Okay, fellow readers. This is the 26th chapter of this story!
Now, I'm not gonna say much for the author's note right now, so I'll just leave it with this. For this chapter, Andrew and his three partners try battling the Armored Harriers and fail, the Yoshi Egg ends up hatching when they get back to the Minor League Locker Room, Andrew gets his fourth partner for this story, and then he manages to make it into the Major League with the help of his new partner. And some other stuff will occur.
How will this go for Andrew and his crew? What color will the Yoshi be? And what name with Andrew give to him? Read and find out now!
IN THE MINOR LEAGUE LOCKER ROOM:
By the time Andrew approached the computer terminal screen on the wall, he touched it and went on ahead to press the 'Reserve a Match' button on the screen. As soon as he got through doing that, Andrew then saw Grubba appear on the screen. From the look on his face, it's as if he was expecting him.
"Well, dog my cats! If it ain't the Prevailin' Presto!" Grubba greeted before asking. "Fixin' for a fight, huh?"
"Pretty much. Yeah," Andrew nodded, as did his three partners.
"Hyuk hyuk hyuk hyuk hyuk! Hoo-wee! Yer gonna love this!" Grubba then revealed to him. "Yer next opponent is... Ranked 10 in the Glitz Pit... The Armored Harriers!"
"The Armored Harriers?" Andrew and his three comrades asked in unison.
"That's right! Yer darn tootin'!" Grubba proclaimed. "Yer finally gonna make a go at the major league, son!"
"That's great," Andrew had to smile.
"Yep. And we're expectin' great things from you, so don't you go a-lettin' us down, now!" Grubba informed him.
"We won't," Andrew told him. "We'll try not to."
"All righty then," Grubba then gave him the condition that he had to follow this time. "Now listen, son: in this battle, I want you to avoid usin' yer jump. No jumpin' whatsoever."
"No jumping, huh?" Andrew mused.
"I wanna see a pure test of power without none of that flouncin' around. You get me?" Grubba told him with Andrew nodding afterwards. "Now get in there an' hand out a whuppin' or two!"
"Got it," Andrew said before the screen turned off. "OK, guys. Are you ready to make our go for the Major Leagues?"
"You betcha," Goombella beamed. "I'm 'totally' seeing us making it in the ranks from there! This'll be great, Andrew!"
"Ummm... Sure. I'm ready too," Koops said calmly. "I hope that we stand a chance in the Major Leagues..."
"Why certainly, dearie," Flurrie remarked. "At this rate, I do believe that the four of us will please the crowd and make our way into the major league."
"Great," Andrew had to smile at this before looking at the Yoshi Egg. "And as for you. You just stay here and wait for us to get back. When we get to the Major Leagues, we'll be back to pick you up, and my belongings. Does that sound good?"
The Yoshi Egg jumped up and down in anticipation. This was satisfying enough for Andrew.
By then, the Security Guard showed up to pick up Andrew and his crew.
"Presto! Match time! Follow me, bub." The guard told him.
"Right. Let's get going Goombella. Koops. And Flurrie," Andrew told his three partners. "To the ring."
The three of them nodded as the four of them followed the security guard and headed straight for the Glitz Pit, while the Yoshi Egg stayed put in the locker room for the time being...
IN THE GLITZ PIT RING:
Out in the Glitz Pit, we see Grubba standing in front of the ring with a full crowd of eager and excited people making an audience for the fight that could 'possibly' change the way people think about the Prevailing Presto. It was then Grubba started speaking to the crowd.
"And now...today's main event! The major league awaits the 11th-ranked Prevailin' Presto..." Grubba announced. "But only if he can beat the 10th-ranked powerhouses... The Iron Adonis Twins!"
It was then he heard Andrew's footsteps approach the red door to the left, which got his attention.
"First, let's get the Speedy Determinator in here, folks!" Grubba then declared Andrew's stage name for all to hear. "THE PREEEEEEVAILIN' PRESTO!"
It was then Andrew stepped into the Glitz Pit with Goombella, Koops, and Flurrie as they were greeted by the crowd of people cheering. The four of them jumped up the stairs and got into the ring. By then, Grubba approached Andrew and decided to ask him something.
"Hoooooooooo-WEEEEEEEEEE! The Prevailin' Presto! How're you feelin'?" Grubba asked him.
"Pretty good, actually," Andrew told him honestly. "I'm ready to get this match done and over with."
"Whoa, nelly!" Grubba had to comment on that. "You heard the fella, folks! He's 'obviously' itchin' to mix it up some!"
It was then the blue door to the right opened up and the two challengers to the Prevailing Presto jumped up to the ring. They were the Armored Harriers, and both of them were Iron Clefts.
Iron Clefts are at least twice the size of regular Clefts, so they were much bigger. Iron Clefts are also blue except for the shoes. One of them was wearing red shoes, and the other was wearing green shoes, as they were 'actually' brothers.
It appears to be very customary for two brothers to be associated with the colors red and green. The older brother wears red, and the younger brother wears green.
It was clear that the red shoed Iron Cleft was the older brother, while the green shoed Iron Cleft was the younger brother. One of the people in the audience wondered if spikes were legal when the Armored Harriers jumped up onto the ring.
Grubba then approached them and decided to make the battle between them and Andrew with his crew interesting. Feeling the need to dish out insults from Andrew's mouth, Grubba decided to share with them.
"Hyuk hyuk! Your challenger is real confident, boys!" Grubba got started telling them. "Yep, he's talkin' trash... 'Iron Adonis Twins?' he said. 'More like Paper Dog-Face Bros.! ...And they stink!'"
Grubba waved his hand in front of his nose to emphasize it before he continued. "And then he said: 'I bet they just play video games 'an' cry when they lose! Or they're a couple of sissies who write them fanfictions!' Um, yeah, and then he said... 'Outie belly buttons run in their family! Stinkwads!' ...And so on. Yep."
Andrew was shocked that Grubba told them what he assumed he said, even though that wasn't even close to what came out of his mouth. Meanwhile, the Armored Harriers looked extremely peeved and offended by the comment regarding the outie belly button comment.
"WHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAT!? How does he know Mom has an outie? That jerk!" The red-shoed Iron Cleft bellowed before snarling at Andrew. "We're gonna blend you up into a smoothie, pal! And then we're gonna drink ya! Oh, and one more thing... Only smelly stinkwads call other people stinkwads! Understand, stinkwad?"
"Simmer down there, Bro," the green-shoed Iron Cleft advised him before getting his turn to sneer at Andrew. "You! Stinkwad! You're gonna regret opening your yap, pal! See these [bods]? Solid iron. See these spikes? Yeah, they penetrate any substance. So, 'basically', what I'm telling you is that whatever you try will be completely useless. Think that over in the very short time you have left with a functional brain."
Andrew had to take in what was just said. Something told him that this fight was not gonna be any ordinary fight for him. That's what he had Goombella for. Perhaps she has some information on them in her Tattle Log. He was then brought out of his thoughts when Grubba announced.
"Get yerselves ready to...BAAAAAATTLE!" Grubba declared as the bell rang, officially starting the fight.
Andrew, Goombella, Koops, and Flurrie approached the center along with the Armored Harriers until they were staring into each others' eyes. While Andrew was having some doubts about this, Goombella, Koops, and Flurrie were more than confident to get through this battle.
"We're gonna do it! We make the major league if we win!" Goombella beamed preppily. "Get psyched, Andrew!"
"Wow! If we win, we'll 'actually' be in the major league!" Koops had to admit. "Let's show our stuff!"
"Good gracious, we'll make the major league if we prevail!" Flurrie declared proudly. "I like our chances! Let's show these two why you're called the Prevailing Presto!"
"Uh, right," Andrew tugged on his handkerchief. "Let's get this over with."
"Bluh huh huh huh huh... Give up now!" The red-shoed Iron Cleft bellowed.
"Well, stinkwads, you're about to learn our skills the hard way." The green-shoed Iron Cleft warned him.
Andrew couldn't help but gulp before he turned to face his Goomba partner. "Hey Goombella? Do you have any information on these guys?"
"I'm already on it, Andrew," Goombella had her Tattle Log out as she looked through the pages until she found the right one. "Ah-HA! Here it is!"
"Well, let's hear it," Andrew encouraged.
"Right. Ahem... These are Iron Clefts," Goombella read off for him. "These guys are SCARY. Period!"
"Yeah. They do look a little intimidating," Andrew had to admit before adding under his breath. "But I don't think that's the only thing we need to worry about."
It was then that Goombella gasped and yelled at what she read next.
"What's WITH this book?" Goombella had to ask in irritation.
"What's wrong?" Andrew had to ask.
"It says no attack will work against Iron Clefts!" Goombella yelled fearfully.
"Nothing will hurt them?" Andrew then saw the Iron Clefts charging right towards Goombella. "Goombella! Look out!"
Andrew rushed over and grabbed Goombella in the nick of time as the Armored Harriers nearly plowed right into her.
"Thanks again, Andrew," Goombella thanked him. "Jeepers. I meant what I said earlier when I said that I'll never get sick of you doing that."
"I know," Andrew then saw Koops try using his Shell Toss on the red shoed Iron Cleft.
It didn't even leave a dent. He then used Power Shell on both of them. Neither one of them was affected by it.
Andrew then took out his bat as he charged for both of them while swinging it. Once the bat made contact with them, it only made a dinging sound as if it touched metal. No dents or damage was done to the Iron Clefts.
Even Flurrie couldn't do anything, as they were unable to be blown away by her Gale Force move. And her Lip Lock wouldn't work since their spikes would hurt her.
"You were saying something about them being immune to everything, Goombella?" Andrew had to raise an eyebrow towards her.
"That's right," Goombella nodded before she continued reading. "It says nothing in the world is as hard as an Iron Cleft, so they're completely impenetrable."
Andrew then paled on the spot. It seems that the green-shoed Iron Cleft was telling the truth. Nothing they can do can hurt them.
Andrew remembered something, as there was one last thing that he could try out.
"Wait. There's one thing I'd like to try," Andrew took out a single shuriken and held it in his hand.
"Jeepers Andrew! You're not gonna try killing them, are you!?" Goombella had to yell at him in fright.
"No. I'm just gonna try something for a second," Andrew advised her. "Just watch."
Andrew dashed towards the Armored Harriers and barely managed to dodge their Charge attack. Once he was in front of the red shoed Iron Cleft, he then took the shuriken and tapped him on the head with it.
It didn't even leave a scratch on the surface. Not only that, but the shuriken suddenly shattered to pieces upon making contact, proving that this idea was fruitless too.
"I'm...not gonna bother asking how that was possible," Andrew shook his head. "They 'really' are impenetrable."
"Yeah," Goombella then shared with him. "And if that's true, the only way to beat one is to whack it with the other one..."
"But none of us can do something like that," Andrew told her as Koops and Flurrie shook their heads to show that they couldn't do that.
"Right," Goombella shook her head as proof that she couldn't do that either. "Well, running away may not be a bad idea at this point."
"I guess we have no choice," Andrew sighed shamefully. "We're fighting a losing battle here..."
It was then both Armored Harriers plowed into Andrew and his three partners, making a successful contact with them.
They weren't badly injured, but it did cause quite a bit of damage to them. It was to the point where the four of them fell on the floor, onto their stomachs.
"We'd like to surrender!" Andrew yelled out. "We're giving up!"
Grubba had to adjust his shade upon hearing what Andrew just said. Surely the Prevailing Presto wasn't chickening out just now, was he? Still, since that was something to be taken seriously, Grubba had to go along with it and claimed the Armored Harriers were the victors by default.
"We got ourselves a winner!" Grubba declared. "The Armored Harriers!"
The audience was gasping and yelping as chatter was heard from the crowd about how Andrew could give up this easily. By contrast, the Armored Harriers couldn't help but laugh haughtily at their victory against Andrew and his team.
"Bluh huh huh huh huh..." The red-shoed Iron Cleft laughed before telling them in a taunting manner. "How'd you like that? We tried to tell you, but nooooooo..."
"If you want another piece of pummel pie, have a bath and come on back! Punk!" The green-shoed Iron Cleft sneered at Andrew before they were escorted out of the ring.
It didn't take long for Jolene to escort Andrew and his three partners out of the ring as they were brought back to the Minor League Locker Room. But what they weren't aware of was the big surprise that was waiting for them there...
BACK IN THE MINOR LEAGUE LOCKER ROOM:
It was apparent that Andrew and his three partners had shameful looks on their faces that they were unable to win that battle. Jolene still was willing to comply with giving Andrew his fight money.
"Here's your fight money, Mr. Presto," Jolene gave him one coin, as it was clear that he remained in 11th place.
"Thanks," Andrew said dully with shame.
"Now, if you'll excuse me... I must be going," after adjusting her glasses, Jolene left the minor league locker room, leaving the four travelers to stew in shame at how they lost a match by default.
Andrew shook it off moments later as he then looked around and noticed something. King K was nowhere to be found. And that meant one thing.
"Guys, looks like King K is gone. I guess he must've left to spend his retirement back at home with his folks," Andrew sighed sadly before saying out loud. "Goodbye, King K..."
"Ummm...Andrew?" Koops got his attention as he noticed something. "King K isn't the only one who's missing in this room..."
"Omigosh! Koops is right, Andrew," Goombella agreed as she decided to share with him. "Our little eggy friend is gone."
"You're kidding," Andrew had to look at her.
"We're not," Koops shook his head. "The little bouncy egg isn't here."
"Oh, mercy me! Andrew..." Flurrie had to express her distraught at the disappearance of the missing Yoshi Egg. "Where could the little fellow have gotten himself to?"
"I dunno," Andrew had to rub his chin curiously. "I'm not sure where that egg ran off to..."
The four of them remained silent to think about this for a few moments before a sudden thought entered Andrew's mind. There was the possibility that it happened.
Wait a moment...Could it be... Andrew thought. Is it possible that the Yoshi Egg had already...?
Andrew was unable to finish that thought when a voice spoke from behind them, getting their attention.
"Yo!" That voice got all four of them to whip around towards where the bed was, and they saw exactly what was standing there.
It was a Yoshi. Or rather, it was a little Yoshi kid. The Yoshi kid was green in color. He had a small red mohawk on his head, showing three strands of hair to show it. He was also wearing red shoes to match his red mohawk hair.
And draped around his bottom was an orange diaper with white polka dots on it. Based on his expression with the furrowed eyebrows, it looked like this Yoshi kid was eager to take on something five times his size.
Andrew was completely in shock at what he was seeing as the Yoshi kid walked over and approached the four travelers.
"Presto!" The Yoshi kid said once he was in front of the muscular man. "Check me out! Thanks to you, I hatched safe and sound! Thanks, man!"
It was then Andrew was able to find his voice as he jumped.
"WHOA! YOU...You hatched from the egg?!" Andrew asked in shock. "Holy moly! I knew you were a Yoshi Egg the whole time! This is wonderful!"
His three partners were just as shocked by this, as they expressed how they felt about this.
"You...were in that cute little eggy-weggy?" Goombella had to wonder before saying. "Whoa! That's wild!"
"That's nuts..." Koops had to admit. "So you're a Yoshi, huh?"
"Well, aren't you precious!" Flurrie couldn't help but gush in awe at the sight of the Yoshi kid.
"So, you 'really' were the one who hatched from that Yoshi Egg that we liberated, weren't you?" Andrew had to ask.
"Yeah, but who cares?" The Yoshi kid answered all of their questions before asking the four of them. "You guys wanna be champs, right? You want a Crystal Star?"
"Wait a moment," Andrew had to ask him. "How did you know that we're after the Crystal Star?"
"I heard all about it while I was in the egg!" The Yoshi kid told him in a rather energetic manner. "Yeah!"
"Oh. I see," Andrew had to muse at this.
"Anyway, I gotta repay you for saving me from old Hoggle out there, so I'll fight for you!" The Yoshi kid was willing to travel with the four of them for what they did.
"Wait...you want to travel with us to get the Crystal Stars?" Andrew had to ask.
"Sure! I can fight for you guys too," the Yoshi kid declared. "I can hold my own! I'll swallow any opponent whole, honest! Just leave it to me!"
Andrew had to take all of this in for a moment as he observed the green Yoshi kid. Truth be told, he should've expected this since it was a living Yoshi Egg.
But now this little Yoshi wants to travel with him and his friends to get the Crystal Stars. It had also occurred to him that this Yoshi probably has no parents, or never met them since he was possibly taken away from them as an egg, indicating that they were either on Lavalava Island or Yoshi's Island.
Truth be told, Andrew has never been a surrogate father to anybody.
Then again, he never met his 'own' father, since he left him, his mother, and his older brother sometime before Andrew was born. He only heard rumors about him from his mom, that he was a 'terribly' abusive man, who did some questionably amoral things. And he was so horrible that she had to divorce him.
That trait may have stuck with his older brother Fred since he was as abusive to Andrew as their father was to their mother.
Fred even blamed Andrew for making their father leave them, even though he wasn't born yet when their dad left them. Fred assumed that Andrew's birth was more than enough to drive their dad off.
It didn't help that Fred was constantly getting into trouble and their father was a pretty bad influence on him, while their mother was more of an influence on Andrew, due to their mother's overall kindness.
This also explained why Andrew was also a friendly and kind person to most people. Unless they got under his skin long enough to tick him off.
Seeing that this Yoshi kid didn't have any parents, he decided that it'd be best to play the role of his surrogate father. He just needed to know from his partners if it was alright to have him travel with them.
"Well..." Andrew turned to face Goombella, Koops, and Flurrie. "What do you guys think? Would it be all right if this Yoshi kid traveled with us?"
"Totally! I'm all for having him along!" Goombella beamed. "We'd love to have you travel with us to get the remaining Crystal Stars!"
"Sure. We'd love having you along," Koops said calmly. "It might be fun having you travel with us."
"Why, 'absolutely'. It would be a marvelous experience to have this little cutie stick with us," Flurrie had to express her joy. "It'll be delightful to have him travel with us."
"That's good enough for me," Andrew turned to face the Yoshi kid with a grin as he told him. "All right, little Yoshi. We'd love to have you! Welcome to the team! But first off, what's your name?"
"My name, huh? Lessee..." The Yoshi kid tried thinking of what his name could be but nothing came up. "I just came outta that egg, so I guess I don't have a name yet."
"I should've known," Andrew sighed and shook his head.
"Hey, you seem fired up about it, so why don't you gimme one?" The Yoshi kid was willing to have Andrew give him a name himself. "Make it cool, OK?"
Andrew couldn't help but gasp at this. He was seriously flattered that this Yoshi kid was willing to give him a name. Nonetheless, he was willing to oblige with this.
"Sure. I'll give you a name," Andrew did some thinking. "Hmmm...now what should I name you?"
"Hey Andrew? Maybe we should call him Eggy Weggy," Goombella suggested in a teasing manner. "Because he was the one that hatched from that egg."
"Goombella, please tell me you're not being serious right now," Andrew had to tell her dryly. "Calling him that would be no different if we were to name him Yolkie."
"Kidding Andrew. Just kidding. Sheesh," Goombella rolled her eyes playfully at him. "Learn to take a joke, won'tcha?"
"All right," Andrew sighed in relief as he realized that she wasn't being serious with that name.
"Hey uh, I have something," Koops shyly gave his suggestion. "Maybe we should call him Greenie. Since he's a green Yoshi and all."
"Uh, I hate to tell you this," Andrew had to be honest with him. "But that isn't a good name at all."
"Ummm...right. Sorry about that," Koops uttered in shame.
"Don't apologize, Koops," Andrew assured him. "We just need to come up with a better name for the Yoshi kid."
"Oh my, my! I just came up with a marvelous name for the little guy," Flurrie told them in a joyous tone. "We shall call him Li'l Presto Junior! That way he could end up becoming the very image of the gloriously handsome and hunky muscular man that stands before us!"
"F-Flurrie? As flattered as I am to hear you say that," Andrew had to blush heavily at that. "We need this Yoshi kid to be given his 'own' image, with a name that he can identify himself with. To show that he's his 'own' person and that he isn't just a miniature me."
"Oh, dear. By the stars, I do apologize for that, darling," Flurrie realized her mistake. "I shall let you come up with the name that we'll give to this little adorable guy!"
"All right," Andrew sighed before looking at the Yoshi kid. "Hmmm..."
He spent several moments thinking about what to call the Yoshi kid. He looked over every part of the Yoshi kid's body and his posture. After he had taken all of this in, he had made his decision. He knew exactly what they should call this Yoshi kid.
"Ah-HA! I got it!" Andrew snapped his fingers. "I know exactly what we should name him!"
"You do," Goombella asked him curiously as he nodded. "Well, don't leave us hanging Andrew! What name do you have for him?"
"It's this," Andrew then revealed the name to them. "The Yoshi kid shall be named Yoshiam."
"Yoshiam? Seriously, Andrew," Goombella raised her eyebrow at this.
"Yeah. Why not?" Andrew shrugged. "It's a portmanteau of Yoshi and William. Knowing he's a Yoshi, and that William best describes him, I decided to put them together to name him Yoshiam."
"Ah. I see," Goombella was starting to understand as Andrew continued.
"Just take your name, for instance, Goombella," Andrew told her. "Your name is a portmanteau of Goomba and Isabella. Does that make sense?"
"Wowsers, Andrew! You're RIGHT!" Goombella's eyes expanded as she gasped. "That DOES make sense!"
"Hey, Andrew? What about my name?" Koops was curious to know about his name.
"Well Koops, I think your name is a portmanteau of Koopa and Oops," Andrew then rubbed his chin as he remembered something. "Although I think Koops is an actual surname, so I don't think your name counts..."
"Wow. Guess you make plenty of sense there, Andrew," Koops shrugged as he accepted that.
"And as for Flurrie, which is another way of spelling flurry, it's something being moved in small swirling masses by sudden gusts of wind," Andrew looked towards the Wind Spirit. "Because you're a Wind Spirit, that name 'actually' makes plenty of sense."
"Oh, splendid. How wonderful splendid," Flurrie remarked. "You have a way with explanation, darling!"
"Yeah," Andrew then said to them. "So I think we should name him Yoshiam. Does that sound good?"
"Sure. That name works for me," Goombella then looked towards Koops and Flurrie. "What about you guys?"
"Sure," Koops nodded. "Yoshiam is a great name for him."
"I say it's a splendid choice," Flurrie declared. "Yoshiam it is!"
"Perfect," Andrew then turned back to the Yoshi kid again. "So little Yoshi kid, how does the name Yoshiam work for you?"
"Not too bad, dude," the Yoshi kid, now named Yoshiam, mused. "Not too bad at all."
"Really," Andrew wondered.
"Yeah... I like it," Yoshiam gave Andrew a thumbs up to show his approval of it.
"Great to hear!" Andrew told him. "Welcome to the team, Yoshiam!"
"Cool! OK, Presto..." Yoshiam gave him a determined look. "Let's get out there and do some damage!"
"Excellent," Andrew grinned as he was thrilled to have him along, with Goombella, Koops, and Flurrie feeling the same way. "So, I suppose that you have the same abilities as any other Yoshi, right?"
"Sure do, man. Heck, I can show you," Yoshiam pointed towards his backside. "Get on my back. I can carry you around!"
"Yeah?" Andrew seemed amused by this as he then had to tell him seriously. "Don't expect me to punch you in the head. Because that's something I'm NEVER gonna do to you."
"I don't expect you to, Presto," Yoshiam informed him. "Now come on, dude! Try it out!"
Andrew shrugged as he got onto Yoshiam's back. As soon as he was riding on him, Yoshiam started running around the entire locker room with no problem.
"Wow Yoshiam," Andrew had to admit. "You're a lot stronger than I thought if you're able to carry me; a full-grown man, on your back."
"That isn't all I can do either. Watch this!" Yoshiam got onto the bench with Andrew on his back as he jumped off and flutter-jumped a few feet in the air. "See? Pretty cool, isn't it? I can get you by gaps that you couldn't get by alone."
"Hey, that is pretty cool," Andrew smirked as he then remembered. "But hey. What about Goombella and Koops? Flurrie could float over gaps with no problem, but what about them?"
"Heck, they can be carried too, if they need to," Yoshiam assured him. "Trust me, Presto. I'm stronger than I look! I can take it!"
"All right! All right! I can take your word for it," Andrew accepted that fact as he jumped off of Yoshiam's back, allowing him to walk freely now.
"Now that you saw me demonstrate my stuff, who are we gonna fight next?" Yoshiam started making some boxing moves with his hands in a determined manner. "I'm ready to kick some butt and wreck anyone that tries to mess with us!"
"That's very good and all Yoshiam. But we still have a bigger problem," Andrew had to explain to him. "We are currently stuck with no way of beating the Armored Harriers. Nothing we can do can damage them."
"And the only way we can beat them is if we whack one of them with the other," Goombella had to add.
"Hey, maybe I can help," Yoshiam had to grin. "I can help with beating those hardheads that are giving you a hard time!"
"You?! But how could you help us with dealing with t-wait a minute," Andrew cut himself off when he remembered something. "As a Yoshi, you can use your long tongues to grab a hold of your foes and put them in your mouths. And if you don't plan on swallowing them to lay eggs, you usually spit out the foe towards something else. Whether it's another foe or some inanimate object. You can do that, right?"
"Yeah! Of 'course' I can do that!" Yoshiam declared while bouncing. "All Yoshis are capable of that! Babies and grown-ups!"
"Great," Andrew then thoughtfully rubbed his chin as he then continued. "And if you grab one Iron Cleft with your tongue, and then spit it out at another Iron Cleft..."
Andrew stopped himself as he figured it all out. He knew exactly what could defeat those Armored Harriers.
"Guys? I think we have the ticket needed to beat the Armored Harriers," Andrew told Goombella, Koops, and Flurrie as he directed their attention to Yoshiam. "And he can also allow us to get into the Major Leagues!"
"Wait, Andrew! Before we can go with that, I just gotta ask," Goombella felt like asking. "How d'you know so much about how Yoshis act and live their lives anyway? Like you know how they use their tongues to grab their foes and how they lay eggs from swallowing them and whatnot? How d'you know all of that?"
"I've watched plenty of Yoshi documentaries in my spare time, Goombella," Andrew told her matter-of-factly. "I should know."
"Pffft. Lucky hotshot," Goombella rolled her eyes playfully as she nudged Andrew's left leg in a teasing manner. "All the stuff I learned about came from books."
"I know," Andrew gave her a smirk in return. "Now what do you guys say? Shall we register a rematch against the Armored Harriers?"
"Guess so, Andrew. Don't 'really' have much more that we can do to beat them," Koops was willing to go with it.
"Why, I say that is a splendid idea," Flurrie gushed in adoration. "We shall make it to the Major Leagues for sure!"
"I 'totally' think we should give it a try," Goombella added her support.
"Well, what are we waiting for?" Yoshiam suggested as he was bouncing around in excitement. "Let's fight those metalheads again so I can kick their sorry behinds this time!"
"Patience Yoshiam. I'm getting to that," Andrew couldn't help but chuckle at how determined Yoshiam was as he walked over to the computer terminal screen.
He then touched it to activate it before pressing the 'Register a Match' button. Before he knew it, Grubba was shown appearing on the screen again as he saw that Presto was willing to fight again.
"Well, boy howdy, Presto," Grubba greeted him. "Fixin' for a fight, huh?"
"Sure am," Andrew nodded as he was grinning along with his four partners.
"Well, all righty then! Lemme just see here... Yer next opponent will be..." Grubba then gave the announcement for a rematch. "Ranked 10 in the Glitz Pit... the Armored Harriers."
"All right. That works for me," Andrew was eager to see this rematch play out in his favor and that of his partners this time.
"Now listen, son: in this battle, I want you to stand pat, OK?" Grubba gave him his new condition. "Do...not...attack...at all."
"So I don't do any fighting at all, huh," Andrew rubbed his chin.
"Yep! The crowd loves yer partners, so give 'em what they want!" Grubba had to explain to him. "Drive 'em bonkers!"
"Excuse me, but I have a question Mr. Grubba," Andrew decided to ask him. "Does it matter WHICH partner I use to fight the match in my place?"
"Shucks, son. It [do]n't matter none which partner you use fer this match," Grubba informed him. "Just as long as you ain't doin' the fightin' this time."
"That works for me," Andrew was satisfied with the answer.
"Now get in there and share that spotlight!" Grubba declared.
"I'll be glad to," Andrew said as the screen turned off. "OK, Yoshiam? You ready to show those Armored Harriers what for and that we are determined to get into the Major League?"
"You better believe it, Presto!" Yoshiam said eagerly. "I'm ready to trash them both!"
"Cool!" Andrew had to smile along with his other three partners that this could 'actually' get them into the Major League.
At that moment, the Security Guard that was there to pick Andrew up showed up.
"Presto! Match time! Follow me, bub." The guard told him.
"Very well," Andrew nodded before facing his four partners. "Well guys, let's get going!"
Andrew followed the security guard back to the Glitz Pit ring, with Goombella, Koops, Flurrie, and Yoshiam trailing right behind him. They were going to beat the Armored Harriers for sure this time. And it'll be all thanks to Yoshiam...
IN THE GLITZ PIT:
It didn't take long for Andrew and his four partners to make it back to the ring through the left door, while the Armored Harriers made it back through the right door. Both sides jumped up the stairs and onto the ring as Grubba was standing in the middle of where the action would be taking place.
"Fer our next battle, we got the Speedy Determinator, the PREVAILIN' PRESTO, and... The Iron Adonis Twins..." Grubba announced to the people in the audience. "Yep, a fight to the finish with The Armored Harriers!"
"You guys ready for this?" Andrew had to ask his four partners, and they all nodded at that.
"We're ready to deliver a beating," Yoshiam declared.
"These ultrahard bods just can't lose!" The red shoed Iron Cleft declared.
"Get yerselves ready to...BAAAAAATTLE!" Grubba declared as the bell rang, officially starting the match between both of them.
Both sides were giving the staredown as they were ready to get this match over with.
"OK, guys! I know we're gonna win for sure this time," Andrew told his team. "So get ready for this."
"You got it, Andrew! We're gonna win this time around!" Goombella beamed in a preppy manner. "You gotta believe!"
"Are we gonna do it this time?" Koops wondered nervously as he stared at the two intimidating Iron Clefts again.
"Let's teach these hooligans a thing or two this time!" Flurrie proclaimed proudly.
"Yeah, Presto! Lemme at 'em!" Yoshiam was more than eager to fight them. "We're gonna take these punks this time!"
"Bluh huh huh huh huh... Stinkwad's challenging us again," the red-shoed Iron Cleft snorted off. "He never learns!"
"Looks like he brought some new, shrimpy partner..." the green-shoed Iron Cleft took notice of Yoshiam.
"I'll show you who's shrimpy!" Yoshiam warned him.
"Hmph," the green shoed Cleft huffed and didn't seem fazed by this. "As if that's gonna help him!"
"Oh, I think he's going to be your undoing in a moment," Andrew told them in a deadpan manner before glancing at Yoshiam. "OK! It's all you Yoshiam! Show these guys that we aren't to be underestimated!"
"Leave 'em to me, Presto!" Yoshiam promised. "I'll deck these guys real hard!"
"Right. As for me," Andrew walked over to the sideline as he decided to watch Yoshiam fight. "I'm gonna sit this one out. I wouldn't be able to help anyway..."
Andrew saw Yoshiam charged for the Armored Harriers when he noticed that he wasn't alone. Goombella, Koops, and Flurrie decided to join him on the sideline.
"Huh? What are you guys doing here?" Andrew asked. "You're allowed to go out there and fight."
"Uh, yeah. But hello? We can't hurt them either," Goombella told him in a playful sassy manner. "So we're gonna stick by you and watch Yoshiam fight those guys with you."
"Yeah. Might as well," Koops sighed in relief. "Don't think we'd be of any help to Yoshiam anyway."
"'Absolutely', dearie. We shall cheer for him with you," Flurrie assured him. "He can show them that we are most deserving of being in the Major Leagues and that we shall prevail."
"All right. If you guys insist," Andrew then had to remind Yoshiam about one important factor. "Remember to use your tongue for this one, Yoshiam!"
"Got it, dude!" Yoshiam gave him a thumbs up as he was going to use his tongue.
Before he could though, the Armored Harriers were about to Charge right into him, planning to plow through him. Thankfully, Yoshiam was one step ahead of them as he managed to jump out of the way.
He landed on the end of one of the spikes on the green shoed Iron Cleft before making a kicking leap off of him and flutter jumped through the air. As soon as he was behind the Armored Harriers, he spun around in the air a few times before landing on the ground, feet first.
Seeing that the Armored Harriers weren't looking behind them, Yoshiam decided to use this moment as the chance to use his Gulp move on them.
To perform it, Yoshiam walked up to the red shoed Iron Cleft who was in front of him. Once he was in the perfect target range, Yoshiam grabbed the red-shoed Iron Cleft with his tongue and held him in his mouth.
Andrew was surprised to see such a small Yoshi such as Yoshiam being able to hold a big opponent such as an Iron Cleft in his mouth. Yoshiam was heard muffling with his mouth full, before he looked right at the green-shoed Iron Cleft, and spat out the red-shoed Iron Cleft, causing him to collide right into his brother.
Both of them felt the pain and impact of the attack, as they were starting to hurt from what Yoshiam just did to them.
"YEEEEEEEEEEEEOOOOOOOOOOOWCH! You spiked me right in the..." The red-shoed Iron Cleft yowled in pain before realizing something. "THAT 'REALLY' HURT! Our iron bodies and pointy nastiness are being used against us! No fair!"
"Oh, dang, Bro!" The green-shoed Iron Cleft realized what this meant as he had a feeling as to what they'd be in for. "Have they discovered our weak points?"
"Took you long enough to figure that one out," Andrew had to smirk at them as if the match was starting to fall into his favor. "All right, Yoshiam! Keep it up! You'll beat them in no time!"
"Got it, Presto!" Yoshiam gave him a thumbs up as he jumped into the air again to dodge another attack from the Iron Clefts.
One of the Armored Harriers nearly plowed into Yoshiam, but he went ahead and jumped out of the way right before it made contact. Yoshiam could feel a little bit of the attack even though he barely jumped out of the way. But otherwise, he was OK. And he certainly wasn't going to go down without a fight.
After shaking his head, Yoshiam walked up to the red-shoed Iron Cleft again and grabbed him with his tongue. As soon as he put him into his mouth, he went ahead and spat him out at the green-shoed Iron Cleft again, landing a successful Gulp attack.
The sheer power of the Gulp move was strong enough for the Iron Clefts to feel enough pain to the point where they felt dizzy and were unable to battle any further. It was clear that the Armored Harriers had lost against Andrew and his team.
"Ooooooooooooorg..." The red-shoed Iron Cleft moaned in pain.
"Do we have to go back to the minor league now, Bro?" The green-shaded Iron Cleft wondered as he was feeling motion sickness. "I think I'm gonna be sick."
Grubba had to adjust his shade and grin at the sight he was seeing. He had no reason to doubt for a second that the Prevailing Presto and his team would find a way to make a complete turnaround and get the match to fall into his favor, earning him that victory and chance to make a go at the Major Leagues.
"Coooooooooongratulations! Prevailin' Presto! With this win, you made the major league!" Grubba had to announce as Andrew and his three other partners stepped up to join Yoshiam. "Now, THAT, folks, was what I called a wiiiiiild an' wooly fight! A diggety-dang DOOZY! Keep it up, kid! You're goin' places, I can tell! Hoo-wee! C'mon, now, folks, give it up! We got a new major leaguer! LET'S HEAR IT FOR HIM!"
"Thanks, everyone! Thanks!" Andrew said as he heard the crowd start cheering for him and his team. "But my partners are the reason I got as far as I did. And that included our new member; Yoshiam."
"Yahoo!" Yoshiam jumped up and down as he did something with his hands.
It looked as if he was performing an electric guitar solo in thin air, without the guitar. After that, he threw the goat with both hands. The crowd thought that this was both cool and adorable to see a baby Yoshi being able to do this. And being on the same team as Andrew, no less. They awed before they clapped for him.
Combining that with Goombella's preppy flips in the air, Koops' breakdancing routine, and Flurrie's poses that she's been known to do during her days as an actress, Andrew was happy that he and his team got as far as they did. He was completely satisfied by this.
It didn't take long for the five fighters to be escorted back to the minor league locker room, knowing that they'd be repositioned in the major league locker room soon enough...
IN THE MINOR LEAGUE LOCKER ROOM:
It took no time at all for Andrew and his four partners to get back to the minor league locker room, where Jolene proceeded to give Andrew his fight money, which was more than just one coin this time. It was clear that he was 10th in the Glitz Pit Rank. Andrew had his backpack over his back as he knew that he was gonna be transferred to the Major Leagues.
"And Mr. Presto..." Jolene decided to inform him. "Mr. Grubba wishes to see you in his office. Follow me."
"OK, Ms. Jolene," Andrew nodded before facing his four partners. "Let's go see what this is about, guys."
Goombella, Koops, Flurrie, and Yoshiam nodded as the four of them followed Andrew out of the room, and the five of them followed Jolene out of the Minor League Locker Room and headed straight for Grubba's Office...
IN GRUBBA'S OFFICE:
We now see Grubba standing behind his desk, with one of his drawers opened. He had a rather suspicious paper laid out in front of him, as it seemed like it was something rather important that Andrew and his crew would learn about later on.
It was then he got out of staring at the suspicious paper as Jolene entered, getting him to jump and stuff the paper back into the drawer so no one would see what it was he was hiding.
"Mr. Grubba..." Jolene got his attention. "I've brought Mr. Gonzales, as you requested!"
"Muh-Muh-Ms. Jolene!" Grubba stuttered, not at all impressed that she barged in without warning. "You mind yer manners, now! We KNOCK 'round here, missy!"
Jolene had to adjust her glasses as she realized her mistake. "I apologize, Mr. Grubba."
Andrew, meanwhile, had caught a 'quick' glance at the paper Grubba had stuffed into his desk. For all he knew, he figured that it wasn't anything major and that it was a document on one of the fighters.
Guess Grubba was looking at one of his documents for one of the Glitz Pit fighters. Andrew thought to himself. Oh well. It probably wasn't important anyway.
Andrew was quick to dismiss it as Grubba decided to move on with this meeting.
"Don't you worry yer pretty li'l head about it none," Grubba then started thinking before he remembered. "Now, what'd I want again? Somethin' 'bout Presto... Oh, yeah!"
It was then he walked away from his desk as he then approached Andrew, with his four partners by his side.
"Presto, you ol' so-an'-so! Lemme congratulate you, son!" Grubba had to shake Andrew's hand at this. "Major league already, huh? I had a feelin' you were goin' places, and DANG, I love it when I'm right! You just keep on puttin' tuckuses in 'them' seats! I'm countin' on you, son."
"Well, it was nothing, sir," Andrew had to say. "My team and I were giving it our best is all."
"That ain't the only thing either," Grubba then told him something else. "I got a special li'l somethin'-somethin' for you. Go on! Take it!"
It was then Grubba gave him 30 coins, which seemed to satisfy Andrew as he smiled gratefully.
"Thanks for this, Mr. Grubba," Andrew thanked him.
"Think nothin' of it, son," Grubba then decided to tell him something else. "So, yeah, somethin' else that's been on my mind... Yer costume ain't cool."
"It's not?" Andrew had to raise an eyebrow at this.
"No big deal, son, but hey," Grubba told him. "Someday, if you become champ, I'll get you a new one. Somethin' hot pink, maybe with some frills or somethin'. You'll look a sight, son!"
"That doesn't seem to be a bad idea..." Andrew had to muse at the thought of wearing a cooler costume than just wearing a pair of gym clothes.
"Well, anyway, that's somethin' fer another day, pard," Grubba then decided to dismiss Andrew from his office. "Take a powder, OK?"
"All right, Mr. Grubba," Andrew nodded as he was planning to leave his office along with his four partners.
"Mr. Presto," Jolene got Andrew's attention again. "Please follow me, if you would."
"Of course, Ms. Jolene," Andrew nodded before telling his partners. "Let's get going guys. Looks like we're going into the Major League Locker Room."
Goombella, Koops, Flurrie, and Yoshiam all nodded, with smiles on their faces. It's as if they were just as eager to start in the major leagues as Andrew was.
With that, the five of them followed Jolene and they headed straight for the Major League Locker Room. They were completely unaware of what was going to be in store for them once they started in the Major League. They would find that out for themselves. No doubt about that...
END OF CHAPTER 26...
Well, that's it for this chapter. I do hope you enjoyed the chapter, and I hope you enjoyed seeing Andrew get his new partner.
Yeah, I made the Yoshi kid green since the previous stories I did for an adaptation of The Thousand-Year Door weren't green at all. So I decided to settle with that basic color.
As for the name, I settled on Yoshiam. Because it seriously is a portmanteau of Yoshi and William. I thought William worked for part of the name, since the meaning of the name William happens to be a resolute protector or strong-willed warrior.
And considering the Yoshi kid's personality, how he's determined to fight, and that he was born in the Glitz Pit; a fighting arena, I thought it worked best. I hope you all enjoyed the name Yoshiam too.
Also, hooray for more backstory that I added to Andrew's character. This time about his father whom he never met since he left them before Andrew was born. And how his mom divorced him for his abusive behavior; which is also probably where Fred; Andrew's older brother, got his brutal behavior from.
Anyway, I had plenty of fun writing this chapter out. Come to think of it, I enjoyed writing the chapters for when Goombella, Koops, and Flurrie joined Andrew's team. The other three partners will be fun to have join Andrew's team as well. Particularly, I look forward to doing the one for Chapter 4. But that's for later.
Lastly, I'd like to let you all know this; from here on, I won't be writing out anymore of the minor fights in the Glitz Pit. The only fights I'll be writing out are the ones that are 'actually' important.
This includes the unexpected rematch the Armored Harriers make in the Glitz Pit, the unexpected appearance of Bowser, and, of course, the Rawk Hawk. I hope you understand that I'm doing this to put more focus on the mystery aspect of Chapter 3.
Anyway, for the next chapter, Andrew and the team are in the Major League, Rawk Hawk barges in and Andrew gets to confirm with his team that the Crystal Star on the belt is a fake, he gets an e-mail from someone called X, he gets a new bat, and Goombella starts unraveling some of the facts behind the Seven Wonders of the Glitz Pit which could help Andrew learn about the whereabouts of the real Gold Star. Oh, and Andrew ends up getting a threatening e-mail. And some other stuff will occur too. How will this go? Find out next time, readers!
For now, only if you like, you can leave a review and let me know what you thought about this chapter, overall. I hope this has been rather exciting for you all.
Otherwise, I have nothing else to say here. So until next time, I hope you all can take care of yourselves. And on that note, thanks again for reading, everyone!