OK, fellow readers. This is the 73rd chapter of this story!
Now, we're coming 'really' close to reaching the climax for this entire story, as we're nearing the start of Chapter 8. There are plenty of things that I'll bring up while doing Chapter 8 in its entirety.
Andrew's past will finally be revealed to his friends, and he ends up letting go of a burden that has been plaguing him all these years upon getting it off of his chest and letting his friends know about it. That'll happen not long after Chapter 8 starts though, for the many fights that they'll have to get through before reaching the end of the Palace of Shadow, and the grand finale.
That'll be brought up in a bit. For now, we'll be getting through this chapter, and Andrew and his friends get ready for their final fight. In this chapter, the eight heroes get out of the building that the teleporter room and end up in the ruins of the 1000-year-old town within the Rogueport Sewers.
They'll also encounter Professor Frankly, who acts quite strangely, not to mention suspiciously, and it leaves Andrew a little skeptical about him since he contradicts a few things.
Additionally, Andrew meets up with the innkeeper one last time before he sets off to rescue the princess, gets dressed in the outfit he wore when he first got to Rogueport, and lets Toadsworth know about how he sent an e-mail to Mario, and that he should expect him to arrive sometime soon.
Oh, and Andrew does something with the Star Pieces that he collected and trades them away for more badges, he buys some other rare badges from a collector of some kind, and he finds out exactly what the first badge that Ms. Mowz got when she was a little girl. And of course, the Thousand-Year Door opens.
And a few other things will occur. How will this go for him and his friends? Read and find out, now!
IN A STRANGE BUILDING - UNDERNEATH ROGUEPORT:
By now, the eight heroes had made it through the other teleporter which was inside a strange building. They managed to land on the ground safely, as they realized how small it was, and all the X-Naut insignias that were in the building on the walls.
It was also worth mentioning that the monitors and screens that were made the teleporter work had stopped running, and were completely lifeless. This indicated that TEC was successful in blowing up the X-Naut Fortress, meaning they couldn't go back there.
Still, Andrew was rather curious about the voice that he heard before he arrived at this suspicious building. His friends felt the same way as they glanced in all directions before making comments about it.
"Uh... Am I going 'totally' nuts or did I hear something just now?" Goombella had to ask, sounding rather bewildered.
"Um... Did anybody else just hear something?" Koops wondered, scratching the right side of his head.
"I daresay I just heard something..." Flurrie used the pinky of her right hand to clean out her right ear. "Did you?"
"Whoa!" Yoshiam looked like he was wigging out upon hearing something. "You hear something just then?"
"Did you hear something just then?" Vivian crossed her arms and queried.
"Crockity!" Bobbery was looking perplexed before he asked. "I say, old boy, did you just hear something?"
"Hmmm... Did you hear that?" Ms. Mowz questioned as she felt her ears wiggle.
"You guys aren't the only ones," Andrew also crossed his arms. "I heard it too. And if I'm not mistaken, the voice sounded an awful lot like TEC."
"That's probably it," Goombella did a shrug as they walked away from the teleporter. "Omigosh! This must be what those X-Naut freaks have been using all this time! But...the screens here are 'totally' not working anymore."
"That must mean that TEC was successful with blowing up the X-Naut Fortress so that it could never be used for evil again," Andrew proclaimed. "And that means we can't go back there either."
"In any case, how do we know that we ended up in Rogueport?" Goombella raised an eyebrow.
"Well, we're about to find out, guys," Andrew walked up to the door. "Let's go check outside of this building."
They all nodded as Andrew opened the door, and the eight of them walked out of the building. Once Andrew closed the door behind him, he realized that he was now in the ruins of the 1000-year-old town. In other words, they ended up in Rogueport Sewers.
"Well, what do you know," Andrew mused. "That teleporter brought us to Rogueport Sewers, just as TEC speculated."
"Yeah," Goombella said casually. "So this must mean that the X-Nauts have been using that teleporter to get from the moon to Earth all this time, don'tcha think?"
Andrew only nodded. He looked like he was about to say something else to his friends. But before he could, a familiar voice was heard from nearby, calling out to him.
"Well, if it isn't Andrew!" That voice belonged to Professor Frankly, as Andrew and his friends were looking for him before he called out. "Over here, son!"
Andrew noticed Professor Frankly near the crumbled fountain in the center. He was a little confused. What was Professor Frankly doing in the Rogueport Sewers before they went to his house to deliver him the news that he had the last Crystal Star?
The last time he came down here was when he was going to the Thousand-Year Door for the very first time, along with Andrew and Goombella. And more importantly, how did Frankly KNOW that Andrew and his friends would've come out of that building that had the teleporter in it?
Andrew decided not to question it, seeing that it would complicate things, as he walked over to Frankly, with his seven friends following behind him.
"Professor Frankly?" Andrew asked. "What are you doing here?"
"Well, I just wanted to wait here for the moment that you'd arrive from the moon," Frankly told him matter-of-factly. "What? There's nothing wrong with that, is there Sonny?"
"Oh, no. No. I just find it rather...strange," Andrew had to admit.
"Well, anyhow, you brought the Crystal Star back from the moon with you, didn't you?" Professor Frankly asked him, changing the subject.
"That's right," Andrew nodded before explaining to him. "The X-Naut Fortress was also on the moon, which is were the final Crystal Star was resting in the possession of Lord Crump. We beat him and his Magnus Von Grapple 2.0, and we've recovered the Crystal Star from there."
"Talk into my good ear! Really!?" Professor Frankly tried his best not to sound surprised, as he acted rather ignorant. "Ah, yes... So Princess Peach was there, too, I assume?"
"Uh, yeah?" Andrew said awkwardly. "That's where she was being held all this time, as you recall me saying to you earlier..."
"Well, she WAS..." Goombella decided to reveal to him. "But the X-Naut boss took her and headed for the Thousand-Year Door..."
"We were on our way to go see you before we plan it out any further," Andrew added.
"Ah-HAAAAAAAAAAH!" Professor Frankly yelled suddenly, getting them to jump as he decided to share with them. "Just a bit ago, I smelled some rank air and went to the Thousand-Year Door... I saw a suspicious fellow in a cape go through the door...with Princess Peach!"
All eight of them had to jump and look shocked by that. Did they hear him correctly? Did he say that the suspicious fellow went through the Thousand-Year Door with the princess? Without using the final Crystal Star to open it?
This got them all perplexed, and in Andrew's case, it should've been the first sign that would send him some noticeable red flags about the situation.
"Wait a minute, what did you say!?" Andrew wondered, feeling that he misheard him.
"Wh-What? No way!" Goombella jumped as she looked shocked.
"Um... What? Really?!" Koops was puzzled, scratching his temple as he said that.
"Are you quite sure?" Flurrie had to cross her arms upon hearing that.
"WHAAAAAAAAAAAAAT?!" Yoshiam yelled in a startled manner.
"Wh-What? Are you serious?" Vivian frowned, not having expected to hear that.
"Pardon?! What-what?" Bobbery had to do a double take as his mustache twitched slightly.
"Ex-CUSE me?" Ms. Mowz gave him a strange look.
"That is right," Professor Frankly nodded to confirm it.
"Without the Seventh Crystal Star, the doorway shouldn't open, though!" Goombella had to remind her archaeology professor.
"I thought the door wouldn't open without the seventh Crystal Star, though!" Koops cried out what he recalled hearing before.
"I was under the impression that the door needed all seven Crystal Stars to open..." Flurrie confessed as she had to raise an eyebrow at him.
"You said that door wouldn't open without the seventh Crystal Star!" Yoshiam howled, pointing at him as if he had just gone nuts and needed to be sent to the funny farm.
"Didn't the legend say that all seven Crystal Stars were needed to open the door?" Vivian queried, still frowning doubtfully.
"Dear fellow, you led me to believe the door would open with all SEVEN Crystal Stars." Bobbery had to inform him.
"Without the seventh Crystal Star, that door should never have opened!" Ms. Mowz pointed out too.
"What my friends and I are saying is that you're 'basically' contradicting what you said earlier," Andrew elaborated to him. "We need to collect the seven Crystal Stars to open the Thousand-Year Door. Without them, the door was to remain shut. And even though it's been weakening, it still needed the seven Crystal Stars. So this is 'absolutely' confusing to all of us, Professor Frankly."
"Believe me, I know, but I'm quite certain of it!" Professor Frankly proclaimed absentmindedly.
"Oh, what? I suppose that Sir Grodus had to use 17 packs of dynamite just to blow up the Thousand-Year Door wide open, right?" Andrew guessed in a rather sarcastic manner.
"Indeed!" Professor Frankly said hastily, missing Andrew's obvious sarcastic tone. "I saw it with my own eyes!"
"Hey, Professor Frankly? Are you sure you're all right?" Andrew had to cross his arms and gave him a suspicious look. "You're acting rather...suspicious."
"Well of course I am Sli-errrr, Andrew," Professor Frankly nearly slipped up and would've blown his cover if he hadn't corrected himself. "Why wouldn't I be?"
"For one thing, you're acting a little unreasonable with how Grodus could've gotten through the door with Princess Peach," Andrew proclaimed. "And another thing, how did you know that we came out of that building that housed that teleporter? Furthermore, why did you have-"
"ALL RIGHT! I get it! But does it hurt for an old Goomba to try to help and witness what he saw for himself?!" Professor Frankly defended.
"I guess not," Andrew frowned as he sighed. "But just to be safe, I'll keep my eye on you. Understood?"
"Gulp... Uh, right..." Professor Frankly gulped before finding his voice and moved on with the subject. "Anyway, I have a very bad feeling about this! VERY bad! Princess Peach is in danger!"
"We know." Andrew, Goombella, Koops, Flurrie, Yoshiam, Vivian, Bobbery, and Ms. Mowz deadpanned simultaneously.
"Time is short!" Professor Frankly proclaimed. "We must go to the Thousand-Year Door and rescue the princess!"
"Wait! I have to go to the Inn and change into a new outfit," Andrew informed him.
"I'll run ahead and meet you there!" Frankly completely ignored Andrew's comment.
"But we have to make sure we're ready and prepared before we can-" Andrew started, but Frankly cut him off.
"Don't dawdle!" Frankly yelled. "You must come immediately!"
Andrew was just about to explain that he and his friends have to make sure they're prepared and ready to take on Grodus and close this journey up. But before he could, Frankly already run off ahead of him. It was clear that he was heading for the Thousand-Year Door.
"Well, someone seems to be in a hurry," Andrew retorted before getting serious. "But seriously, guys. Didn't you notice anything off about Professor Frankly?"
"You mean the fact that he's acting like he belongs in a nuthouse?" Yoshiam guessed quite brashly.
"Well, kinda," Andrew said sheepishly. "But I'm also talking about how he gave us his comment about how Grodus went through the door with Peach, even though the seventh Crystal Star was needed. He was giving us an unreasonable theory, and he was contradicting what he told us earlier."
Andrew took a deep breath before he continued. "I know the door has been weakening since this is the thousandth year. But we still had to make sure that the seven Crystal Stars were collected just so we can make sure it gets sealed back up, and to prevent the cataclysm from being awoken and commiting havoc upon the world once more."
"Perhaps Professor Frankly was just so eager to know that we collected all seven of them," Goombella took a guess. "I mean, after all, Frankly's always getting excited and 'totally' stoked whenever he finds some archaeological breakthrough or discovery, y'know? I should know. He was my professor last year, Andrew."
"Yeah, that's true. You do know him more than I do, Goombella," Andrew rubbed his chin. "I guess I'm just being suspicious when I shouldn't be."
"Don'tcha worry about it, Andrew," Goombella assured him. "Anyone could be suspicious of Professor Frankly if they don't know him well enough."
"I suppose so," Andrew sighed. "All right. I guess it's just me. It's probably nothing. Really."
"Ummm... Now that we got that set, what are we gonna do now?" Koops decided to ask. "Didn't you say that you had to change into a new outfit? Before we, you know, make preparations for when we open the Thousand-Year Door, right?"
"That's right," Andrew nodded. "I have to get changed up at the Inn. And this might be the last time that I do this. Once I rescue the princess, I'll be going there to pick up all of my stuff and get ready to head home."
"Well, whatever are we waiting for?!" Flurrie then declared proudly. "Let's make our way to the Inn first before we plan things further! If we shall be the ones to rescue the princess, then we shall make sure to do it correctly! Come along now, Andrew. My darling."
"Got it," Andrew nodded. "We better get going, guys."
"Right, Andrew," Vivian nodded. "We better make sure that we're ready before jumping into unfamiliar territory just to rescue Princess Peach and stop Sir Grodus from awakening the cataclysm."
"That's right, Vivian," Andrew nodded in agreement as he walked off. "We have to be prepared for anything that could happen or could go wrong. So let's get this over with."
All seven of them agreed with him as they followed Andrew to the pipe that led them back up to Rogueport. As they were heading there, Bobbery felt the need to comment on something.
"I must say, the professor fellow seems to be a tad bit fervent about this, eh old boy?" Bobbery remarked.
"No kidding," Andrew agreed. "In any case, let's head back to Rogueport, get to the Inn so I can get changed, and then get ready before we head to the Thousand-Year Door."
"Hmmm mmm mmm, that we must, Andrew," Ms. Mowz proclaimed. "I have to wonder, do you suppose that there could be another legendary treasure that isn't that ancient demon that you have spoken of? Something like a rare badge that we haven't found yet, no?"
"Pffft! Yeah," Goombella rolled her eyes. "I believe that there is a treasure down there. And it was possibly guarded by the spirit of this ancient demon that caused the cataclysm to strike where Rogueport was standing currently a thousand years ago. We just gotta go and 'totally' see it for ourselves. While stopping that Grodus, knocking his block off, and saving Princess Peach, of course."
"Well, whatever it is, we better be on guard," Andrew informed them. "Anything could happen to us. So we'll just have to prepare for the worst that might occur as a result."
Andrew said nothing else as he continued to head for that pipe that led to Rogueport, with his friends by his side. He was hoping that he could be successful in rescuing the princess and that this adventure that he's gone on wouldn't be all for nothing...
AT THE ROGUEPORT INN:
"Well, it's nice to see you again, Andrew," the innkeeper greeted Andrew, who had made it to the top of the stairs.
"Yeah," Andrew smiled sheepishly. "It's nice to see you again too."
"I must say, you've had quite the adventure so far," the innkeeper proclaimed. "You've made such marvelous friends. And you've been collecting the Crystal Stars."
"That's right," Andrew tugged on his handkerchief. "And now I've collected all seven Crystal Stars."
"Is that so," the innkeeper raised an eyebrow. "Well, that's nice."
"Sure is," Andrew walked over to where his luggage was. "And I'm gonna be going on my last adventure in this region before I can be able to set off and head back home."
"I see," the innkeeper said. "Well, I've been glad to have you stop by here several times during your adventure, Andrew. I hope that your experience here has been great."
"It has been," Andrew grabbed a particular set of clothes to wear. "The next time that I stop in here, I will be accompanied by Princess Peach herself."
"I look forward to that," the innkeeper admitted. "And I hope that everything turns out all right for you and your friends."
"I'm sure it will," Andrew nodded. "Anyway, I'm gonna be changing up into these clothes that you had washed and dried quite some time ago. I think you know what needs to be done with the ones that I'm wearing currently, right?"
"Absolutely," she nodded. "I'll be sure to wash those up and have them dried up by the time that you come back with Princess Peach."
"That's great to know," Andrew grabbed his outfit and headed for the bathroom. "I'll be out in just a minute."
"Feel free to take as much time as you need to, dear," the innkeeper encouraged.
"Right," with that, Andrew went into the bathroom and closed the door behind him.
He proceeded to take off his shirt, pants, hoodie, socks, and boxers. He also took off the badges that were on his hoodie, as he was going to wear them on his shirt once he put it on.
Needless to say, Andrew was looking forward to wearing this outfit again for the first time since he started this adventure. And he was confident that his friends would like seeing it too...
By the time Andrew was done changing up, he had stepped out of the bathroom and was in his original outfit. As always, he continued to wear his blue ballcap and his yellow-orange handkerchief. And now he was back to wearing his long-sleeved blue shirt and greyish-blue jeans. He didn't wear a t-shirt underneath his shirt this time, and all of his badges were pinned on the front left side of his long-sleeved shirt.
By now, his friends were just coming up the stairs to check up on him, as they caught a good glance of what he was wearing this time. This time, it was Goombella who was the first to speak, as she commented on his outfit.
"Wowsers, Andrew. Haven't seen ya wear that shirt and jeans in a while," Goombella said. "I'm guessing that you chose to wear what you came to Rogueport in, right?"
"That's right," Andrew nodded. "And it's like the old saying goes, nothing like going back to the basics. Even if it means the clothes that I wore when I first got here."
"Yeah," Koops nodded. "Golly, Andrew. You sure look nice in that shirt and jeans... Haven't seen you wear it in quite some time..."
"Mercy me! I daresay, the simplicity that you have chosen for your choice of wardrobe certainly seems fitting," Flurrie admitted. "Andrew, darling? I do believe that you look marvelous in that outfit."
"Whoa! Not bad, Presto," Yoshiam had to admit. "It seems pretty cool, 'actually'. If you say that you got to wear the outfit you came to Rogueport in, then I guess that works for me. Still, you look pretty rad in that shirt and jeans, dude."
"Yeah. Andrew, you look nice," Vivian said rather awkwardly and shyly. "I wasn't here to see you wear that when you first came here, but I think it works for you. Honestly, I 'really' like your choice of clothing. It's very...wonderful."
"I must say, it seems to be a tad bit appropriate for you to be wearing what you came to this rundown town in, old boy," Bobbery confessed. "Truly the most memorable way to end one's treacherous journey is to settle on the wardrobe that you supposedly started in. Andrew, I'd say, you look rather smashing in that, and it does seem to be the cat's meow, in my humble opinion."
"Hmm mmm mmm mmm... Yes. How rather appropriate, indeed," Ms. Mowz mused. "You say that you came to Rogueport in that shirt and those jeans. And therefore, it's fitting to conclude one's 'personal' journey in what they started in. Andrew, dearie, you look wonderful in those clothes, you handsome muscular cheese hunk of a superstar."
"Yeah. What they said, Andrew," Goombella told him. "I'm 'totally' digging the outfit that you're wearing for our final quest."
"Thanks, guys. I appreciate it," Andrew said humbly. "I'm just grateful that I decided to go on this adventure in the Rogueport region with you guys in the first place."
All seven of them nodded with smiles on their faces. They appreciated the fact that Andrew thought fondly of them and that he enjoyed traveling with them after so much time had gone by. Before they could say anything, the innkeeper came in with a smile on her face as she had to tell Andrew something important.
"Hey, Andrew? I got your previous clothes currently being washed up," the innkeeper told him. "I just need to scrub them and make sure that they're left hung out to dry. They should be good by the time you come back here with the Mushroom Kingdom Princess."
"OK," Andrew nodded. "Thank you for that ma'am."
"Anytime dear," the innkeeper then noticed his seven friends with him. "Oh? I take it that you guys are friends with Andrew here. It is a pleasant treat to meet all of you like this."
"Well, shucks. That's flattering, really," Goombella said before she noticed something. "Wait? How didja know that we're 'totally' friends with Andrew here?"
"Well Goombella," the innkeeper wondered if that's who she was, to which Goombella nodded. "Andrew has told me about all the traveling that he's done with all of you. He's told me how you guys have been collecting the Crystal Stars and that he has grown rather close to all seven of you."
"Ummm... What?" Koops thought he was hearing things. "Andrew told you...that?"
"Like you wouldn't believe it, Koops," the innkeeper told him. "After he had gotten the fourth Crystal Star, he has told me how fond he was of all of you, and that you were his close friends who he enjoys traveling with. And he had only gotten more of you until he had gotten the sixth Crystal Star."
"Mercy me! I simply must swoon!" Flurrie gasped. "I am flattered and honored that our darling Andrew has been speaking quite fondly of us and that he has enjoyed traveling with us. Though I don't suppose that I shall be surprised. He has been treating us with the utmost respect."
"No kidding. I mean, Presto is the coolest for a reason," Yoshiam admitted. "Still, to know that he thinks of us like that and that he 'really' likes traveling with us, that's pretty sweet, man. It's wicked cool."
"Uh...W-Wow... I'm...I'm flattered. Really," Vivian was much more bashful and meek with her tone. "I...I think it's 'really' sweet that Andrew thinks of us like that... Uh, it's why I wanted to travel with him in the first place... He's just a very sweet man..."
Andrew had to blush slightly as Bobbery then stepped up. "I must say, it has been quite the honor to have traveled with the old boy on his quest. But to hear that he thinks rather fondly of the likes of us, that's quite poignant, to say the least. Therefore, I appreciate the sentiments too."
"Hmm mmm mmm... Was there any ever doubt in Andrew at all?" Ms. Mowz asked rhetorically while smirking. "That being said, I am also quite surprised to hear Andrew talk about us like that. It's rather impressive. I've only begun helping him when he had only two Crystal Stars left. So to hear him speak fondly of yours truly in such a way is quite a remarkable feat. So, I appreciate it too, dear."
"Yeah. It's true, guys," Andrew rubbed his left arm. "I have grown fond of all of you."
"I'll say," the innkeeper giggled. "Anyway Andrew, I'll be sure to have everything of yours to be all set to get shipped out of here by the time you come back with Princess Peach. You won't have to worry about anything."
"I know," Andrew nodded with a smile. "And I appreciate the services that you have provided for me. I am thankful for all that you've done for me during my stay in Rogueport."
"Don't mention it, dearie," the innkeeper smiled. "The pleasure was all mine."
Andrew nodded as he smiled at his friends, who were also in a good mood. The time to save the princess was coming since they had all seven Crystal Stars. Now all Andrew had to do was to inform Toadsworth about the e-mail he sent to Mario. And also see if there are any other badges that he can obtain besides from Ms. Mowz's badge shop.
And right on cue, Toadsworth went up the stairs to the Rogueport Inn for what could be the umpteenth time, as he was heard uttering to himself.
"Huff, I say," Toadsworth muttered. "I don't suppose that I'll ever get quite comfortable with these stairs. Why, the Inns back in Toad Town are far more remarkable than this one, as they don't have stairs, so to speak.
"Hey," Andrew got his attention. "Mr. Toadsworth. I'm glad to see you again."
"Ahem. Yes. Indeed, this is a rather sudden," Toadsworth adjusted his glasses. "Now uh, you happen to be Andrew, are you not?"
"That's right," Andrew confirmed.
"Ah. Great," Toadsworth then had to ask. "Now, uh, any word on the whereabouts of Her Highness yet?"
"Uh, yeah. I do happen to have a feeling as to where Princess Peach was taken," Andrew tugged on his handkerchief. "But anyway, there's something else that I have to tell you."
"Hmm? Well, whatever may it be, 'pray' tell?" Toadsworth asked curiously.
"Well, I have good news. I had been successful with getting a hold of Mario. I had sent him a message, letting him know that the Princess that was sent to escort back might be in trouble," Andrew explained. "And that he has to come to Rogueport as soon as possible, while I handle things on my end with my friends here. In other words, we should be expecting Mario to show up at any time."
"Hrmm? Oh. I see. Ahem, so you got a hold of Master Mario," Toadsworth commented. "And that we should be expecting his arrival to this worn-out burg at any time now, yes?"
"That's correct," Andrew confirmed. "At least I'm hoping he does."
"Well, that is quite a pleasant surprise," Toadsworth adjusted his glasses. "But alas, until Master Mario does show up, I'm afraid to say that you'll have to find Princess Peach and bring her back up to Rogueport safely. Now, given that you've been here for quite some time, I do believe that you have the experience to rescue Her Highness from wherever she's being held, correct?"
"That's right. And I'll be sure to do that," Andrew nodded. "Don't worry, sir. We'll find the princess and bring her back safely, as soon as possible."
"Well, I certainly do appreciate the news that you've given me," Toadsworth said as he sat down in one of the chairs nearby. "Anyhow, I shall be taking it easy some more until you come back with the princess. Then we shall proceed to gather our belongings and head back to the Mushroom Kingdom."
"Great to know," Andrew nodded as he threw his backpack over his back again. "Let's go, guys. We got some stuff to check out in Rogueport. Perhaps find some more badges that we can obtain."
"Yeah," all seven of them said simultaneously as the eight heroes took their leave from the Inn.
They could only hope that they can get to the princess before it's too late. But for now, they had some other business to take care of, just so they could fully be prepared for going through the Thousand-Year Door...
As it turns out, their search for some last-moment badges led them to find a badge in the harbor. It was an HP Drain badge, and it was located in the chest on the small house to the left of the sea, which Andrew was able to get to thanks to utilizing his Boat Mode. He had put it into his badge kit, before placing that into his backpack and then continued his hunt.
Additionally, he had found another badge on the East Side of Rogueport. It was a Double Dip badge, and it was found in a chest near the southern part of the sea. Just like with the HP Drain Badge, he reached it by going into Boat Mode, claiming it, and putting it in his badge kit.
From there, Andrew then encountered a strange merchant with a brown beard, who goes by the name Charlieton. Thanks to good negotiating and proper deals, along with the fact that Andrew had a good amount of money on hand, he found himself purchasing all of the badges that he had on hand.
The badges that he ended up selling to Andrew include the Attack FX G badge, the Double Pain badge, the Bat-man badge, the Jumpman badge, the Mega Rush badge, the Slow Go badge, the Timing Tutor badge, the L Emblem badge, and the W Emblem badge.
Even though he got good deals out of some of those badges, Andrew found himself selling a couple of them at the Lovely Howz of Badges, particularly the Double Pain badge, which he simply did not have any use for. Needless to say, he had gotten a good sum of money from selling it, and the badge clerk and temporary manager Antoine was thankful for giving it away.
"Well, that takes care of that," Andrew dusted his hands. "I'm glad that I got that all squared away."
"Hey, dearie, I just remembered something," Ms. Mowz perked up and felt like sharing with him. "I happen to have the first badge that my parents gave me when I was seven if you're curious as to what it could be."
"Well sure," Andrew shrugged and smiled. "I'd love to see it."
"You got it, Andrew," Ms. Mowz went behind the counter, grabbed a small dull yellow chest that she kept underneath, and walked back over to Andrew.
From there, she opened up the chest and allowed Andrew to see it for himself. The badge was revealed to be the Money Money badge; which showed two gold coins linked together. Needless to say, Andrew was somewhat fascinated by it.
"Whoa," Andrew felt a sparkle in his eyes for just a brief second. "That's a nice-looking badge. What kind of badge is it?"
"Why, it's called the Money Money badge, sweetie," Ms. Mowz told him coyly. "From what my folks had told me, wearing it would allow me to earn more money if I were to deal with any foes. If you must know, they gave this to me in the hopes that I'd make our family earn a lot of money, and they wouldn't have to be so poor."
"I see. That makes sense," Andrew nodded before asking. "But did it ever work?"
"No. It didn't," Ms. Mowz shook her head and frowned. "And for so long, I had tried to use it to earn more money, but nothing was working. Eventually, I came up with the idea of having this badge shop, gained a lot of money, and I haven't used it since then. I kept it in this chest after all this time had gone by."
"Gosh. That's something," Andrew frowned. "Sorry about that Ms. Mowz."
"Oh, don't apologize for it, dearie. It's in the past," Ms. Mowz assured him. "In any case, I think this badge should be given to a new owner."
"Huh?" Andrew gave her a confused look.
Ms. Mowz then went and presented Andrew with the badge as she found who should claim it. "What I'm saying Andrew, is that you should take it. I'm willing to hand it down to you."
"What? Are... Are you sure?" Andrew started speaking modestly again. "Oh, I don't deserve this. I mean...this was the first badge that you ever got. It wouldn't be right for me to take it from you."
"Nonsense, dearie. I'm giving it to you because I feel you would be a proper owner of it," Ms. Mowz insisted. "And because you have earned my respect and companionship, so I feel that this is the best choice for me. Besides, I think you can find more use with that badge anyway. You certainly might have more success with it than I did. That's for certain."
"I wouldn't say that," Andrew said. "You managed to set up and start this badge shop in the first place. You ended up earning so much money because of it, and you were able to maintain this business and form this partnership with Antoine. Even if it's a coincidence, you were still successful with what you got, and you wouldn't have gotten as far as you did if you never had an interest in badges in the first place."
"Yes. That is quite true," Ms. Mowz admitted. "But seeing that my badge shop is running smoothly, I do not need that badge anymore, regardless. So I'm trusting it over to you."
"Woah. Uh, Ms. Mowz? Are you sure that you want to do this?" Andrew asked her softly. "You don't have to do this, you know..."
"True. I don't have to. But you know what?" Ms. Mowz told him. "I want to. I want you to take good care of, it and find some wonderful use for it. I can already see that you have potential. So I think I found the right owner to keep it."
Andrew was flattered and touched. He never would've thought that this would be happening. From what he knew, there was no way that he could change her mind. So the only thing he could do was accept this prize from her, as gracefully as possible.
"Well...OK. Thank you for this, Ms. Mowz," Andrew told her modestly as he gracefully put the Money Money badge on and pinned it with the other badges he was wearing currently. "I'll be sure to take good care of this badge."
"Don't mention it, sweetie. And I know you will," Ms. Mowz winked at him. "Anyway, now that we're done here, we might as well go head back to the Rogueport Sewers again, hmm?"
"Good idea," Andrew said as he walked out of the badge shop. "Let's get going."
None of them objected to this as the eight heroes left the Rogueport Plaza and headed back to the East Side of Rogueport. They then headed for the green pipe, where they jumped on top of, and went down through it, as they headed back to the Rogueport Sewers...
IN THE ROGUEPORT SEWERS:
As soon as they had made it to the Rogueport Sewers, Andrew encountered a strange fellow who goes by the name of Dazzle. 'And' apparently, he was a Star Piece collector and was known for trading badges for Star Pieces.
Seeing that he had pretty much gotten every Star Piece that's out here, including the ones hidden under panels that he found from Spin Jumping, thanks to Ms. Mowz, he felt it was best to settle on trading with him.
By the end of it all, Dazzle had pretty much all of the Star Pieces that were out there, and in return, Andrew got plenty of badges out of it.
The badges that he obtained, as a result, included the Attack FX Y badge, the Chill Out badge, the Pretty Lucky badge, the Happy Flower, Happy Heart, and Happy Heart P badges, the Item Hog badge, the Heart Finder badge, and the Flower Finder badge.
Additionally, Andrew also obtained the Peekaboo badge, the Quick Change badge, the Flower Saver and Flower Saver P badges, and the Power Plus P and Power Plus badges.
Needless to say, Andrew was satisfied with what he obtained, as he put all of the badges he got into his badge kit. Except for the Power Plus and Power Plus P badges, which he put on and placed them with the rest of his badges.
"Jeepers! Who would've thought that that guy would've had all those badges in his possession!" Goombella had to admit as they were walking away from him.
"No kidding," Andrew shrugged. "It's amazing that he is the only person I know that collects Star Pieces."
"Y'know, that reminds me, why do you think he collects them, anyway?" Goombella felt like asking. "You think he bathes in them?"
"Uhhhhh..." Andrew trailed off as he then had the image of Dazzle bathing in a bathtub full of Star Pieces, similar to how one would bathe in gold coins. "If you mean like how one would bathe in gold coins or money, yeah. I don't think you'll want to think about it."
"My, my!" Flurrie had to admit. "I've seen movie producers and the likes bathe in tubs full of precious gold coins, but this is ridiculous. Why, I do believe that it's rather absurd to wrap your notion around it."
"Exactly, Flurrie," Andrew nodded.
"Wow. Man, sure are lucky to obtain those badges," Koops admitted before asking. "Now ummm...since that's all set, what do you suppose we do? Should we go to the Thousand-Year Door?"
"Yes. I think we're all prepared for this," Andrew nodded as he approached the pipe that led downward, which is where they had to go. "And as long as all eight of us are together, we can hold our own and handle whatever comes for us."
"You betcha, Andrew," Goombella beamed as she winked at him. "Well c'mon! I think my professor is still waiting for us there!"
"Good idea," Koops took a deep breath and put on a brave face. "Let's settle this once and for all."
"I daresay, that is what we must do," Flurrie gleamed. "We shall make our way to the door and settle this dispute with this Sir Grodus lout once and for all! Come along now, darling!"
"Aw yeah! Now we're talking!" Yoshiam whooped as he did a fist pump. "There's nothing we can't handle whatsoever. So let's deal with this Grodus chump right here and now, Presto!"
"I agree, Andrew," Vivian nodded with a determined smile. "Let's go to the door and save Peach before Grodus and my sisters do something horrible to her! Let's go!"
"By Crackifer's cookies! That's pretty much our only objective at this point, old boy," Bobbery proclaimed. "Come! Let us head to the door, confront this Grodus cad, and rescue her Highness from his clutches, eh?"
"Yes. That is our best course of action, dearie," Ms. Mowz nodded coyly. "Let's make our way to the door, and settle this issue with Grodus and save Princess Peach before something awful occurs."
"That's what I like to hear," Andrew jumped on top of the pipe along with his friends. "Let's get going."
"Yeah!" All seven of them cheered as the eight of them went down the pipe.
They knew their way to the Thousand-Year Door by now. So they had no trouble with getting to their destination. And they weren't going to get lost in the slightest.
Eventually, they made it through the other pipe as they walked up to the jump pad, which brought them up to the ledge, where the door was just beyond the pathway. They could only see how things would transpire once they opened the door for themselves...
AT THE SITE OF THE THOUSAND-YEAR DOOR:
Before long, the eight of them made it to the Thousand-Year Door, and they were all familiar with it by this point. They saw Professor Frankly standing near the pedestal that was in the center.
"Well guys, there's the professor," Andrew then motioned. "Let's go see him."
They didn't object as they went down the stairs and jumped up near the pedestal where Professor Frankly was waiting for them. Andrew cleared his throat as he decided to get his attention.
"Well Professor Frankly," Andrew spoke up. "We're here."
"What kept you, Andrew?!" Professor Frankly had to ask him.
"Well, if you hadn't run off in such a hurry, you would have heard me when I said that I needed to change into a new outfit," Andrew retorted dryly. "And that we had to get all preparations underway for when we finally deal with Grodus and save the princess."
"...Well, it doesn't matter now," Professor Frankly ignored everything that Andrew had said to him. "I don't think they're in the vicinity anymore."
"Yeah. Go figure," Andrew rolled his eyes at this.
"They must have found another way to get through the door..." Professor Frankly pointed out.
"Gee, I wonder how they could've GOTTEN through it," Andrew remarked with a strong sarcastic tone.
"Either way, you've done this six times in a row already," Professor Frankly suggested. "You know what you need to do."
"Right. Got it," Andrew nodded as he jumped up onto the pedestal.
His friends were flocking near him, in an attempt to keep close to him as they were about to open the Thousand-Year Door with the power of the seven Crystal Stars.
"It's all come down to this!" Professor Frankly declared before suggesting to Andrew. "Hurry now, Andrew! Hold aloft the last Crystal Star!"
"Right," Andrew busted out the Crystal Star from his backpack and held it up over his head.
Once he did that, the same diagram-like thing appeared surrounding the pedestal, as the seven circles where the seven Crystal Stars were started glowing the color of each Crystal Star, including the one that was allowed to hover over his head.
The Crystal Star lowered itself in front of Andrew's face as it started rotating around him. It was soon accompanied by the Diamond Star, the Emerald Star, the Gold Star, the Ruby Star, the Sapphire Star, and the Garnet Star. All seven Crystal Stars were rotating around Andrew as they ascended over his head.
By now, Andrew felt the magnificent flow of power coming from them, and he held his hands up high as he allowed the Crystal Stars to spread out and stop in the circles that each of them was in previously, as they continued to spin in place.
One by one, the Crystal Stars disappeared in the order that Andrew obtained them, only to reappear in their respective circles that they were resting in during their previous visits to the door. And this included the final Crystal Star, which was resting in the remaining circle.
Andrew was in awe by what he was witnessing as he lowered his arms. His seven friends felt the same way as they were mesmerized by the display that the seven Crystal Stars were giving to them.
All of a sudden, they felt the ground shaking as if something was happening to the Thousand-Year Door. This got the attention of Andrew and his friends and they looked up to see it for themselves.
"What the...?" Andrew was lost for words at the moment.
"Omigosh!" Goombella squealed.
"Wow!" Koops yelped.
"Oh, my!" Flurrie bellowed.
"Whoa!" Yoshiam howled.
"Eep!" Vivian gasped.
"Crackity!" Bobbery shouted.
"Hmm!" Ms. Mowz squeaked.
"Guys, look!" Andrew pointed out. "The door!"
It was then the outline of the seven stars on the Thousand-Year Door started lighting up in a particular order, starting from the one on the lower left, going clockwise. And it represented the Crystal Stars and the order in which they were obtained.
The order was whitish-tan, green, yellow-orange, red, blue, orange, and light pink. Once they were all glowing, a strong pulse was heard twice from the other side, as the door started flashing red while the seven stars were flashing their respective colors on the inside.
As the door and the stars on it kept flashing and glowing, massive cracks emerged from four sides of the Thousand-Year Door. And then, the moment they've been waiting for, the Thousand-Year Door slowly started opening up, allowing a bunch of purple fog to leak from underneath the door.
It was then they saw a giant purple shadowy vortex being shown by the time the door was wide open. It looked like the air from a thousand years ago had just leaked out, and the heroes were getting a whiff of it. And it was all thanks to them.
Once it was completely opened, the vortex disappeared, as did the diagram-like thing on the pedestal. The seven Crystal Stars also disappeared as Andrew could still summon them with the map. This included the Crystal Star, which Andrew could now summon with the map whenever he needed to, just like the other six Crystal Stars.
"Wow," Andrew had to wipe his eyes. "I never expected something on this grand scale of things to occur, and for us to witness it."
"At long last, the entrance to the Palace of Shadow has been opened!" Professor Frankly declared proudly.
"It would appear so," Andrew crossed his arms and smirked. "And it seems that we'll be the first ones to enter the Palace of Shadow, for the first time in a thousand years."
"Yes... Before Princess Peach falls victim to that fiend... Before he takes over the world..." Professor Frankly proclaimed. "You must rescue the princess and stop this cataclysm!"
"It looks like we don't have a choice," Andrew sighed as he looked at his friends. "Well guys, I guess we know what we should do now, right?"
"Of course!" Goombella cheered before she then looked towards her archaeology professor and asked him. "Uh, aren'tcha coming with us, professor?"
"Me? I'd just get in the way," Professor Frankly told her.
"Of course," Andrew sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. "And what will YOU be doing while we venture through the Palace of Shadow?"
"I'll wait here and, uh, watch the door," Professor Frankly fished out an excuse while trying not to be suspicious or blow his cover. "Yes, that's it."
"Yeah," Andrew said wryly. "Cause it would leave us in a world of hurt if Sir Grodus or the Shadow Sirens try to get through the door while we're going through it, and we supposedly find out that they hadn't entered yet. Good idea, Professor Frankly."
"Uh... Right. Either way, it's all up to you, Andrew," Professor Frankly decided to wish him luck. "Stop their foul ambitions and save Princess Peach!"
"We'll try our best, professor," Andrew jumped down from the pedestal along with his friends. "Well, guys? Ready to go do this and save Princess Peach and save the world together? All eight of us?"
All seven of them nodded with smiles as they were behind Andrew 'all the way'. Each of them gave their comments on it as a result.
"C'mon, Andrew!" Goombella beamed in a preppy manner.
"Let's roll, Andrew!" Koops yelled with a rather brave tone.
"Let's go, Andrew!" Flurrie declared dramatically while pointing forward.
"Let's rock, Presto!" Yoshiam threw the goat with both hands as he bellowed proudly.
"I'm ready, Andrew!" Vivian yelled confidentially while remaining by his side.
"Into the breach, Andrew!" Bobbery commanded as he motioned forward.
"I'm with you, Andrew!" Ms. Mowz proclaimed while showing loyalty to Andrew.
"Very well," Andrew nodded with that smile. "Let's do this!"
With that, Andrew was the first to enter through the Thousand-Year Door and entered the Palace of Shadow. Goombella, Koops, Flurrie, Yoshiam, Vivian, Bobbery, and Ms. Mowz were right behind him as they each went through the door and made their way into the Palace of Shadow.
As soon as Ms. Mowz went through the Thousand-Year Door, being the last one in, the Thousand-Year Door slowly started to close itself up. In a matter of seconds, the Thousand-Year Door was slammed shut, leaving it all up to the eight heroes to get through the Palace of Shadow.
Andrew knew that the fate of Princess Peach was in his hands. And he had to stop the cataclysm and prevent Sir Grodus from reawakening it. And his friends knew this too.
There was no doubt about it. With the power of the seven Crystal Stars, the eight traveling heroes were about to start the eighth and final part of their adventure...
END OF CHAPTER 73...
All right! That's it for this chapter! I hope you all enjoyed it, especially since we're nearing the start of Chapter 8; the grand finale.
Now, I think I did well with how I set things up here with Andrew getting the remaining badges from Dazzle and Charlieton, as well as finding the other two badges that he hadn't claimed inside those chests yet.
Additionally, I thought it would be clever for Ms. Mowz to have the Money Money badge for two reasons. 1.) The only way to get it naturally is from the Pianta Parlor, which requires over 200 tokens to claim it.
And 2.) It goes hand in hand with Ms. Mowz's past, with how poor her family was, and even though it didn't work, she got hooked on them and started collecting them until she started a badge shop in Rogueport.
And I thought it'd be great for Andrew to gain possession of it, even though he acts modest about claiming it, seeing that they had gotten this far on this quest.
Something else that I'm gonna point out is that through Chapter 8, Andrew is going to make use of all seven Crystal Stars and their abilities in specific situations that'll call for them.
Lastly, there are some hints about Professor Frankly's real identity. But I'm not going to spoil the surprise and allow the story to flow through to the end. I hope you all can understand that.
Anyway, the next chapter is going to be the start of Chapter 8. For that chapter, it's 'basically' Andrew and his friends trekking through the Palace of Shadow, dealing with enemies that come in their path, getting through traps, and dealing with a bunch of Dry Bones and a single Dark Bones.
And several other things will occur too. How will this go for them? Read and 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 overall.
Aside from that, I have nothing else to say here. So until next time, I hope you all look forward to Chapter 8. And on that note, thanks again for reading, everyone!