrew grabbed a new outfit to wear and held it in his hands.
He also stuffed some extra stuff into his backpack, including a pair of gym shorts and an undershirt. Since Glitzville was where a wrestling arena was located, it would make sense for him to wear such an outfit for the occasion.
As soon as he did that, he went into the bathroom to get changed up. He had the badges he was wearing transferred to a similar but different button-up t-shirt that he chose, while he did it. Andrew could count on the innkeeper to clean up his clothes while he was off on his next adventure.
It didn't take long for Andrew to be fully dressed in a new outfit as he approached Goombella, Koops, and Flurrie. Goombella was reading through her Tattle Log, Koops was eating a Mushroom that Andrew gave him, and Flurrie was casually drinking down a bottle of Healthy Juice that Andrew was willing to share with her.
As soon as Andrew cleared his throat, he got their attention. "Hey guys! Check me out!"
They did and they were astounded by what Andrew was wearing. Andrew was still wearing his blue ballcap and yellow-orange handkerchief, but now he was wearing blue colored jeans.
He was wearing another button-up t-shirt that was the same color as his previous one, but it was a separate one. Underneath that was a plain white t-shirt, and all of the badges that he was wearing were on the inside of the left side of his button-up t-shirt.
"How does it look?" Andrew asked.
"Why, you look fabulous, dearie," Flurrie complimented. "You look just as manly as ever!"
"I agree," Goombella agreed and smirked. "'Totally' dig the outfit, Andrew!"
"Yeah..." Koops commented. "Looks nice."
"Thanks, guys," Andrew thanked them before he looked at Flurrie. "So Flurrie, how was the Healthy Juice?"
"It was certainly fabulous, Andrew! It's to die for," Flurrie admitted. "I daresay, I could use more of these drinks when I decide to resume my touring actress career someday."
"I look forward to that. And I'll be sure to provide for you when it happens," Andrew promised her. "But for now, we have our next adventure to go on."
"I most certainly agree with you there," Flurrie finished up her bottle and placed it down. "I do believe it shall be time to get going."
"Yeah." Koops had finished the Mushroom that Andrew gave him. "That was a good Mushroom, by the way. Now I'm ready."
"I'm 'totally' ready too," Goombella beamed as she put her Tattle Log away. "Let's get this over with."
"You got it, guys," Andrew swung his backpack right onto his back as he was heading out of the Inn. "Let's head to the West Side of Rogueport."
The three of them nodded as they followed the muscular man out the door, as the four travelers had the ambition to head west and find a way to reach Don Pianta and get a blimp ticket to head to Glitzville...
IN THE WEST SIDE OF ROGUEPORT:
"Jeepers! Just what was that woman's beef!?" Goombella griped about Zess T. who had just made the four of them run a sidequest for a contact lens. "I can't believe that she had the nerve to force us to buy a new contact lens for her! WHAT A GROUCH!"
"Well, I have to admit," Andrew rubbed his chin. "The contact lens that I stepped on wasn't there a few seconds prior..."
"THAT'S EXACTLY WHAT I MEAN, ANDREW!" Goombella yelled quite furiously. "Even if it was there, it was an ACCIDENT! Zess T shouldn't have chewed your head off OVER A STUPID MISTAKE!"
"I daresay, the woman did seem rather gruff with the predicament," Flurrie had to admit.
"Not to mention the fact that she prevented us from going to the West Side of Rogueport until we ran an errand and bought her a new contact lens at the Toad Bros. Bazaar store," Goombella sneered in annoyance.
"Gee whiz," Koops had to comment on it. "The worst part was that Thriff T had to special order one for us since they didn't have one in stock. And it took ten minutes for it to show up..."
"I get it. And I agree with all of you," Andrew had to sigh. "But the important thing is that we got done with the silly sidequest, and now we're in the West Side of Rogueport."
Andrew had to inspect the West Side of Rogueport. He had to admit, it was relatively secure and was far cleaner compared to the rest of Rogueport, especially the East Side. There was a fountain, as well as a park with a flower patch. A single Goomba wearing a green tunic hat was relaxing in the flower patch.
Two apartments were shown, along with a big casino building which was the Pianta Parlor, and the Westside Goods store was placed right next to the parlor.
Andrew also noticed that a sewer grate was in the center of the street. He had a feeling that he'd have to go through it via Paper Mode sometime later.
Something tells me that I'll have to use Paper Mode for me and my allies to get through that sewer grate... Andrew thought before shaking his head and coming to a conclusion.
"OK. I'm convinced," Andrew declared. "The West Side of Rogueport looks cleaner and far friendlier than the rest of Rogueport."
"Can't argue with you there," Goombella admitted. "This is 'totally' the friendlier face of Rogueport. Not that it's, y'know, a great place to raise a family, but it's good for Rogueport."
"Yeah," Andrew nodded. "And that fountain over there looks like it's the most beautiful spot in Rogueport."
"You betcha," Goombella winked at him.
"Anyway, since we're here, we gotta figure out how we're gonna get to Don Pianta's office," Andrew had to ask his partners. "Do you guys have any ideas on how we can get to him."
"I'm completely unsure there, Andrew," Goombella frowned. "Sorry to say that I have no advice on how we can reach him."
"Ummm...I dunno either," Koops shrugged. "Not that it matters. I never met him anyway..."
"I am ashamed to admit that I haven't the foggiest idea as to how to reach him," Flurrie told him. "Sorry, dearie. I haven't met the man before..."
"It's fine, you guys," Andrew sighed and shook her head. "If only we knew exactly how we can reach him."
"Oh, so you guys are looking to meet the Don, huh?" A strange voice caught their attention. "How interesting."
"Huh? Who's there? Show yourself!" Andrew demanded as he and his three partners saw the suspicious guy for themselves.
It was a Doogan. Specifically, he was wearing street clothes, had yellow hair, and wore a massive oversized trench coat and a fedora hat to go with it. Covering his eyes were a pair of shades.
"Well, I couldn't help but overhear that you wish to see Don Pianta, the man who runs the entirety of the West Side of Rogueport," the Doogan proclaimed.
"Yeah," Andrew gave him a suspicious look. "How is that your business?"
"Well man, it just so happens that I know how you folks can see the Don himself," the Doogan told him.
"You do? You know how we can see Don Pianta?" Andrew asked him.
"That's what I said," the Doogan shrugged his shoulders. "After all, it comes with being associated with Ishnail and his gang."
"Ishnail?" Andrew was confused. "Who's that?"
"Ishnail happens to be the leader of the thief band called the Robbos," Goombella explained to her. "According to what I know, he runs the East Side of Rogueport, and he SERIOUSLY hates Don Pianta since they happen to be bitter rivals."
"Your Goomba friend is right," the Doogan agreed with her. "And since I'm associated with him, I happen to know how you can get to see Don Pianta in a flash."
"OK," Andrew approached him. "So tell us! How can we get to him?"
"Hold it! Not so fast," the Doogan held his hands up. "This part of the job doesn't come cheap. It's gonna cost you some dough before I can share the secret."
"Oh. Fine," Andrew sighed. "How much?"
"Hmmm...only about...64 coins," the Doogan told him. "Do we have a deal?"
Andrew reluctantly dug through his money and took out 64 coins. "There. That should do it. 64 coins in its entirety."
"Hmmm," he counted the money and was satisfied. "Perfect. Suckers. Ishnail is gonna be real proud of the job I pulled off for him."
"OK! OK! Enough with the smart alec cracks," Andrew grabbed him by the trenchcoat. "We have a deal. So how do we reach Don Pianta?"
"Easy. Easy. Hands off the merchandise, why don't ya?" The Doogan instructed as Andrew let go of him. "Now I suppose I should tell you the secret."
"Well? We're waiting," Andrew crossed his arms and gave him a cross expression.
"OK. Now the first thing you gotta do is go into that store over there, the Westside Goods," the Doogan pointed towards the store. "And in there, you'll see a female light blue Boo running the store."
"Go on," Goombella told him to continue.
"When you go into that store, you must purchase two items in a particular order," the Doogan continued. "First, you must buy a Dried Shroom, and then buy a Dizzy Dial. In that order. You got that?"
"Dried Shroom and Dizzy Dial," Koops repeated back. "Right. Got it."
"After that, the Boo lady will ask you a question," the Doogan exclaimed. "She'll ask you what is your favorite color?"
"And what is the answer, pray tell?" Flurrie gave him a suspicious look.
"The answer is yellow," the Doogan told them. "You got that? You have to answer that question with yellow. Not green, not blue, not red, not even orange. Yellow. Only yellow. Do you understand?"
"OK. So we answer that question with yellow after buying a Dried Shroom and Dizzy Dial in that correct order," Andrew understood what he said. "But how will that...?"
He was unable to finish his question as he saw the shady Doogan head back to the East Side of Rogueport with the dough that he got from Andrew.
"Heh heh heh! Suckers. Ishnail is gonna be real proud of me when he sees the dough that I just scored from that snotnosed bum," the Doogan snickered. "He might even give me a raise for pulling the job off and scoring 64 coins as a result."
With that, the Doogan was gone, leaving Andrew and his three partners alone again.
"Hey Andrew? You sure that you should've trusted him?" Goombella asked. "He probably just said that as an excuse to swindle us, just saying."
"I daresay, that suspicious Doogan could've just said that to make a quick buck out of us," Flurrie agreed. "Or if I shall say, 64 coins from it."
"I know. And he did look suspicious," Andrew had to tell them. "But we don't have any other ideas. We need to see Don Pianta and get that Blimp Ticket so we can get to Glitzville and get the Gold Star."
"Right..." Koops moaned. "In that case, we should head over to the Westside Goods."
"You got it," Andrew nodded as he headed for that particular store, with Goombella, Koops, and Flurrie following him.
As soon as they entered the store, they saw that the place had some stuff on the shelves, and had six goods that they could buy. But Andrew was only interested in getting two of them.
He got a good look at the Boo lady, who was named Peeka. She was a light blue Boo with white kitty ears on her head, sleeve collars on both hands and was wearing a pink bowtie underneath her mouth. The facial expression of Peeka had a strong resemblance to that of Lady Bow's.
As soon as Andrew walked up to the counter, he went for the Dried Shroom first. Peeka requested two coins from him, which Andrew gave her two coins before taking the Dried Shroom.
After that, he walked up to the Dizzy Dial and decided to purchase it. Peeka required 12 coins from him before he could take it. So Andrew gave her 12 coins before grabbing the Dizzy Dial. In total, Andrew spent 14 coins to buy both items.
After he was done buying, Peeka decided to move on to the question part of the scenario, as Andrew requested.
"Yeah, yeah... Here we go," Peeka told him dryly. "All 'righty', Mister. What color are your muscles?"
"What?" Andrew gave her a bewildered look, as did his three partners when Peeka realized that she made a mistake.
"Oops! What's wrong with me? That wasn't the right question at all! Uh... Let's try this again," she then asked him the correct question. "Ahem! OK, Mister... What's your favorite color?"
Andrew didn't bother wasting three seconds before he gave her an immediate answer.
"Yellow," Andrew said with a completely calm tone of voice.
It was then a sparkle was shown going through Peeka's eyes. She realized that this muscular guy must have some association with Don Pianta. And she knew what that meant.
"Uh-huh. Well, you check out. You know the password," Peeka advised him. "So, um, you must be an acquaintance of Don Pianta! Good for you."
Before Andrew could say anything else, Peeka floated over to a door that he hadn't noticed before until this very moment. Peeka then started speaking through the door, which automatically unlocked it.
Perhaps the door was voice-activated, and would only unlock if Peeka speaks into it about her customers guessing the right answer to the question. As soon as she was done, she faced Andrew and his three partners.
"You can go through the door," Peeka told them. "Go on with your bad self."
"Right," Andrew tugged on his handkerchief awkwardly before looking towards his partners. "Let's go see the Don, guys."
Goombella, Koops, and Flurrie simply nodded as they followed Andrew through the door and up a flight of stairs before reaching the door that led to Don Pianta's office...
As soon as they set foot into Don Pianta's office, they noticed the fact that the office looked no different than most offices for a hideout such as this. And standing right behind the desk at the end of the room was Don Pianta himself.
Don was an orange Pianta who wore the same green grass skirt as most Piantas do. He was also shown with a mustache, was wearing a dark suit, dark glasses that were triangular to signify his role as a crime boss leader, and wore a gangster-style fedora on his head, with that small palm tree placed on top of his hat, like most Piantas have.
Standing to the side were two yellow Piantas who wore the same dark suit as Don, but their shades were circular instead. Otherwise, they didn't wear hats as they had a single small palm tree on their heads. It was apparent that these two were Don's associates.
Andrew was convinced that the orange Pianta was Don, considering his appearance, as he cautiously approached him and got his attention.
"Uh, hello," Andrew said awkwardly.
"What's wid you, wise guy?" Don Pianta grumbled with a rather gruff voice and a Brooklyn accent. "I ain't too jolly today... If you got a beef, spit it out quick or dis is gonna hurt."
"Uh, I'm gonna get to the point," Andrew said cautiously. "We would like to have a blimp ticket so we can take the blimp straight to Glitzville."
Don Pianta had to adjust his shades upon hearing that. Did he hear the muscular man just ask him that? That he wanted a blimp ticket? Did he not know who he was dealing with?
"Ex-CUSE me? You want a... You want me to give you a ticket for 'da' blimp?" Don had to double-check. "Is dat what ya just asked me?"
"Yes. That's what I said," Andrew nodded.
"See, now, to me, dat's funny..." Don Pianta snorted. "You a stand-up comedian?"
"Uhh...no?" Andrew raised an eyebrow.
"Well you oughta be," Don Pianta told him sharply. "You got some nerve askin' me for dat. I'm Don Pianta! I make cryin' babies weep!"
Andrew sighed at this. He knew that they'd have to negotiate with him to get the ticket. Perhaps there could be a way to convince him otherwise. It wouldn't hurt to try, would it?
"Uhhh, listen, Mr. Don Pianta, sir," Andrew started. "Perhaps if we can work something out, then-"
"You heard what da boss said!" One of Don's associates, named Vinny, cut him off and told him. "You ain't gettin' diddly squat from him! What he says goes!" It was then Vinny turned to face Don to ask him. "You want I should run dis bum out on a rail, Boss? Lookit him! Whadda rube!"
"You must like pain, funny guy!" The other associate, named Tony, sneered at Andrew. "You just lookin' for trouble, or what?"
Andrew had to moan as Vinny and Tony were going to deal with him right on the spot. Before they could, Don Pianta whistled and got them to stop for a minute.
"Not so fast, boys," Don instructed them. "I like dis kid's gumption. He just came to talk, no? Dat 'ain't' a crime. So we talk. You boys can wait 'til we're done before you rough him up, you got it?"
Both Vinny and Tony nodded at that as Andrew frowned deeply before Don focused his attention on him again.
"So, I gotta assume you got a reason for wantin' a ticket for da blimp," Don Pianta then demanded an answer from him. "Out wid it!"
Andrew sighed once again. "Very well. I'll tell you the whole story."
Andrew spent the next few minutes explaining to Don that he needed it because he was doing a favor for someone to rescue a princess who's been abducted, and that he needed to collect the Crystal Stars to do it. And one of them was in Glitzville, which is why he needed the blimp ticket in the first place.
As soon as he was done explaining, Don had to make sure that he heard Andrew correctly.
"So dat's it," Don Pianta decided to say. "You doin' a favor for some guy by helpin' some broad what got herself kidnapped? An' to rescue dis dame, you're out collectin' da Crystal Stars?"
"That's right," Andrew nodded, officially confirming it.
"Da...Crystal Stars?" Vinny trailed off before bringing up with Don. "Hey, Boss! Ain't dose things in dat legend 'bout da ancient treasure?"
"Vinny, you're such a dope!" Tony elbowed Vinny in the rib before taking the opportunity to make fun of Andrew for this. "Hey, Boss! Dis knucklehead believes in fairy tales!"
"I don't think you'd be laughing if you saw it for yourself," Andrew deadpanned in annoyance, not appreciating that gesture.
His partners reacted no differently, as they each had their comments on the matter.
"Fairy tale nothing! That treasure's real!" Goombella yelled in agreement.
"Um... Excuse me, but, uh... That's not true!" Koops decided to argue. "The treasure is real! Honest!"
"Bite your tongue! Don't listen to that lout!" Flurrie advised sharply. "The treasure is as real as I am!"
And then there was Don himself. Truth be told, he wasn't in the mood to hold a debate in his office over some dumb nonsense such as a legendary treasure underneath Rogueport. He had his 'own' problems to attend to. They involved his daughter and one of his associates who ran off on him. He needed to put a stop to this right now.
"Everybody, just...shut it," the Don told everyone hotly. "I don't care if 'da' treasure is real or not. Get me? But I tell ya, I can't help but like a guy who wants to rescue some skirt for some guy that fell for her."
Andrew remained quiet. He could only hope that they could make a settlement or negotiation so that he could get the blimp ticket.
"I made my decision!" Don Pianta had declared, slamming his fists on his desk. "You do me a little...favor...[an'] you get your blimp ticket. Sounds fair, right?"
"Sure! We can do anything! What is it?" Koops sounded very desperate when he said that.
"Wait... What's the favor?" Goombella asked him more suspiciously.
"I'm not entirely sure I like the sound of this..." Flurrie felt very uncomfortable when she said that.
"That depends," Andrew then asked in a cautious tone. "What's the favor?"
I hope that we don't need to kill someone over a ticket... Andrew thought in his mind.
"It's easy. It's nothin'. It's less dan nothin'." Don Pianta explained the situation. "See, da thing is... My 'own' daughter...eloped [wit'] one of my young...associates. Dey vanished...but it wasn't too long ago dat dey did. Dey oughta still be nearby. You gotta find my daughter, Francesca, an' dis... Frankie...an' bring dem both here."
Why do I feel like we're walking right in the middle of a Goomiam Shakespeare story? Andrew thought to himself.
"If you are unable to bring dem here, then 'alls' you gotta do is tell me where dey are," Don Pianta exclaimed to him. "Then I shall settle dis matter quickly, an' wid what is known as extreme prejudice."
Andrew had remained quiet as he was taking in this favor that he was just told. Meanwhile, Vinny and Tony didn't feel comfortable letting some muscular stranger they never met take on a task that one of them should be able to do for him instead.
"Boss! We don't know nothin' about dis guy," Vinny argued. "You can't rely on some goofball for 'dis' job!"
"Yeah, Boss! Vinny's right!" Tony agreed. "Leave it to us to find Francesca!"
"QUIET, YOU!" Don Pianta bellowed quite furiously at both of them. "It's 'cause you lugs can't find her dat I gotta swallow my pride [an'] ask dis guy!"
After clearing his throat, Don then gave Vinny and Tony a sharp glare before warning them coldly. "I hope you 'dopes' ain't makin' complaints 'bout my decision. You makin' complaints?"
Vinny and Tony knew they were backing into a rut right now. They did not want to anger their boss like this unless they wanted to face his wrath for themselves. So there was only one solution that they could go with.
"No, Boss. Whatever you say goes, Boss." Vinny said quite nervously.
"I dunno what I was thinkin', Boss," Tony took back what he said and backtracked. "It won't happen again, Boss. You're 'da' boss, Boss."
"Good," Don Pianta said more calmly as he straightened out his tie. "I'm glad we're all of full understandin' for one another."
Vinny and Tony said nothing else as Don turned his attention back towards Andrew.
"So it's settled, yeah?" Don Pianta told him. "Find my daughter [an'] her...friend. Den come see me."
"Uhhh, sure," Andrew said cautiously before asking. "But do you have a photo of what they look like?"
"Of course," Don took out a photo that had Francesca and Frankie and showed it to him. "Francesca and Frankie look like 'dis'."
Andrew took a minute to observe that photo to see what they looked like.
Francesca was a yellow-colored Pianta wearing a white dress with a red ribbon, white sun hat, and golden-brown grass skirt, with the palm tree on her head also golden-brown.
Frankie, meanwhile, was a blue-colored Pianta who was wearing rectangular sunglasses, a white suit with a red tie, and a grass skirt.
Andrew was able to register exactly what they looked like in his mind, as he then managed to say.
"OK. That helps," Andrew informed him.
"[An'] just so we're clear here..." Don Pianta put the photo away and decided to warn him darkly. "If you don't find my daughter, your luck may turn terrible..."
"Uhhhh...right," Andrew had to gulp nervously before facing his three partners. "Come on guys. We better go find Francesca and Frankie."
Koops was shown with beads of sweat going down his head as he gulped nervously multiple times. Goombella and Flurrie, meanwhile, had worried expressions on their faces at the warning the Don Pianta just gave them. All four of them left the office and searched around Rogueport to find Francesca and Frankie...
AT THE ROGUEPORT HARBOR:
Their search for Francesca and Frankie eventually led them straight to the Rogueport Harbor; the same place where Andrew started his journey in Rogueport, and the very spot where Goombella was almost kidnapped by Lord Crump.
As the four of them walked by, the sailors working at the docks didn't acknowledge any of them, as they were too busy getting their jobs done.
"Andrew? You think that Francesca and Frankie are here?" Goombella asked him quietly.
"This is the only part we haven't checked yet," Andrew then saw something standing on the dock that he first stepped on when he first came here. "Hey look. Over there!"
Andrew pointed out, with Goombella, Koops, and Flurrie following his hand. Standing on that dock were two Piantas. They were Francesca and Frankie. And they looked just like they did in the photo that Don Pianta showed him earlier.
"Hey, ummm... That must be them," Koops pointed out.
"Yeah," Andrew nodded. "I guess I better get their attention."
Andrew walked over to them with his three partners behind him. Once he was right in front of Francesca, he decided to get her attention.
"Uh, excuse me," Andrew started slowly. "Can I talk to you for a second?"
"Hey, back off, you creep!" Francesca told him rudely. "You want something, or you just like sliding up to people?"
"Hold on. It's not anything like that," Andrew got straight to the point. "We were sent by Don Pianta to come find you two and escort both of you to him."
"WHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAT?! Daddy asked you to find us?" Francesca yelled. "And take us to him?!"
"That's what I said," Andrew deadpanned.
"Frankie, what should we do?" Francesca told him, desperate with not wanting Don Pianta to find her. "If Daddy finds us now... Oh, I don't know...and the boat's coming any minute..."
"Dollface..." Frankie, however, was having second thoughts about eloping too soon like this. "Maybe we oughta head back and try to talk to da boss one more time."
"No, Frankie! Don't say that!" Francesca didn't want to hear it. "Don't you know what he'll do to you if we do that?"
"Francesca... Babydoll..." Frankie sighed before telling her. "If we can just talk calm-like wit' da boss, he'll understand."
"Oh, Frankie... My Frankie... Don't you love me?" Francesca asked him like a six-year-old girl asking for permission from her father to get her a dollhouse.
"Of 'course' I love you, sugar cookie," Frankie wasted no time with admitting. "More dan anybody in da whole world!"
"Then let's go, Frankie! Let's run!" She tried encouraging him. "To the ends of the earth if we have to!"
"But, butter biscuit... Dey already found us out," he attempted to warn her. "We can't keep runnin' forever."
"We can, Frankie! The more you try to put out the flames of love, the hotter they burn!" Francesca started screaming as if she had possession of him. "Until I marry you, no one will extinguish these flames of passion! NO ONE!"
Frankie then shut his trap as Francesca turned around to face Andrew again.
"Don't you see, Mister?" Francesca then begged him. "I beg you: pretend you never saw us! Can you do that?"
"Ohhh...uhhh...uhhh...uhhh..." Andrew struggled with what to do about this as Francesca was giving him that pleading look to do what she said. "Oh. Ugh. OK. Fine. Very well, then..."
"Oh, thank you! Thank you! You're swell, Mister!" Francesca thanked him. "You're a real stand-up guy!"
"Right," Andrew said awkwardly as he faced his partners. "Come on, guys. We better get going..."
Andrew walked away from the dock along with Goombella, Koops, and Flurrie. Andrew remained quiet until he was too far away from them to hear him.
"OK. Now I'm convinced," Andrew had to admit. "I feel like we've just stepped into the middle of a Goomiam Shakespeare story."
"Tell me about it. I feel the same way," Goombella agreed. "Anyway, what should we do, Andrew?"
"Yeah. I mean," Koops had to clear his throat before saying. "I guess we should go tell Don Pianta SOMETHING."
"I must say, though..." Flurrie then decided to comment. "I don't fancy a run of terrible luck. That would be unfortunate."
It was then Andrew had to think to himself. He knew who they were dealing with, and making one wrong move would end up being their last move. Even though he made that promise, he had to break it this once to negotiate with the Pianta Syndicate mafia crime boss himself.
"Guys? I think there's only one thing we can do," Andrew had to sigh at this. "We gotta tell Don Pianta the truth."
"Whaaaat?!" Goombella thought she misheard Andrew. "But...But Andrew, you can't do that. You said..."
"I know what I said," Andrew sighed. "But we don't have a choice. We need to tell Don Pianta that his daughter and his associate are at the Rogueport Harbor."
"But you promised her that you wouldn't tell him," Goombella reminded him. "You made a promise that you shouldn't break."
"Look Goombella, if this Don Pianta was just a regular working-class fellow, then yes. I would lie," Andrew then informed her darkly about the cold hard truth. "But you seem to have forgotten WHO we're dealing with. We're dealing with Don Pianta, the crime boss of a mafia called the Pianta Syndicate! One wrong move with him, and it could be our last move. Our heads could get chopped off and placed on plaques hanging up in the office of Don Pianta himself!"
Andrew then cleared his throat before grimly asking her. "Now, let me ask you; can you picture yourself looking great with your head hanging up on Don Pianta's wall?"
It didn't take long for Goombella, Koops, and Flurrie to look horrified as they didn't like the thought of all four of their heads having been chopped off, placed on four separate plaques, and hanging on the Don Pianta's wall.
"Oh...Oh your right, Andrew," Goombella sighed. "I 'totally' can't stand the thought of being a headless Goomba whose head is hanging on a wall."
"Gulp...Ummm...me either," Koops had to shiver. "Being a headless Koopa isn't exactly pleasant in my thoughts."
"Mercy me! I am simply terrified of thinking of my head being chopped off!" Flurrie had to admit. "Being a headless Wind Spirit wouldn't do my adoring fans any good, shall I ever make a comeback as an actress? I daresay, I'd like to avoid such a catastrophe from occurring!"
"Good. Then it's settled," Andrew then declared. "Let's head back to Don Pianta's office and tell him the truth."
Nodding in fear of the possibility of their heads being chopped up if they mess up, Goombella, Koops, and Flurrie stayed close behind him as they headed back to the West Side of Rogueport to tell Don Pianta the big scoop as to the whereabouts of his daughter and one of his associates...
IN DON PIANTA'S OFFICE:
It took no time for Andrew and his three partners to make it back to Don Pianta's office. And by the look on Don Pianta's face, he looked like he was expecting Andrew to arrive right on cue, as Andrew approached his desk.
"Oh. Look who's come back. Da proverbial muscles. You gonna brighten my mood?" Don Pianta told him, to which Andrew nodded. "So give. What 'you' got? You know da whereabouts of dese two runaways?"
Andrew cleared his throat and immediately came out with the truth. "We know where they are. They're at the Rogueport Harbor, waiting for a boat that they can set sail on just to get eloped. And we are being completely honest right now."
"Oh, is dat a 'true' fact?" Don Pianta wondered, as he then accepted that as his answer. "Well done. I appreciate dis favor you 'done' for me. I'll prepare your blimp tickets. But first..."
Don Pianta then got the attention of Vinny and Tony by yelling at them. "Hey! Hey! You two nimrods! Da kids are at 'da' harbor! NOW GO GET 'EM!"
Vinny and Tony saluted as they were about to make their way to the harbor. However, before they could even move, a feminine voice called out as the door opened again.
"Daddy, wait!" Francesca's voice was heard as she and Frankie made it back to the office on their own.
"Francesca!" Don Pianta yelled in surprise at this twist of events.
"Boss! Forgive me, Boss!" Frankie begged of him. "I-I'm sorry! Truly, I am!"
"Frankie! So!" Don Pianta scoffed before sneering at him. "Back you come, head hung low an' wit' your tail between your legs!"
Francesca and Frankie walked up to his desk as Andrew and his three partners moved to the side.
"No, Daddy! Don't hurt him! I'm the one who said we should elope," Francesca told him. "It was ME! But Frankie said no! He said we should come back and talk to you, Daddy!"
"Boss! Listen, I don't care what you do to me! I deserve it all for bein' disloyal!" Frankie insisted. "But you gotta forgive her. Forgive your daughter, Boss! Dat's all I ask."
"No, Daddy! No! No! No! I'm the bad one. It's my fault!" Francesca cried. "If you're going to punish anyone, punish me!"
"No, Boss! It's all on me," Frankie proclaimed. "It's my responsibility! All da blame, right here."
"Daddy!" Francesca yelled.
"Boss!" Frankie yelled after her.
Don Pianta was growing fed up with what he assumed was their little guilt trip, so he decided to put a stop to that right here and now.
"YAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARGH!" Don Pianta boomed in fury. "Enough! QUIET! BOTH OF YOU!"
Don Pianta looked her daughter straight in the eyes before telling her sharply.
"Francesca! My headstrong daughter... You used up your last favor long ago!" Don Pianta then looked at Frankie with a disappointed glare in his eyes. "An' you, Frankie! You were like a son to me! Dis is how you repay your debt to Don Pianta? I feel such disappointment in you two, it's like a Poison Shroom in my gut."
Don Pianta then had to turn his back on them. He couldn't stand staring at their pleading looks to see whose fault it was and get him to feel guilty for both of them.
"Daddy!" Francesca yelled again.
"Boss!" Frankie also yelled right after her.
"I don't ever wanna see your mugs again! You hear me? Get outta my sight! Both of you! I don't care where! Just go!" Don Pianta finally gave in as he shouted at both of them. "...That's what you expected me to say, huh? Well, that's what I'm sayin'! Go! Do what you want! Even if it means gettin' married!"
"Oh, Daddy!" Francesca cooed sweetly.
"Dad! ...No! Wait," Frankie noticed his slip-up and immediately corrected himself. "I mean... BOSS!"
"Thank you so much, Daddy! Thanks for your blessing!" Francesca thanked him.
"Boss! I'll make your daughter a happy woman!" Frankie made a promise to him. "I promise you! She'll want for nothin'!"
"Enough already! Just go! GO!" Don Pianta yelled once more before sniffing to himself.
It was then Vinny and Tony decided to give their congratulations to Francesca and Frankie for their plans of marriage.
"Francesca... Seein' you dis happy makes me...happy too," Vinny admitted. "Congrats, both of [you]se!"
"Frankie! Dis is great! It ain't quite what I promised, but hey!" Tony commented. "Things turned out OK, am I right?"
Francesca then looked towards Don Pianta one last time just to say to him. "Goodbye, Daddy! Farewell! And thank you!"
And with that, Francesca and Frankie stormed out of the office, to set sail on a ship to get married as they headed back to the Rogueport Harbor.
Meanwhile, Andrew was standing there, with a blank look on his face. He was brought in the middle of a Goomiam Shakespeare story, just like he feared, combined with some cheesy soap opera. His partners were feeling similar to what Andrew was feeling.
After a couple of minutes, Andrew found his voice as he decided to get Don Pianta's attention.
"Ahem," he cleared his throat awkwardly.
"You still here?" Don Pianta wondered.
"Yes," Andrew admitted shyly.
"Hmph!" Don Pianta huffed before sighing. "Well, you found my daughter [an'] got her 'come' back here... An' just lookit how things turned out! What a complete [an'] utter soap opera. But hey, a deal's a deal. You can have your blimp ticket, like I said."
It was then Don Pianta handed him the Blimp Ticket, which was blue, as Andrew smiled lightly at this.
"Who knew? Dat guy's got her smilin' ear to ear! She's...happy. Dat's good," Don Pianta had to admit. "Hey, I knew you were 'da' right man for 'da' job! Thanks a bunch, pally!"
"Uh, right. We were honored to help," Andrew said sheepishly. "And thanks for the Blimp Ticket."
Don Pianta could only mutter before he said to him. "...But I don't wanna see dat gloomy face of yours no more! Don't ever come back here!"
"Right," Andrew sighed before facing his partners. "Come on, guys. We better go."
Without saying anything, Goombella, Koops and Flurrie followed Andrew out of Don Pianta's office as they were planning to get to the Rogueport Blimp.
"I must say, I do feel a slight pity for Don Pianta," Flurrie had to admit. "Honestly, seeing his daughter and one of his associates run off like that, leaving him in that state makes for such needless drama. I'd prefer it if things were more enticing for them."
"I feel the same way Flurrie," Andrew then told her the truth. "But unfortunately, it's not any of our business. We have no right to butt into their 'personal' matters. So our best move is to just stay out of it and let them handle it themselves."
"That's true, Andrew," Goombella sighed in agreement. "This is their family matter. And they have to resolve it on their own."
"Gee whiz. I mean, golly," Koops had to comment. "I just hope things aren't dramatic with me and my dad when Koopie Koo and I get married and want to have his blessing..."
"The way I see it Koops, I doubt that your wedding with Koopie Koo and the blessings you'll get from your dad will be nowhere near as dramatic as Francesca and Frankie," Andrew assured him.
As Koops nodded at that, they exited from the Westside Goods store and were on their way to the Rogueport Station up north.
"Well, anyway, we got the ticket," Andrew showed them the ticket. "You guys know what this means?"
"Yay! Awesome! We did it, Andrew!" Goombella cheered in a preppy manner. "Now we can go to Glitzville!"
"Yeah," Koops agreed. "We can go to Glitzville!"
"This is a splendid treat," Flurrie remarked. "Next stop, Glitzville!"
"OK! The Rogueport Station should be up north," Andrew pointed northward as he walked off in that direction. "Let's get going!"
Andrew stormed off towards the north, with Goombella and Koops trailing right behind him while Flurrie floated after them...
AT THE ROGUEPORT STATION:
It took no time for them to make it to the station, where a train was on the left side, and the blimp was on the right. Knowing where they needed to go, Andrew and his three partners went over to the right. They saw the blimp in the distance, and that the blimp had a strong resemblance to a Cheep Cheep. The bottom part was cyan, and right in front of them was a Cheep Cheep named Stewart.
Stewart was a regular red Cheep Cheep who wore a captain's hat and a green tie. Nothing else. Seeing that he must be the one who operates the blimp, Andrew approached him and asked.
"Excuse me, sir," Andrew started. "Is this the blimp that heads to Glitzville?"
"Yes. This blimp goes to Glitzville," Steward told him. "Will you be joining us on our flight today?"
"Yes. Yes, we are," Andrew nodded to confirm it.
"Ah! Please allow me to check your boarding pass." Stewart had required to see the ticket.
"I believe this is the right one," Andrew showed him the Blimp Ticket. "Will this be able to cover both me and my three partners here?"
"Yes. It will. Very good," Stewart nodded in satisfaction. "Then please watch your step as you step aboard."
Stewart moved to the side for Andrew and his three partners to make their way through. The four travelers walked past him and approached a green pipe, which led to the green pipe in the background, leading to the blimp itself. After Andrew grabbed a Star Piece behind the pipe and pocketed it, Andrew jumped on top of the pipe along with Goombella, Koops, and Flurrie and the four of them went right through it.
They then came out from the pipe in the background as they approached the blimp and climbed into the bottom part.
"OK! We're ready!" Andrew hollered as he made sure that his partners were in the bottom carrier of the blimp with him.
In a matter of seconds, the bottom part rose as it connected to the blimp itself afterwards. Once that was done, the blimp took flight as it went straight into the sky, bound for Glitzville.
"Omigosh! This is so 'totally' awesome!" Goombella had to admit cheerfully. "We're finally heading to Glitzville! This is gonna be so much fun! That Crystal Star shall be as good as ours!"
"Yeah. Pretty nice to be flying this high up in the sky," Koops commented. "Sure hope we can get to Glitzville safely and find that Crystal Star the moment we get there."
"Why, this is 'absolutely' a divine way of traveling. Truly," Flurrie remarked. "Surely this shall be a trip worth remembering for the ages. Am I right?"
"Yeah," Andrew said as he looked out the window. "I sure look forward to seeing what we'll be in for when we get to Glitzville."
And so Andrew just stared out the window along with his three partners as he waited for the blimp to arrive at their destination. Andrew was not sure what to expect from a public attraction such as Glitzville.
But what he did know was that this was the place where he and his partners would be getting the third Crystal Star; the Gold Star.
There was no doubt about it. The four travelers were going to start the third part of their adventure...
END OF CHAPTER 23...
Whew. I didn't realize just how long this intermission part was going to be. The other two weren't nearly as lengthy as this one, what with all the sidequests, negotiating with the Pianta Syndicate (which I made no secret of referring them as a mafia), and whatnot. Still, I hope that you all enjoyed the chapter, despite how long it is.
Yeah, I think you can guess who Al Koopone is based on, as well as Goomiam Shakespeare since they're pretty obvious.
I thought I did pretty well with how I depicted the Pianta Syndicate here, and how Andrew was cautious and weary about negotiating with a mafia.
Lastly, I left out some pointless sidequests, like the contact lens errand. And I had a suspicious Doogan take Ishnail's place to tell Andrew and his three comrades exactly how they can reach Don Pianta for 64 coins. I hope that's all right.
Speaking of which, Chapter 3 is going to be starting in the following chapter. I'm aware of how much of a fan-favorite the chapter is in the game, and I am going to keep to the spirit of it as much as I can. And yes, Andrew will be given a Glitz Pit name for his title. But I'm not going to spoil it, so you're gonna have to wait.
Anyway, as I said, the next chapter starts the third chapter. For that chapter, Andrew and his three partners arrive in Glitzville, they watch a wrestling match in the Glitz Pit, and find the Crystal Star supposedly on the champ belt. From there, they become fighters, register as minor leaguers at first, and are given the basics. And some other stuff too. How will this go? Find out next time, readers!
For now, only if you want to, you can leave a review and let me know what you thought of the chapter, overall. That's it.
Otherwise, I have nothing else to say. So until next time, I hope you look forward to Chapter 3. And on that note, thanks again for reading, everyone!