OK, readers. This is the 61st chapter of this story!
Now, we're just about to reach the climax of Chapter 6. In this chapter, Andrew and his friends see the mushrooms that Chef Shimi picked up from Riverside Station, only for all eight of them to feel grossed and disgusted by what the mushrooms look like. As a result, Andrew decided to provide for them something special to make up for it, with the Waitress's help.
In addition to that, the eight of them find out that all of the passengers have gone missing, they find out that the Smorgs that they drove off yesterday had stowed away, and they had managed to capture all of the passengers on the train.
And of course, the eight travelers will have to battle the Chapter 6 boss in the form of Smorg, rescue the passengers, and a few other things will occur. How will this go for them? Read and find out now!
LATER THAT NIGHT - ON THE EXCESS EXPRESS:
It didn't take long for all eight of the travelers to make it back to their cabin room #005. They had gotten situated, and it had already gotten dark out. They then heard the engineer speak through the intercom.
"BING! BONG! BING! BONG! Attention, all passengers." The Engineer announced. "Thank you for riding the Excess Express. Our next stop is our last, Poshley Heights."
As soon as the intercom was turned off, Andrew felt his belly grumble. His seven partners were also experiencing hunger from their grumbling stomachs. That meant only one thing. It was time for dinner. Andrew could only hope that this Mushroom Special could live up to its name.
"Well guys, you know what this means, right?" Andrew then instructed them. "Let's head to the dining car and get some dinner."
"Gotcha, Andrew!" Goombella winked at him. "I'm 'totally' down for the Mushroom Special that's being served tonight! Let's go!"
"Good idea, Andrew!" Koops nodded. "Might as well see what's being served... Especially with the busy work we've done in the Riverside Station... We deserve it..."
"What a positively wonderful idea, Andrew," Flurrie seemed astonished by the suggestion. "I daresay, I happen to look forward to trying out their mushroom bouillon and the mushroom mousse. This shall be a rather interesting dinner for all of us. Shall we get going, darling?"
"Aw yeah! Now we're talking, Presto!" Yoshiam was excited for dinner as he was bouncing up and down. "We've put in a hard day's work at the Riverside Station, so we deserve to chow down a bit! So let's head down and get a taste of the good life, dude!"
"OK, Andrew. I'm ready to eat too," Vivian remarked shyly. "We'd better see what the Mushroom Special looks like. I don't think it's a good idea for us to go to bed on an empty stomach. That would be bad."
"A rather smashing idea that you came up with there, Andrew," Bobbery nodded in a rather proud manner. "Old boy? Perhaps we'd better take ourselves to the dining car and check out what the Mushroom Special looks like, and if we shall be able to handle it, hmm?"
"Good choice there, Andrew," Ms. Mowz murmured before winking. "All of the work we've done in the Riverside Station means that we're entitled to spoil ourselves a bit. Shall we check out the Mushroom Special and see if it'll be an impressive delicacy, sweetie?"
"All right," Andrew nodded before walking to the door and opening it up. "Let's go to the dining car."
They were right behind him as the eight of them left the room and headed straight for the dining car. They had no idea of the quality of the mushrooms that Chef Shimi picked up at the Riverside Station. But they were gonna find that out for themselves, in a few moments...
It didn't take long at all for the eight of them to make it to the dining car, where Chef Shimi had prepared the Mushroom Special with the mushrooms that he picked up from Riverside Station.
Andrew was in front of his seven friends, who were covering both sides of him to see the meal for themselves. After clearing his throat, Andrew got Chef Shimi's attention.
"Hello? Chef Shimi?" Andrew started. "We're here."
"HELLO!" Chef Shimi greeted back.
"Yeah. We're here for the Mushroom Special," Andrew then asked him. "Do you have the mushrooms that'll be in tonight's meal?"
"Yes," Chef Shimi nodded. "The mushrooms in tonight's dinner were just picked in Riverside!"
"Uh, can we see them?" Andrew then smelled a foul odor from nearby, and he decided to ask about it. "And what is that horrible smell?"
"Of course," Chef Shimi got out the bowl that they were in and showed them to him and his friends. "Here they are."
Andrew realized that the smell was coming from the mushrooms. Seeming curious about this, Andrew leaned over to take a look. His Goomba, Koopa, Wind Spirit, Yoshi, Shadow Siren, Bob-omb, and Little Mouser friends followed suit as they also leaned over to see the mushrooms.
Unfortunately, the moment Andrew looked at them, he regretted doing so immediately, as did his seven friends. All eight of them looked appalled, disgusted, and sickened by what they were seeing.
The mushrooms that Chef Shimi picked up from Riverside Station were not in good condition. They were moldy and smelly, they looked spoiled, and they were 'basically' Dried 'Shrooms' by this point.
In other words, they were unedible and shouldn't be consumed at all. All eight of them looked green around the gills as they felt the urge to puke and they all had to comment on what they saw.
"Uhhhh, sir?" Andrew felt sick in the stomach. "That's what we're gonna be eating tonight?"
"Do you 'really' think...those are OK to eat?" Goombella asked, feeling her cheeks go green as she looked horrible in her face.
"Ummm..." Koops also felt nauseous in the face as he then asked. "Do you 'really' think...those are edible?"
"Oh, my," Flurrie felt her cheeks bloat as she also looked green in the face as she resisted the urge to regurgitate. "Do you honestly think...those are edible?"
"Boy..." Yoshiam didn't even like what he was seeing, and he looked like he was willing to skip this meal as he felt his eyes spinning. "Are you 'really' sure...those aren't poisonous?"
"Uh..." Vivian frowned in misery at the sight of this, as this was comparable to the rotten food her sister gave her as her meal. "Are you completely sure...those won't make us ill?"
"Hmmm..." Bobbery was feeling a sensation similar to seasickness, except they were on a train, and his stomach was churning. "Are you quite sure...those won't give us the raging heaves?"
"Ah..." Ms. Mowz felt her tail straighten out from the stench as she was also attempting to keep in her vomit. "Tell me, are you positive those things are edible?"
"What my friends and I are trying to say is that those mushrooms look like they're spoiled, they've gone bad, and they're 'basically' Dried Shrooms by now..." Andrew exclaimed as he felt some gagging coming out of his mouth. "We can't... Oh my... We can't eat 'em. Oh, man... I feel like I need to puke..."
"Us too..." All seven of his friends agreed in unison.
Without saying a single word, the eight travelers stormed out of the dining car and went to their room to grab the trash can, where all eight of them ended up puking their guts out collectively at the same time...
ONE RATHER DISCOMFORTING PUKING SESSION LATER...
By the time they were done with puking, Andrew's seven friends excused themselves to the restrooms to get cleaned up. Andrew didn't join them. He had some other business to take care of to set things straight.
For now, Goombella, Koops, Flurrie, Yoshiam, Vivian, Bobbery, and Ms. Mowz all came out of the restroom doors and headed back to the room that they shared with Andrew. They were glad that they didn't eat tonight's meal. Otherwise, their vomit would've been ten times worse.
"Jeepers! That was like, the worst thing that I've ever seen," Goombella griped. "I was 'totally' glad that we didn't eat that stuff. Otherwise, I would've done more than just puking, y'know?"
"Man... I agree..." Koops frowned. "Ummm... Wow. Still remember feeling nauseous from seeing those...mushrooms. Golly, wonder if Chef Shimi checked them before preparing to serve them to us..."
"My, my, my! That was a rather unpleasant experience!" Flurrie exclaimed loudly. "I daresay, I'm certainly glad that I didn't eat them, let alone the rest of us, and our darling, Andrew. That would've been a travesty for all of us!"
"Tell me about it!" Yoshiam agreed with a huff. "And that is ONE meal that I wouldn't mind passing up! And you all know what I think about eating, don'tcha?"
"Yes. We know, Yoshiam," Goombella sighed. "Still, who would want to eat those spoiled mushrooms anyway? Either some ignorant fool, or some chump who took a dare that he'd eat one, just like the guys that I knew back at the University of Goom."
"Hey, guys? Do you know where Andrew went?" Vivian asked in concern. "He said that he needed to take care of something after gagging with the rest of us. But I haven't seen him in a bit. I hope he's doing OK, especially since he had just gotten over from being sick too..."
"I must say, the old boy's got some fortitude to be able to handle whatever business it may be that he needs to take care of," Bobbery commented. "In any case, that was likely the most irksome experience that I have ever been put through. It'll be vexing if it were to happen a second time while on the Excess Express, eh wot?"
"Hmm mmm mmm, right," Ms. Mowz sighed. "I hope we never get put through that again. That was a terrible scenario. I have to wonder though, what did Andrew have to do? He would have come back to us by now, right?"
"Yeah. Yeah. I'm sure he's fine, Ms. Mowz," Goombella rolled her eyes. "I have to say, I am a little concerned about him. He got over being sick not too long ago. I hope he's feeling OK."
"Ummm... I think we're about to find out," Koops then pointed to the area up ahead, which showed Andrew talking to the Waitress. "Look over there."
Goombella and the others all looked at where Koops was pointing at. And from what they had witnessed, Andrew was giving the Waitress back what appeared to be her cell phone. Needless to say, they were rather confused by this.
"All right. That's all set," Andrew told her as he handed over her cell phone. "Thanks for the help, ma'am. I couldn't have done this on my own. Besides, there's no way my friends and I are eating those spoiled mushrooms."
"Like, anytime, Mr. Hot and Handsome Muscular Man," the Waitress told him with that cute valley girl voice. "I was so 'totally' happy to help you with that."
"And I appreciate it," Andrew smiled. "If I need anything else, I'll come get you. All right?"
"All right, you 'totally' hot man," the Waitress told him in a flirty tone.
"Right," Andrew then walked away from the Waitress.
By now, his seven friends were able to catch up to him, as Goombella decided to get his attention.
"Hey, Andrew! There you are!" Goombella yelled as she ran up next to him. "What were ya doing? And what didja talk to the Waitress about just now? Was it something 'totally' important?"
"Oh, it was nothing," Andrew told her confidentially as his other friends were by his side as well. "I just had to use her cell phone to make an important call. And to have something delivered to this train."
Goombella gave Andrew a shocked expression for a second when he said that, as they went back into their room. Then, in a matter of seconds, Goombella couldn't help but laugh at that. Was Andrew being serious? Did he make a call to have something delivered to the Excess Express? And just HOW would something be delivered onto a train that was currently on the move for Poshley Heights?
"Oh ha ha ha haaaaaaaa! Oh, Andrew, you're 'totally' killing me right now," Goombella chuckled. "What d'you mean by that?"
"I must concur, darling," Flurrie let out a light hearty laugh too. "Whatever do you mean when you say that you phoned for a delivery on this luxurious train?"
"You'll find out in a moment, guys," Andrew smirked as he crossed his arms and leaned against the window that was behind him.
All seven of them were confused by this point. Did Andrew have something special planned for them? And if so, what was it exactly?
Their question was answered immediately when they saw a Paratroopa knock on the window, getting Andrew to turn around. The Paratroopa had a green shell and was wearing a cap that one would expect to see from a frycook at a burger joint.
Andrew opened the window and let him in. A couple of paper bags were in his hands, and a whole bag of apples was draping over his shoulder.
"Ahem, aren't you Andrew? The one who called for delivery?" The Paratroopa asked.
"That would be me," Andrew confirmed.
"Great," the Paratroopa placed a couple of paper bags that had some food in them down before handing him the bag of apples that came with it. "Well, I have the order that you had asked for. Eight things of Shroomburgers, eight boxes of Frozen Fries, eight cans of Super Soda, and a whole bag consisting of 24 Apples that you also asked for. Is that correct?"
"Yes it is," Andrew nodded as he took out a sack full of coins to pay him off. "This should be enough to feed myself and my friends here for dinner. And the apples will be perfect for Yoshiam. He's my little Yoshi friend over there."
It was then all seven of them had jaw-dropped in awe at this. Andrew went through the trouble of hooking them all up with dinner that wasn't decaying or rancid. By this point, he has proven to be the effective leader that they needed. He was looking out for them. And this little act proves it.
"Good to know, sir," the Paratroopa then asked. "Now, I suppose that you remember the money that you have to pay me, right?"
"I have it right here," Andrew handed him the sack of coins with a star on the front of it. "I'm sure that this'll be enough to cover it, right?"
"Hmmm," the Paratroopa then looked into the sack and saw that it was full of coins. "Yup. This ought to cover it."
"Excellent," Andrew smiled. "It's been a pleasure doing business with you."
"Same to you," the Paratroopa kept the sack of coins draping over his back. "Enjoy your meal. And have a good night!"
"Right! You too!" Andrew called out to him. "Catch ya later!"
And with that, the Paratroopa ended up flying off with the coins he was given with him. Once he was gone, Andrew closed the window and looked back at his friends.
"Well guys, looks like we have something to eat," Andrew remarked. "And we have something to tie us over until tomorrow."
"Omigosh! Andrew! Didja seriously order us some food?" Goombella asked him. "To be delivered onto the Excess Express?"
"Of 'course' I did. I wasn't gonna let us starve," Andrew proclaimed. "And there was no way that I was gonna force us to eat those rotten mushrooms either. The waitress owed me a favor, so I had her loan me her phone so I could call the nearest fast food joint that's located in the Rogueport region. It's amazing how quickly it got onto a moving train such as this."
"Wow. Ummm... Wow," Koops uttered in awe. "Andrew? I knew you were amazing, but man... This is something else. You're just full of surprises, huh?"
"You could say that," Andrew rubbed the back of his head. "I'm also resourceful with how I can handle these problems that we encounter."
"Oh, my! Andrew, you rather thoughtful and marvelous man, you," Flurrie had to gush. "I am simply in awe at the generous thing you've done for us. Truly the kind of man that shall be leading us through this treacherous journey, regardless of what tries to stop us!"
"Yeah! Rock ON, Presto! You're the coolest, dude," Yoshiam was overexcited about the surprise. "Now we can eat something FRESH! And it's so wicked awesome that you got me some apples as well! Thanks, man!"
"Anytime, guys. Anytime," Andrew said modestly. "I'm just looking out for my friends. There's nothing special about that."
"Even so, this was 'really' nice of you, Andrew," Vivian had to approach him meekly before gushing slightly. "I'm... I'm so glad that you're leading us like this. You are such a sweet and dreamy man, Andrew!"
Andrew was blushing at the compliment that Vivian gave him as Bobbery then cleared his throat.
"Ahem, well old boy, you've done it again," Bobbery admitted. "You've 'definitely' proven yourself to be a rather effective and marvelous leader for making the extra effort for the likes of us. I must say, I am nothing short of impressed, Andrew. Many thanks to you."
"Hmmmm, this is a rather big surprise," Ms. Mowz shrugged. "But like they say, always accept a gift straight from the horse's mouth. Therefore, I am rather pleased that you'd do something like this. You certainly have my thanks as well Andrew, my sweet."
"Yeah," Andrew smiled. "OK. Now, everyone can grab a Shroomburger, a box of Frozen Fries, and a can of Super Soda. Oh, and the Apples are for Yoshiam. So whenever we're ready, we can chow down."
In a matter of seconds, they all had their respective meal that Andrew ordered for every one of them. Additionally, Yoshiam decided to eat 12 of the 24 apples tonight, as he felt like saving some extras for tomorrow.
While Yoshiam had inhaled his Shroomburger and Frozen Fries with one gulp with his tongue was typical by that point, the rest of them ate their meals at their usual pace.
In addition to that, all eight of them were able to drink down their Super Sodas that aren't sold in any stores in Rogueport. They enjoyed those too, and Yoshiam was able to eat those 12 Apples with no problem.
Needless to say, all eight of them were satisfied with getting some food in their stomachs. Especially food that wasn't spoiled or rotten. Eventually, they were all set to eat for the night and were completely stuffed with a decent meal.
"Well guys," Andrew had to remark. "I hope you all enjoyed the meals that I've ordered for you."
"Omigosh! Yes, Andrew! It was good!" Goombella exclaimed. "The Shroomburger was good! Far better than the ones served at McCleft's, along with the Frozen Fries and the Super Soda. This was 'totally' worth the wait, y'know?"
"Ummm... Yeah. 'Really' good Shroomburgers and Frozen Fries you got for us, Andrew," Koops nodded. "Sure beats eating the rotten mushrooms that Chef Shimi picked up for dinner. Man... That wouldn't have been good..."
"Oh, my! Mercy me! I haven't had such a delightful tasting Shroomburgers in ages!" Flurrie exclaimed. "Why, I do believe that it was the most delectable one that I've had in a long time. Not to mention the Frozen Fries and the Super Soda. Andrew, darling? You are a marvelous man. Far more marvelous than any other man that I've associated with. I give you my thanks for the thoughtful act that you have done for us, Andrew!"
"Yeah! Yeah! That was pretty rad, man," Yoshiam smiled. "The Shroomburger and Frozen Fries were awesome! So was the Super Soda! And don't get me started on the Apples! Those were cool. Way to go, Presto! It's like you to come to our aid when we need it most!"
"Yeah. This was 'really' sweet of you, Andrew," Vivian said meekly. "Seriously. I don't think it would've been good for us to starve tonight when we have a big day tomorrow. So it was a great idea to get us those nice Shroomburgers and Frozen Fries for us. The Super Soda was good too. Thank you for this."
"Aye! I believe that I can speak for all of us when I say that this was a rather tremendous treat that you had done for us, old boy!" Bobbery admitted. "Well, it certainly beats having to turn in with no supper whatsoever, Andrew. And it also is a step up from the rancid mushrooms that the chef picked up earlier at the station, eh?"
"Yes. Hmmm, it was a rather nice surprise," Ms. Mowz confessed. "Sure did enjoy the Shroomburger and the Frozen Fries without feeling sick from it. The Super Soda was wonderful too. And I truly appreciate you going the extra step for us, sweetie. Therefore, I am forever in your debt, Andrew."
"Well, what can I say? I wasn't gonna let you guys go hungry," Andrew admitted. "And besides, we're a team. And we look out for each other."
"That's right, Andrew," Goombella winked at him before beaming. "And y'know what? We're the best bunch of people to have ever worked together on this quest! We're the best team there is, and nobody can compare with it!"
"Hmm mmm mmm, I do have to agree with that," Ms. Mowz smirked. "We have made a marvelous team, sweetie. Especially after what we've accomplished at the Riverside Station."
"Yeah," Goombella sighed. "This does include Ms. Mowz. I... I guess it's all right that she's on our team."
"That's more like it, Goombella," Andrew smiled. "We're all in this together."
"Can't argue with you there," Goombella grinned at him.
"Anyway, now that we're done eating, we should take it easy for the night," Andrew suggested. "After all, you all know what's gonna happen tomorrow, right?"
"Yes! Of course! Tomorrow is finally Poshley Heights, is it?" Goombella wondered as Andrew nodded. "Phew! I HATE waiting!"
"Finally, we get to Poshley Heights tomorrow, huh?" Koops agreed with her.
"Yeah," Andrew nodded in agreement. "It's been quite a ride so far. But it should lead us upward now that the sticky yummy threat has been handled."
"My, my! Yes! And at long last, too!" Flurrie had to declare. "We simply must get the Crystal Star before those others! WE MUST!"
"No kidding," Yoshiam agreed. "We've gotta get the Crystal Star before those other goons, no matter what!"
"Yeah," Andrew said. "We can't let Beldam, Marilyn, or Doopliss beat us to the Garnet Star. We have to claim it first."
"Right, Andrew! We've got to get the Crystal Star before those others, at all costs!" Vivian nodded. "Let's get some sleep so we're fresh for the morning."
"Right!" Bobbery remarked. "Let's have ourselves a snooze so we're right as rain in the morning!"
"Hmmm, yes. No two ways about it, dearie," Ms. Mowz said calmly. "I think perhaps we should rest up before tomorrow."
"Good idea. We'll need all the rest we can get," Andrew then had to ask them. "Now is everyone all right with going with the same sleeping arrangements that we had last night?"
All seven of them nodded, which showed that they were willing to sleep in the same bunks as they did the previous night.
"Good. Glad to hear it," Andrew took off his backpack and his Ultra Boots and put them to the side. "Now, let's turn in for the night so we can be ready first thing tomorrow morning."
"Right," all seven of them chimed simultaneously as they got into the bunk bed.
Just like last night, Goombella, Koops, Yoshiam, and Bobbery went onto the top bunk after going up the ladder. While Andrew, Flurrie, Vivian, and Ms. Mowz climbed into the bottom bunk. It didn't take long for them to get comfortable as Andrew made sure that the lights were off.
"OK," Andrew then said to him. "Goodnight, guys."
"Goodnight Andrew," all of his friends bar Yoshiam said in unison.
"Goodnight Presto," Yoshiam said at the same time the others referred to him as Andrew.
With that, they all fell asleep in a matter of seconds. And the best part was, now that they weren't anxious anymore since the sticky yummy threat had been put to a stop, they remained asleep throughout the whole night, feeling nothing that they knew of could go wrong for them.
But what they didn't know was that something had snuck onto the bottom of the train. And they were gonna be in for one chaotic nightmare come tomorrow morning. And it would cause terror to the other passengers that Andrew and his friends would have to deal with. They would find out about that for themselves. There was no doubt about it...
THE NEXT MORNING - ON THE EXCESS EXPRESS:
A new morning has arrived on the Excess Express. And it seemed rather quiet and brisk this morning too. This was something that Andrew would take notice of, as he had started waking up. As soon as he stretched and sat up, he opened his eyes.
"Wow. That was the best night's sleep that I've had in ages," Andrew exclaimed before noticing he was alone in his bed. "Huh? That's strange. Flurrie, Vivian, and Ms. Mowz aren't in bed with me."
Andrew then got up and saw that the top bunk was empty too. "Hmm? Goombella, Koops, Yoshiam, and Bobbery aren't in the top bunk. Wonder where they all went to."
As Andrew was contemplating this, he put on his Ultra Boots and his backpack. He didn't want to assume the worst about his seven friends and that something bad happened to them. So he remained positive. It was breakfast time, and Yoshiam would want to eat more than the rest of them.
"I bet they went to breakfast without me," Andrew concluded. "That's all right. I know how badly Yoshiam loves eating breakfast. As long as they're safe, I do not have a problem with that."
After snapping his fingers, Andrew had made his decision. "Well, I guess I better go to the dining car and join up with them. I wouldn't like them to be worried about me."
And so Andrew was about to walk out the door and head to the dining car. However, before he could do so, his door opened up. Entering his room were Goombella, Koops, Flurrie, Yoshiam, Vivian, and Bobbery. Judging by their serious expressions, it seemed that something was wrong with the Excess Express, especially since Ms. Mowz was searching elsewhere.
"Oh, hey guys!" Andrew didn't take notice of their expressions at first. "I was just about to join you guys for breakfast. I'm glad to see that you're all safe."
It was then he noticed their expressions. This meant that something wasn't right and that there was something wrong this morning.
"What's wrong?" Andrew asked. "You guys seem upset by something. Is there something the matter?"
"Andrew? We HAVE a problem," Goombella went down to business when she said that.
"Problem? What problem?" Andrew was a little confused. "What are you talking about?"
"We woke up a little earlier this morning. And we were 'totally' going to the dining car for some grub," Goombella explained. "Only when we got there, nobody was around. What I'm saying Andrew is that all of the passengers are gone!"
"Gone? What do you mean they're gone?" Andrew raised an eyebrow.
"Well, Andrew... Gee whiz, how can I put this?" Koops wondered while twirling his fingers anxiously. "Ummm... We checked every room on the train. No one was around. You know? The Bob-omb family. That Businessman. Pennington. They weren't in their cabins last we checked."
"They're not? Huh. That's strange," Andrew scratched his temple. "And you haven't seen anyone in the dining car either, correct?"
"'Absolutely', dearie! We hadn't seen sight of anyone on the train!" Flurrie exclaimed. "That rather adorable little Waitress is missing, as is the good train conductor of the Excess Express. I must say, I've dealt with suspenseful moments before. But this is entirely out of my league, darling!"
"Yeah! Even that Chef Shimi guy isn't around!" Yoshiam gripped. "We weren't able to get anything for breakfast since he wasn't around! So I had to snack on the remaining 12 Apples. Still, this reeks of funny business. How could they all go missing on us when the train never stopped during the night?"
"Geez. This is getting more mysterious all the time," Andrew rubbed his chin. "And you're saying that ALL of the passengers have gone missing?"
"Yes, Andrew," Vivian nodded while approaching him for comfort while twirling her pink hair with her index finger. "Everyone's missing. There's the ones that the others mentioned. There's Heff T. And Toodles too. All of them have vanished!"
"And we ain't got a single tick as to their whereabouts and their disappearance," Bobbery added. "Still, I sense that there is something rather unsavory going on that we know nothing about right now, old boy."
"Right," Andrew then noticed that one person was missing when he asked in concern. "Guys? Where's Ms. Mowz?"
"Right behind you, sweetie," a voice spoke up from behind, getting Andrew to jump.
"YIPE!" Andrew yelled before looking to see that it was Ms. Mowz, having climbed back in from the window that she opened up. "Ms. Mowz? Don't scare me like that. I almost had a heart attack."
"I apologize for that, dearie," Ms. Mowz then explained. "I was just checking out the rooftop of the Excess Express to see where the passengers disappeared to."
"Did you find anything?" Andrew wondered.
"Nothing," Ms. Mowz shook her head as she closed the window and jumped back down to regroup with the others. "There was nothing but fresh air up there. I had no luck finding anything either."
"Well, that's fine," Andrew sighed. "And you're saying that you guys checked every room, huh?"
"Yes! That's 'totally' what we said," Goombella remarked. "Jeepers, I sure hope nothing bad happened to them."
"Me either," Andrew then decided to bring up. "What about the luggage car? Did you get to check in there since the Conductor has gone missing?"
"Well, we tried checking it. But the door was locked on the other side," Goombella had to admit. "We couldn't go in there to investigate. Weird."
"Saying this is weird is putting it lightly. Something fishy is going on here, and it isn't the rotten mushrooms that Chef Shimi served for dinner last night," Andrew admitted before asking. "Did you check on everyone that's riding on the train?"
"Well, all but one," Koops confessed. "Ummm... The only room we didn't check yet was the Engineer's car. Dunno if he's all right. Otherwise, we're riding on a runaway train... Which would be bad..."
"Yeah. No doubt about that," Andrew then came up with an idea. "Well, let's go see if the Engineer is all right at least. Shall we get going?"
"Of course," all seven of them nodded at that as the eight of them left the cabin.
They wasted no time in getting to the Engineer's car to see if he was all right. If he was, Andrew would have to tell him about the fact that the other passengers had disappeared somehow. He didn't know how to explain it. But he would figure something out once he does tell him about it...
It didn't take long for all eight of them to make it to the engineer's room. They had hoped that the Engineer was OK. To their relief, he was. He was still driving the Excess Express and made sure it remained on its course for Poshley Heights.
"Whew," Andrew wiped his forehead. "At least the Engineer's still here. What a relief."
"Tell me about it," Goombella agreed. "Still, we dunno what happened to the others. Might be a good idea to inform him of the missing passengers, don'tcha think?"
"Good idea," Andrew nodded. "Let's get his attention."
All eight of them approached the Engineer, with Andrew getting his attention after clearing his throat. "Uh, excuse me? Mr. Engineer, sir?"
The Engineer turned around and noticed that Andrew and his friends stopped in to give him a visit.
"Ah, good morning, sir," the Engineer greeted. "It's quite quiet this morning, wouldn't you say?"
"Yeah. A little too quiet," Andrew then had to come out with it. "Uh, sir? There's something 'really' important that we have to tell you."
"Sure," the Engineer looked curious by this. "What is it?"
"Well, you see, we-" Andrew started to explain to him.
He was then cut off when a small black creature appeared on the windshield, and it looked rather familiar. This got all of them to turn around and look at it.
"Hm? Is there something on the windshield?" The Engineer was curious about this.
In a matter of seconds, the entire windshield was covered by that same creature. It was revealed to be the Smorgs that were at the station yesterday, as summoned by Beldam.
"YAAAAAAAAAAAAARGH!" The Engineer yelled in fright. "What are these things?"
"WHAT THE...!?" Andrew yelled and jumped at their presence.
"EWW!" Goombella gagged at their presence.
"Um," Koops uttered in a timid tone.
"My," Flurrie gasped in shock and horror.
"Whoa," Yoshiam jumped and bulged his eyes at them.
"Uh," Vivian murmured while twirling her fingers nervously.
"Why," Bobbery felt his mustache twitch upon noticing them.
"Hey," Ms. Mowz blinked in shock at the sight of them.
"Guys," Andrew then realized what they were. "Those are the things from the station yesterday!"
"They must've stowed away!" All eight of them yelled simultaneously.
"W-W-W-W-W-W-W-W-W-W-What...sh-sh-sh-sh-sh-sh-should I... d-d-d-d-d-d-d-d-d-d-d-d-do?" The Engineer was 'clearly' panicking at the sight of them since he'd never dealt with this before. "Uh... F-F-F-F-F-F-F-F-F-First we h-have to ensure th-the p-p-p-p-p-passengers' safety! B-B-B-B-B-B-B-But I have to...k-k-k-k-k-k-keep driving...the t-t-t-t-t-t-t-t-t-train... A-A-A-A-A-A-A-A-Andrew... C-C-C-Can you check on the p-p-p-p-p-p-passengers?"
It was then Andrew came to a rather horrifying realization. And it involved the missing passengers and how these creatures might have a connection to it.
"Guys? You... You don't think..." Andrew had to clear his throat before asking loudly. "You don't think that THESE CREATURES HAD KIDNAPPED ALL OF THE PASSENGERS, DO YOU!?"
"OMIGOSH! YOU'RE SO 'TOTALLY' RIGHT!" Goombella screamed in agreement. "WE HAVE TO FIND THEM!"
"In that case, we shall make our way to the luggage car!" Flurrie declared as she pointed the opposite way. "We shan't keep those poor unfortunate souls waiting any longer! We must stop these foul monsters from unleashing terror upon the Excess Express! COME ALONG NOW, DARLING!"
"No kidding," Andrew agreed as he scurried his feet. "Let's get a MOVE ON!"
And with that, Andrew charged out the door, with his seven friends trailing behind him, as they made their way to the other end of the train. They had seen that the Smorgs had covered ALL of the windows on the train, and that meant they were trying to take over. And the missing passengers mean that they may have abducted them.
It didn't take them long to make it to the other end of the train, where Andrew went ahead and opened the door leading into the luggage car. To their surprise, it was unlocked this time.
"Gee... It's unlocked," Koops blinked at this. "Wow... Wonder why it isn't..."
"Probably cause those creatures locked it earlier. Now that they're covering the train top, it's now accessible for us," Andrew deduced before opening the door. "Let's go! They must be in here!"
As soon as they got in there, they were greeted with a horrifying sight. The Smorgs had infested the luggage car without keeping the door locked. They were also making a weird chant while flocking the luggage car.
"SMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORG..." The Smorgs chanted absentmindedly.
"Whoa!" Andrew yelped. "Guys, they must've gotten into the train from here!"
"Omigosh, you're right, Andrew!" Goombella agreed. "They're totally inside the train now!"
"Well, you know what we must do," Andrew declared as he got out his Super Bat. "We'll have to fend them off!"
"Now you're speaking my language, Andrew," Goombella declared willingly. "Let's take 'em out!"
"We have to take them out!" Koops remarked in a panic.
"Let's exterminate them!" Flurrie bellowed.
"Let's get 'em, Presto!" Yoshiam pounded his fist into his palm.
"We have to clear them out!" Vivian stated, willing to do so.
"Let's have at them!" Bobbery insisted, looking ready to light his fuse to blow up on the Smorgs.
"We have to take them out!" Ms. Mowz cracked her fingers as if she was ready to get to work.
"Right! Let's get to it!" Andrew then ran over and swung his Super Bat into the Smorgs.
Flurrie followed suit with her Gale Force as a means to blow away the Smorgs from sight. Everyone else did the same attacks that they've done on them yesterday at the Riverside Station. A few moments later, the Smorgs ended up releasing someone that they had in their captivity.
"YIIIIIIIIIIEEEE!" That belonged to the Waitress as she was shown frowning in fear.
The eight of them then went to dispose of the other Smorgs that were flocking in a pile around someone else. Sadly, the efforts of Andrew, Goombella, Koops, Flurrie, Yoshiam, Vivian, Bobbery, and Ms. Mowz proved to be too much for them that the Smorgs had to let go of the other person that they were holding hostage.
"ARRRGGHHH!" That belonged to the Conductor, who was shivering in fright at what had happened.
At that moment, all of the Smorgs retreated to the outside of the train through that window that was above. Andrew had to make sure that both of them were all right before he could continue with his friends.
"Hey," Andrew asked in concern. "Are you guys all right?"
"Ah, Detective Andrew!" The Conductor remarked, sounding scared. "You saved us again?"
"Sure seems like it," Andrew then turned his attention to the Waitress. "How about you, sweetheart? Are you all right?"
"Hey, I must've been taken by those black things while I was sleeping," the Waitress uttered meekly. "Scary..."
"It's OK, sweetheart," Andrew assured her. "I'm here to help out, and I drove them away from you."
"They seem to have come into the baggage car through that open window!" The Conductor declared as he was still shivering. "And they still have many of our paying passengers! Oh, those poor souls!"
"In that case, we have to save them," Andrew declared. "Let's go, guys!"
"Yeah, Andrew! I'm all for saving them too, y'know," Goombella then pointed out. "But how are we going to get outside? We can't reach that window, and the only way we can is if we use the pipe bars nearby."
"I get it," Andrew smirked. "And with my Spring Jump, we can get up there and get outside in no time."
"Gotcha, Andrew!" Goombella winked at him. "Let's go for it!"
"Right," Andrew then instructed. "Now I'm gonna need all of you to grab a hold of me as I use my Spring Jump to get up to that pipe bar."
All seven of them nodded as they complied when Andrew went under the pipe bar. Once he was standing underneath it, he performed the Spring Jump, which propelled him upward into the bar, which he grabbed with both hands and started sliding to where the window was located, with his friends joining him.
As soon as they were on the box ledge where the window was, Andrew let go of the pipe bar and dashed right through the window, with his seven friends following him, as they were about to deal with the Smorgs on top of the Excess Express...
It took no time at all for the eight traveling heroes to make it to the outside portion of the Excess Express, where there were a ton of Smorgs infesting the train, especially on the top of it. Despite this, Andrew could feel the fresh air that he was getting a whiff of as the train was moving.
"Whoa," Andrew blinked at this. "So now we're outside on the Excess Express?"
"Yup. This is the train's roof," Goombella saw the scenery quickly moving by her. "Look at that scenery go whipping by! Wowser!"
"Yeah," Andrew agreed with her. "Unfortunately, there's the problem that we're currently stuck with."
"Duh! This is no time for me to be describing stuff!" Goombella then referred to the Smorgs. "These guys are so ANNOYING! They're flippy and floppy and gross and I HATE them!"
"I think all of us hate them," Andrew stated, to which his seven other friends nodded in agreement.
"Let's get rid of them!" Goombella declared.
"I shan't agree with you more," Flurrie huffed. "Why, these louts are a massive disturbance to the brisk fresh air! We must dispose of them!"
"I must say, these ruffians are a little bit on the vexatious side, dear boy," Bobbery agreed. "Let's make haste and get to the front of the train and exterminate these hooligans!"
"Very well," Andrew got out his Super Bat. "Let's get on top of the train and head to the front of the train."
With that, all eight of them got onto the roof of the Excess Express. From there, they stormed their way through the Smorgs and to the front of the train, with Andrew swinging his Super Bat into any Smorg that tried to jump him. Flurrie gave her assistance by using her Gale Force while tailing right above Andrew. Everyone else continued using the same attacks that they'd been using while following Andrew and Flurrie to the front of the train.
They kept doing this for a few minutes until they made it to the top of the engineer's car on the train. It was then the Smorgs decided to take action against this.
"SMOOO-OOORG!" The Smorgs roared like a monstrous fiend.
"Aw yeah!" Yoshiam cheered. "Looks like we got them numbered, Presto!"
"Uh, not so fast! I don't think they're giving up that easily," Andrew then pointed to how all of the Smorgs were retreating to the middle to fuse 'together'. "Look!"
All eight of them saw how all of the Smorgs went to the one spot on top of the engineer's car and formed a pile. As soon as all of them were in that one spot, the Smorgs transformed and became one massive piece of monstrosity.
The middle body part of the Smorg was made up of magenta Smorgs instead of black. Smorg also had four legs attached to the edges of the train. And emerging from the body were three tentacles, each one consisting of the passengers that it had taken hostage and were not willing to release them.
"Wuh? What the...?" Andrew was shocked at what he was looking at.
"What IS that thing?" Koops was also flabbergasted by what he was witnessing in front of him.
"I dunno, Koops," Andrew shook his head. "But that thing certainly is a lot of things. You know what they are?"
"Gross?" Goombella guessed.
"Foul?" Flurrie wondered.
"Gnarly?" Yoshiam added.
"Nasty?" Vivian took a guess.
"Rank?" Bobbery queried.
"Vile?" Ms. Mowz pondered.
"And 'absolutely' horrid," Andrew finished for them before he noticed the passengers who were held hostage. "Uh, guys? Look up there!"
"It's got the other passengers!" All eight of them yelled in horror at this.
"HEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEELP!" All of the passengers screamed in a pleading manner. "AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAACK!"
It was then Andrew felt his eyebrows furrow, his fists tightened around the Super Bat, as he knew what must be done. To set free the Bob-omb Family, the Ratooey Businessman, Pennington, Chef Shimi, Heff T, and Toodles, he'd have to take down the Smorg along with his friends.
"SMOOO-OOORG!" Smorg bellowed another roar, showing that it was ready to tear up Andrew and his team.
"I'm not afraid of you," Andrew sneered at the monster. "OK, guys! Looks like we're gonna have to fight this monster to free the passengers!"
"Aw yeah! FINALLY!" Yoshiam was eager to pummel the Smorg and beat it to a pulp. "I've been ITCHING for a fight for a while! Let's ROCK!"
"But first things first," Andrew then turned to Goombella, who figured out what he was about to ask her. "Goombella? Do you have any information on this monster?"
"I'm 'totally' on it, Andrew!" Goombella had her Tattle Log out as she skimmed through the pages to find the right page that Smorg was on.
In a few moments, Goombella found what she was looking for. "Ah-HA! Found it! You ready to hear it, Andrew?"
"I'm ready as I've always been," Andrew then encouraged. "Let's hear it."
"Gotcha! Ahem!" Goombella then started reading from the Tattle Log. "That's a Smorg. Lots of Smorgs gathered to create this huge monster."
"Smorg, huh?" Andrew rubbed his chin as this was new to him. "Well, that's new. I've never heard of this creature before."
Vivian, by contrast, had let out a gasp. It was all coming back to her. She had remembered seeing the Smorgs before. And it did have something to do with Beldam.
"Yeah. They're not common, from what I've heard," Goombella then continued reading. "It attacks with weird tentacles. Its body is invulnerable to all attacks unless we take out the tentacles first. Defeating the tentacles will make the magenta body vulnerable to any attack."
"I see," Andrew nodded. "That's some helpful advice! We'll have to take out the tentacles first!"
"Wait! There's more!" Goombella continued. "'Apparently', the tentacles will regenerate, but use that time to deal a ton of damage, OK?"
"No problem. We can do that, right guys?" Andrew wondered.
"You bet, Presto!" Yoshiam beamed. "We'll trash this scumbag in no time!"
"Just be careful when doing so," Goombella felt like warning them. "It may also take other forms with better strength and can lay the hurting on us faster. I don't 'really' know."
"Yeah. We'll have to remain on guard at all times," Andrew informed them as he saw that the Smorg was gonna strike them with all three tentacles with Tentacle Slap. "Guys! It's about to attack us! LET'S GET OUT OF THE WAY!"
At that moment, all eight of them scurried out of the way before the Smorg slammed them with its Tentacle Slam. Andrew, of course, saved Goombella from being crushed by its tentacles. By this point, she was not surprised by this.
"Jeepers Andrew. I'd like to say I'm surprised, but I'm not," Goombella smirked. "Still, thanks. I 'totally' appreciate it!"
"Anytime," Andrew then wondered. "Anything else that we have to know about Smorg?"
"Not much else," Goombella did a shrug of some kind. "All I can say is that let's just hurry and beat this thing down so we can save those trapped passengers!"
"If you ask me, I am 'definitely' certain that Beldam was the one who summoned these Smorgs at the station yesterday," Andrew proclaimed. "And I bet she allowed them to stow away and kidnap the passengers just to slow us down and get the Crystal Star before we do."
"Golly," Koops had to blink at this. "That doesn't sound good..."
"It isn't!" Vivian agreed before sharing something. "There's something important that I remembered! And it involves the Smorgs!"
"Oh?" Andrew looked at her curiously. "What is it, Vivian?"
"I remember all these times that my sister would summon these fiends whenever they had to guard something important and keep people from trespassing," Vivian shared with them fearfully. "They can multiply quickly until they form this monster like the one in front of us! Then they get both aggressive and powerful! Though they aren't that smart, they will act on instinct and will do anything to kill their prey at all costs! We have to be careful, Andrew!"
"Whoa!" Andrew gasped at this. "That is something to keep in mind when fighting this dangerous creature. But how did you know that?"
"It's like I said Andrew, Beldam used to summon these creatures when I was still with her. I think she threatened to punish me by feeding me to the Smorgs that she summoned," Vivian recalled with a frown. "I only thought they were familiar yesterday, but once Goombella revealed the name, it came back to me."
"Yeah," Andrew frowned. "Seeing that you're with me, it's typical that she'd pull this stunt on us! And we gotta stop it before it devours the passengers!"
"I must agree with you, darling! Except there's still one dilemma," Flurrie then brought up. "Didn't Goombella just say we shan't do anything to its body until we dispose of the tentacles?"
"That's true," Andrew then remembered something. "Thankfully, I have just the item for the job."
"Hmmm," Ms. Mowz looked at him curiously. "And what would that be, my sweet?"
"With this," Andrew then took out the Shooting Star item that he had in his backpack this whole time. "I thought that this would've been important to save, and I was right. Now I'm gonna put it to good use!"
In a matter of seconds, Andrew activated the item. Moments later, shooting stars plummeted from the sky as they plowed into Smorg and its tentacles. As soon as the display was done, the tentacles were damaged enough that they withered down underneath, leaving the body vulnerable to all attacks.
"By Blubbery's blotches! That was some capital thinking there, old boy! Smashing, even," Bobbery exclaimed. "Now then, perhaps it would be the most suitable time for us to have at it with this scoundrel, eh wot?"
"Good idea," Andrew smirked, readying his Super Bat. "Let's give it our all, guys!"
Without saying anything else, Andrew charged into the fray, wielding his bat right over his head. Once he was close enough, he performed a Power Swing on it, which got it to feel some pain.
Andrew then followed up on that with a Power Jump, which got stronger thanks to the Ultra Boots. Needless to say, the Smorg had screeched in agony, but its tentacles needed time to recover before it could attack again.
In the meantime, the travelers took advantage of this by striking it directly. Goombella stepped up and delivered a painful Multibonk on the Smorg, striking it at least 6 times in a row before doing a back flip away from the Smorg, where she landed near the others.
The Smorg didn't even get to react when Koops got into his shell and plowed right into it with his Shell Toss. He then did a little breakdance routine upon contacting it, before he got out of his shell and went back over to Andrew. Ms. Mowz seemed quite curious and intrigued by that. She had never witnessed something like that before.
"Hmm mmm mmm, that's interesting," Ms. Mowz commented. "I had no idea that Koops was capable of dancing like that. Very wonderful."
"Oh, well, uhhh... It's just a hobby of mine," Koops rubbed the back of his neck. "That's all."
"Yeah. And we are all impressed by it," Andrew proclaimed.
"SMOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOORG!" The Smorg howled in pain at the damage it was sustaining.
"Why, I do believe that we have the upper hand," Flurrie exclaimed. "I must say, it shan't be long before this scoundrel starts attacking us again. We'd best give it our all while we can!"
With that, Flurrie then soared through the air and landed on the Smorg with a Body Slam attack. It made contact with it and caused some more damage. Yoshiam followed it up with flutter-jumping into the air and was prepared to land a Ground Pound attack on it.
Once he was right above it, Yoshiam then struck the Smorg on the head, landing five strikes in a row.
"Yeah!" Yoshiam did a backflip through the air and landed near where the others were standing. "That felt wicked awesome!"
Vivian was next, as she teleported through the shadows and appeared right in front of the Smorg, where she then decked it with her Shade Fist. Even though the Smorg didn't catch on fire, it did some more damage to it.
It was then Bobbery's turn as he walked up to the Smorg and lit his fuse. Once he was in front of the Smorg, Bobbery started flashing red, and in a matter of seconds, he performed his Bomb attack by exploding next to the Smorg.
The Smorg yelped in agony at the impact of the blast, when Bobbery regenerated and landed right next to Andrew.
"All right! Ms. Mowz, it's your turn!" Andrew then looked at his Little Mouser friend. "I take it that you know how to fight, right?"
"Do I know how to fight?" Ms. Mowz remarked slyly. "How do you suppose that I'm successful with swiping badges, sweetie? Let me give you a demonstration."
With that, Ms. Mowz scurried over to the Smorg and then jumped up before landing on top of it with her high heels. She then performed her Love Slap by slapping it at least three times. Surprisingly, it ignored the armor, similar to Yoshiam's Gulp attack.
She then finished her turn with a simple smack in the Smorg's face with her tail before she did a back flip off of the cretin, and landed right next to Andrew.
"How was that, dearie? Are you impressed by what you saw?" Ms. Mowz asked him in such a sly manner.
"Very. That was great," Andrew gave her a thumbs up. "Now let's...huh?"
By now, the tentacles were able to regenerate, as all three of them resurfaced and were over the Smorg's body, with the passengers still trapped in them.
"Guys? Looks like the tentacles are back," Andrew then warned them. "We better get out of the way!"
"Gotcha Andrew!" Goombella yelled as she jumped away from one of the tentacles that tried unleashing its Tentacle Slap on her.
The rest of them got out of harm's way. Koops went into his shell and propelled himself from danger, while Vivian hid in the shadows to avoid getting struck, and everyone else just scattered.
Andrew then came face to face with one of the tentacles that was about to use Tentacle Slap on him. Andrew was able to jump backward and get out of the way in time. But he still felt the impact of the attack, which caused him to be skidding backward an extra foot or so.
By the time he stopped, he felt the lash on his chest, which was slightly bruised and stung. But otherwise, he was still raring to fight.
"Yowch!" Andrew winced. "OK. That thing is powerful!"
"You OK, Andrew?" Goombella asked.
"Yes. I'm fine, Goombella," Andrew then declared. "Now we're gonna have to take out the tentacles again before we can do anything else to the Smorg! Let's go for it!"
With a sprinting charge, Andrew jumped into the air and delivered his Multibounce attack on the three tentacles, inflicting some damage on all of them.
Bobbery then decided to set up his Bomb Squad attack by tossing his Bomb Squad mini time bombs right near the Smorg. It would take five minutes before they go off.
"All right! That ought to do the trick! Andrew, old boy!? The Bomb Squads are set to go off in five minutes, which gives you and the others an opening," Bobbery declared. "Be sure to cover for me while I get ready to blast away at this bloke once the tentacles have been obliterated, temporary as it may be!"
"You got it, Bobbery," Andrew yelled. "Let's take care of the tentacles!"
And with that, Goombella used her Headbonk on the left-side tentacle while Flurrie unleashed her Body Slam on the right-side tentacle. Ms. Mowz volunteered to help by jumping into the air, landing on the center tentacle, and dishing out her Love Slap on the tentacle, before backflipping off of it and landing back onto the ground.
"Aw yeah! Now we're getting somewhere!" Yoshiam beamed, laying three Mini-Eggs to perform his Mini-Egg attack. "Now it's my turn to give it a whirl!"
As soon as all three of them were behind him. Yoshiam tossed all three of them at the tentacles, each one striking and impaling damage on each of the tentacles.
At that moment, Vivian decided to step up and attack. She then took her right gloved hand and waved her index finger through the air, causing a magical sparkle to appear.
In a matter of seconds, she had performed her Fiery Jinx attack on the tentacles, scorching all three of them in flames until they were turned to ashes. This caused the tentacles to wither down, leaving the Smorg unable to attack and vulnerable to their attack.
"A smashing success with disposing of those tentacles, old boy!" Bobbery then walked over to the Smorg and lit his fuse. "Now it'd be my turn to handle the matter with this ruffian right here and now! I shall give it a blast it will never forget, if I may add!"
Andrew said nothing as he watched Bobbery unleash his Bomb attack on the defenseless Smorg, blasting away at it and leaving behind more damage.
"SMOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOORG!" The Smorg roared in agony and pain, as Bobbery regenerated and landed right next to Andrew.
"Great job, Bobbery! Now I can take over," Andrew decided to try out his Spring Jump on the Smorg. "I'm gonna see how the Spring Jump will impact this monster. Here I go!"
After crouching onto his knees, Andrew sprang upward into the air, where he spun around and aimed his feet at the Smorg. He then made a significant impact on it upon landing, before he jumped into the air and spun around until he landed on the Smorg butt-first.
As the Smorg howled at this, Andrew spun through the air in a rather acrobatic manner before he landed back on the ground on his feet.
Goombella then walked up and dished out another Headbonk attack on the Smorg, striking it two times and causing some more pain to the monster. She was heard laughing as she did a backflip away from the Smorg and landed right where the others were.
Koops, meanwhile, decided to go into his shell and unleash his Power Shell on the Smorg. He plowed right through it and caused some more pain to it. Koops then skid back over to the other travelers, where he then did a little breakdance routine, before getting back onto his feet.
Flurrie then floated up to the defenseless Smorg and performed her Lip Lock attack. She started smooching the monster, draining it of its energy where she then claimed it as her own, doing a fashionable wink upon completing it.
"All right, guys! We're getting there," Andrew praised them. "Keep it up, and we'll have dealt with this Smorg in no time!"
"You said it, Presto!" Yoshiam gave him a thumbs up.
He then flutter-jumped into the air and went to dish out another Ground Pound attack on the Smorg, striking it five times in a row.
"SMOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOORG!" The Smorg roared at this, deciding to try something else for these eight travelers.
Andrew and his friends then witnessed the Smorg summoning a different kind of tentacle from its head. It looked more like a pincer, and it looked like it could cut right through them.
"Uh, guys? That looks like a pincher," Andrew pointed out.
"Omigosh! You're right, Andrew!" Goombella yelped. "And it 'totally' could impale us to undeniable pain if we're not careful with dodging it!"
"Yeah," Andrew then saw the pincher tentacles preparing to use a Pinch attack on all eight of them. "We better get out of the way, guys!"
All of them were for that as they scattered out of the way. Vivian used her Veil move by grabbing hold of Andrew and dragging him and herself into the shadows for protection.
The Pinch attack looked like it couldn't sliced right through them had they not gotten out of the way in time. So they were very lucky to have dodged it. After it was done, Vivian resurfaced along with Andrew, as they were safe to have gotten out of the way.
"Thanks for the save, Vivian," Andrew told her. "We could've been sliced by the pinchers if we hadn't done that."
"Anytime, Andrew," Vivian told him sweetly.
By now, the five-minute time limit was up, as the three Bomb Squad time bombs went off. All three of them had a significant impact on the Smorg and its pincher tentacle. It let out another screech upon feeling the blast of each one.
"By Blabberton's beards! Andrew, old boy, looks like the Bomb Squad did the job they were given," Bobbery exclaimed. "Now, I suppose we must have at it some more with this cad, eh?"
"Right," Andrew nodded. "Let's keep it up."
"Hmm mmm mmm. You said it, sweetie," Ms. Mowz did a flip and winked at him before approaching the Smorg.
Landing a kick on the pincher tentacle, Ms. Mowz then landed in front of the Smorg where she delivered another Love Slap attack, striking the monster three times in a row while piercing through its armor.
At that moment, the pincher tentacle tried to use its Pinch attack on Yoshiam. He was one step ahead as he jumped out of the way in time, as the pincher was stuck.
Yoshiam used this opportunity to jump right on top of it as he ran across the tentacle until he landed on top of the Smorg itself. He then dished out his Ground Pound attack, striking it five times in a row.
Vivian then went and held out her right hand again, taking her index finger and swirling it into the air, with a magic sparkle appearing as a result. The Smorg and the Pincher Tentacle succumbed victim to her Fiery Jinx attack, striking both of them and scorching the Pincher Tentacle to ashes. The body was left unprotected again.
Flurrie used this chance to soar through the air and landed another Body Slam attack on the Smorg, dealing some more damage to it before getting off. Koops then got into his shell and plowed right into the Smorg with his Shell Toss, dealing some more significant damage.
"SMOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOORG!" The Smorg screeched in agonizing pain.
"Whew," Andrew wiped his forehead. "Man, this monster is tough."
"No kidding, Andrew," Goombella agreed with a pant. "I think we're 'totally' starting to lose some steam here, y'know!?"
"Good idea, Goombella," Andrew got out the Magical Map. "It's about time we pulled something like this off."
In a matter of seconds, Andrew had managed to summon the Sapphire Star, which was hovering right over his head.
"Oh, my! The Sapphire Star!" Flurrie gasped in amazement at this. "Darling? Does this mean...?"
"Yes," Andrew nodded. "It's about time we pull this off. This calls for the move known as Sweet Feast!"
Essentially, Sweet Feast had the same effects as Sweet Treat. The only difference was that it was stronger since the needed energy was coming from the Sapphire Star itself. Andrew was about to try it out and see if it worked for him.
The Sapphire Star floated back and forth above Andrew and his friends, sprinkling them with shiny blue sparkles that were used to replenish their energy. It continued to do this for a few moments or so.
Eventually, the Sapphire Star was all done as all eight of them felt a ton of energy resurging through their bodies. Feeling entirely replenished, the Sapphire Star then vanished into a bunch of blue sparkles, meaning that its job was done, and it could be summoned again whenever Andrew needed it.
Needless to say, all eight of them were raring to fight some more since their energy was replenished.
"Wow, guys. I feel completely energized!" Andrew exclaimed. "That was even better than Sweet Treat!"
"So do the rest of us," Goombella winked at him. "We're 'totally' ready to deck this creep!"
"Ummm... Wow," Koops had to blink at this. "That sure felt great. Now I'm not feeling tired."
"I must concur. The deed of the Sapphire Star has been accomplished, and thusly, we're raring to brawl again, if you may," Bobbery declared. "Honestly, our fortitude is certainly a force to be reckoned with, and is much stronger than the scoundrel that's in front of us, eh wot?"
"That's right! But still, keep your guard up!" Andrew proclaimed. "We still have a bit more to go!"
With that, Andrew then charged for the Smorg and landed another Power Jump on the monster, dealing some more damage to it. Yoshiam followed suit by laying three more Mini-Eggs, to perform another Mini-Egg attack.
Once they were behind him, Yoshiam tossed all three of them at the Smorg, dealing some more damage to it. Goombella then delivered another Multibonk to the Smorg, striking him at least 9 times in a row.
By now, the Smorg resummoned its pincher tentacle, where it was then ready to land another Pinch attack on them. Most of them were able to get out of harm's way again, with Andrew feeling a slight blow from the impact nearly hitting him.
Bobbery, meanwhile, decided that it was time to try something else. He then performed his Hold Fast attack by lighting his fuse which was flashing red, waiting for the pincher tentacle to attack him.
Seeing that it wasn't so smart, the Smorg was able to buy the bait by having its pincher tentacle use its Pinch attack on it. As soon as it made contact, Bobbery immediately blew up in front of the tentacle, delivering twice as much damage back to the Smorg as it would've done normally had Bobbery not done that.
"Wow. That must be his Hold Fast move," Andrew blinked at this as he saw Bobbery regenerate and land right near him. "Seriously though, you OK Bobbery?"
"Aye! I happen to have a few tactics up my fuse that I've mastered on the battlefield, dear boy," Bobbery proclaimed. "It takes a lot more than an entire squadron of these hooligans to bring this old sea Bob-omb down, Andrew!"
"Very good," Andrew saw that the Smorg was getting worn out, meaning that it was at the end of its rope, and it almost met its number. "Looks like we're almost done, guys! Now let's finish this!"
Andrew then went and used his Power Swing on the Smorg with his bat before landing one last Power Jump on it. Goombella walked over and then dished out a Headbonk on it, backflipping out of the way in time for Koops to go into his shell, where he delivered a Power Shell to plow right through it.
As soon as Koops was done with another breakdance routine, Flurrie floated over and unleashed her Lip Lock attack, by kissing the Smorg and draining it of its energy, which she added to her own. Yoshiam then flutter-jumped into the air and unleashed his Ground Pound on it, striking it five times in a row.
Vivian then popped up in front of the Smorg and decked it with her Shade Fist, landing some more damage. Bobbery then lit his fuse again as he walked over to unleash his Bomb attack. In a matter of seconds, he exploded and struck the Smorg, dealing some more pain to it.
"SMOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOORG!" The Smorg howled, almost having been beaten.
"All right! Now we just need one more attack to finish it off!" Andrew declared.
"Leave it to me, Andrew," Ms. Mowz adjusted her mask as she approached the Smorg. "I'll finish it off."
With one leap, Ms. Mowz landed on top of the Smorg with her high-heeled foot, before she performed her Love Slap attack. She slapped the Smorg three times in a row before she spun around and struck the Smorg across the face with her tail. Seeing that her job was done, Ms. Mowz scurried back over to where the others were standing.
The Smorg couldn't believe it. These eight travelers managed to beat it because they couldn't fight any longer. There was no doubt about it. They had done them in. They had to concede and release the passengers that they were holding hostage. After a few moments, Smorg then started muttering weakly before being knocked out cold.
"SMORGSMORGSMOOoOoOoooo..." The Smorgs were all out cold in a matter of seconds.
They were then blown away by the wind, never to be seen again. The passengers were shaken up but were glad that the whole nightmarish ordeal had finally come to a close. Andrew took notice of this and was glad that they had finally driven those Smorgs off for good.
"All right!" Andrew beamed as he jumped. "Looks like we did it guys! We saved the train!"
"Yeah! I knew we could do it, Andrew!" Vivian agreed with him. "We better check on the passengers and see if they're all right. They must be frightened after what they had been put through."
"Good idea, Vivian," Andrew then approached the passengers. "Hey! Are you guys all right?"
The Bob-omb Family, the Ratooey Businessman, Pennington, Chef Shimi, Heff T, and Toodles all nodded. They were all shaken up by this, but it was good to know that they were OK.
"Very good. Glad to know that you're OK," Andrew then motioned them. "Now, why don't we all head back into the train after what we've been through this morning."
"Wait," Toodles called out, getting Andrew to stop for a second. "Mind escorting a divine 'fabulous' looking woman such as myself into the train, you glorious muscular man, you?"
"Sure," Andrew felt a blush appear on his face as he held out his right muscular arm for her to grab.
She then wrapped both of her arms around his masculine arm, looking at him in such a seductive manner, that she saw him as her 'own' private dreamboat.
"You're marvelous, dear. Going through your way to rescue poor little ol' me from that horrid scoundrel," Toodles swooned in his face. "It would be an honor to get escorted back to my domain by such a handsome manly muscular face like yourself, Andrew. This is just divine."
"It sure is," Andrew said with a rather manly tone as he escorted the rich Toad woman back into the Excess Express, with Goombella shaking her head at this.
"OK! The rest of you can follow us back into the train," Goombella told them. "We're 'totally' shaken up by this, so let's get a move on and get back to the train."
With that, Goombella raced after Andrew and Toodles. Koops, Flurrie, Yoshiam, Vivian, Bobbery, and Ms. Mowz were quick to follow them, as the other passengers and Chef Shimi trailed right behind them. They were glad that this nightmare was over. And that they could get to Poshley Heights safely...
LATER THAT MORNING - ON THE EXCESS EXPRESS:
After a brief breakfast break, Andrew and his seven friends were now out in the hallway of the passenger car where their cabin room was located. Accompanying them were Pennington, Toodles, the Bob-omb Family, and Chef Shimi, along with the waitress and the conductor.
Judging by the flirty expressions that they were giving Andrew, the waitress, and Toodles 'clearly' had the hots for him as they were both occupying his muscular arms with glee, swooning over his manly body as a result. Andrew was blushing slightly from this gesture, but he had assumed that they were just grateful that he saved them. The Conductor decided to speak first as he said to Andrew.
"Thank you!" The Conductor said. "Boy, it's like all you did for three days was save us!"
"Ah, well, it was nothing," Andrew said modestly. "I was just at the right place at the right time, and I was able to let my good nature take its course."
"Still, we're all grateful," the Conductor told him. "How can we ever thank you?"
"Just allowing us to get to Poshley Heights safely is all we ask for," Andrew told him.
"Everyone's safe now!" The Waitress swooned in her typical valley girl fashion. "It's all thanks to you, Mr. 'Totally' Hot and Cute Muscular Man!"
"Yes. It is all thanks to you, you ruggedly smart and strong brave man, you," Toodles said with a seductive smirk as she winked at him.
"Oh, well," Andrew started, but he couldn't finish when Toodles and the Waitress kissed him on the cheeks.
Toodles kissed him on his right cheek, while the Waitress kissed him on the left. He was in awe and surprise. He 'really' has become a massive chick magnet, as Ms. Mowz said.
If the waitress and Toodles were this crazy for him, imagine how other young fangirls would react upon seeing him in the flesh.
"OH, THANK YOU MUCH!" Chef Shimi got his attention. "You shaved my life!"
"You mean saved?" Andrew raised an eyebrow at this.
"No! Stupid tongue of mine!" Chef Shimi scolded himself before saying correctly. "You SAVED my life!"
"Honestly, I am not surprised," Goldbob commented. "I've seen the Prevailing Presto in action before. And he hasn't lost his touch in the slightest, even outside of the Glitz Pit."
Goldbob then turned to face Bobbery. "Admiral Bobbery shows that the old gun still has it in him for his old age. Way to go, Bobbery."
"Well, I'm a tad bit flattered by that comment, Goldbob," Bobbery admitted. "Still, many thanks to you."
"Yes," Sylvia then said to Andrew. "For making sure that my son has a bright future, thank you, Mr. Presto."
"Yeah, Mister," Bub added. "You're as cool as I remembered. Thanks for saving us."
"Oh," Andrew rubbed the back of his neck. "It was my pleasure to help all of you."
"So, did you all know?" Pennington decided to comment. "This dashing fellow has been the famous Mario all along!"
"Riiiiight," Andrew tugged on his handkerchief in such an awkward manner, feeling that he was nothing like Super Mario at all.
"We will soon arrive at Poshley Heights!" The Conductor had to announce. "Ladies and gentlemen... Please prepare to disembark."
"Oh good," Andrew sighed. "That's what I like to hear."
With that, all of the passengers have dispersed. Toodles and the Waitress went on their way, as they kissed Andrew one last time and gave him their rather flirty farewells before they left.
In a matter of seconds, Andrew was alone again with Goombella, Koops, Flurrie, Yoshiam, Vivian, Bobbery, and Ms. Mowz. He figured that they should go back to their room too until it was time for them to get off and explore Poshley Heights to be able to find Poshley Sanctum.
"Well guys, I guess this is our cue to head back to our room," Andrew then suggested to them. "Let's go into our room and wait until the Excess Express arrives at Poshley Heights before we can disembark from the train, OK?"
"Totally!" Goombella beamed in a preppy manner. "I'm so looking forward to getting off this train and getting through Poshley Heights to get that Crystal Star, Andrew!"
"Good idea, Andrew," Koops nodded. "Man... We sure done quite a bit of work on the Excess Express over three days... Just can't wait to get that Crystal Star in the Poshley Sanctum..."
"By the stars, I do believe you're right, Andrew," Flurrie gushed rather excitedly. "I daresay, I look forward to arriving in Poshley Heights again after such a rather long time has gone by. This shall be a rather tremendous experience for all of us! We mustn't let the opportunity pass us by! Come along now, darling!"
"Yeah! All right, Presto!" Yoshiam cheered as he jumped up and down. "After a fight with a monster, we're all set to head to Poshley Heights. And we're gonna go find the Crystal Star before those losers do!"
"I agree, Andrew," Vivian told him softly. "I have to wonder what Poshley Heights looks like. I bet it looks pretty. Either way, we must make sure we get that Crystal Star first before my sister gets it!"
"I say, that's a rather splendid choice, Andrew," Bobbery proclaimed. "Why, I'm more than certain that things in Poshley Heights will be a tad bit uplifting if I believe. Regardless, we must get that Crystal Star first before that crone does, if you please?"
"Hmm mmm mmm, you said it, you handsome muscular superstar," Ms. Mowz did a backflip and winked at him. "We can collect badges and get that precious Crystal Star that you're seeking. We just have to make sure that this Beldam lady doesn't get it first. So that is a wonderful idea, sweetie."
"I'm happy to hear that," Andrew then motioned them to their room. "Let's go!"
All seven of them nodded as they followed right behind him, as the eight traveling heroes went back into cabin #005. Once Ms. Mowz had entered, she closed the door, giving the eight of them some privacy while they waited for the train to stop at their destination.
Andrew has been on a rather perilous and treacherous journey so far, with his friends by his side. And it'll keep getting more dangerous after they claim the Garnet Star before the Shadow Sirens steal it from the Poshley Sanctum.
Regardless, as long as his seven friends remained by his side, there was nothing that could stand in Andrew's way of getting the last two Crystal Stars and being able to save Princess Peach before things got worse.
Needless to say, the eight heroes are gonna be in for a massive treat when they get to Poshley Heights, and a rather unexpected plot twist will be revealed to them, regarding who owns the Poshley Sanctum. They would find that out for themselves. There's no way around that...
END OF CHAPTER 61...
Well, that's it for this chapter. It took me a while to write out this chapter, as I had to make sure the fight against Smorg went well. Still, I hope you all enjoyed this chapter, and that it makes up for the wait that I've caused.
Yeah, by this point, I see Andrew as the kind of man who looks out for his team, which are also his friends. Due to an accident on Chef Shimi's part with overlooking the mushrooms that he picked up, he went above and beyond the impossible to order Shroomburgers, Frozen Fries, and Super Sodas for all eight of them, with 24 Apples meant for Yoshiam. I also like writing out the part where all eight of them express their disgust with the mushrooms while feeling green around the gills and needing to vomit, with the vomiting session happening off-screen, of course.
Another thing I should bring up is the transition to the third day which it being quiet and brisk out. Andrew wakes up and finds his seven friends have left, with them returning to tell him all of the passengers have gone missing. Having Ms. Mowz enter through the window is something that Ms. Mowz would do, so I had her do that. And then the Smorgs appear and reveal themselves, which the others recognize them from yesterday and how they've stowed away on the train.
Something else that I feel like bringing up is how Vivian recalled her experience with the Smorg. It would make sense that she's seen them before, given that Beldam has summoned them with her spells in the past. She couldn't completely remember it, but once Smorg was mentioned by Goombella, it all came back to her. It was likely that she repressed that memory, seeing that Beldam has a record of gaslighting her in the past. But once she remembered, she was willing to let Andrew know about it. I hope that makes sense.
Lastly, there's the fight against Smorg itself. I want to bring up two key factors that were enhanced from the actual game. First, there's Bobbery's own Hold Fast, which is utterly useless in the game. Here, I've modified it to do counter-strike damage, with the enemy receiving twice the damage that they would've given him had he not done that. I hope this is a better depiction of it.
As for Ms. Mowz, I realize that she is a 'really' useless partner in combat and that her only use in fights is to steal badges and items from enemies in the game. Therefore, I'm gonna depict her as being more useful in fights in this story, such as how her fighting style is depicted in the battle against Smorg, with her slapping three times to inflict damage, among other things. That's also something that I hope all of you look forward to.
Anyway, the next chapter will focus on the heroes reaching Poshley Heights at last. In that chapter, they tour through the city to find the Poshley Sanctum, find some decent attractions, including a store that sells wonderful jewelry, and many other things before they reach the sanctum.
Additionally, the sanctum owner is revealed to be someone who's traveled with them on the Excess Express for the past three days and allows them into his humble abode, where the Shadow Sirens steal the 'Crystal Star' on display, which will be revealed to be a fake, which Andrew gets tipped by upon seeing it being shown to the public.
Other stuff includes having to solve puzzles to find the real Garnet Star, and a few other things will occur. How will this go for the eight of them? Find out next time, readers!
For now, only if you like, you can leave a review and let me know what you thought of this chapter.
Otherwise, I have nothing else to say. So until next time, I hope you all enjoyed Chapter 6 so far. And with that said and done, thanks again for reading, everyone!