After the duel from both Rainbow Dash and Indigo Zap, the stage was now set. In a few days, it would be Rainbow earning her shot against the World Champion. As such, Celestia and Luna announced that they would be hosting a screening of the duel for all to see, as well as the pre-press conference that would happen the day before the big duel.
However, that was days away as life at CHS continued like normal. The students were going about their school life as they seemed excited about the upcoming World Championship duel.
"Alright, team, that's enough! Hit the showers!" said Spitfire as the students began to pick up their bags. "Zipp! Stay back. I need to speak with you!"
The girl looked at some of the other girls she spoke with as she left them and marched toward their coach.
"Yes, coach?" asked the girl, terrified of what she might say.
"You've shown skill. I can see the others also notice that as well."
"Uh, thanks," responded the girl sheepishly.
"Don't expect more praise, rook. But I do got something to say to you. A team is only good with someone to take charge and direct them. They need someone they can rely on for leadership. Which is why I'm making you the team captain!" said Spitfire
"Captain?" said Zipp, a bit surprised to hear that.
"You gonna take it or not?" asked Spitfire.
"Sorry, Coach! I mean... you can count on me," said Zipp, saluting the woman.
"Good! Study up on these plays! You're gonna need to know them if you're gonna be their leader!" said Spitfire as she handed a thick book to the girl, who almost dropped it from how heavy it was. "I'm counting on you. Don't make me look like a fool."
"Not gonna happen," said Zipp.
"Good. Now get going!" said Spitfire as Zipp nodded and left for the locker room.
Zipp exited the locker room, now in her signature attire, as she had the book given to her by Spitfire. The girl opened it up and began to read it as she walked.
"To be a good leader, you need..." read the girl as she passed through the hallway.
Meanwhile...
"Mario! Mario!" shouted Roll as she called out to her big brother.
The girl entered her brother's room, hoping to run into him, but he wasn't present.
"Guess he must have had practice this morning. Why does he never tell me the things he does? It's like he doesn't want me to know?" said Roll as she entered. "If I remember correctly, I left my bracelet in here."
The girl looked about her brother's room as she tried to find the bracelet her mother had given her. She searched and came to his desk, where he often did some drawing. On it was the accessory the girl was looking for.
"There it is!" said Roll as she grabbed it and turned to leave when she noticed something on her big brother's desk. "What's this? A letter."
Roll uncrumpled the ball of paper that was on her brother's desk as she began to read what was on it.
"Jazz, I've seen you at school and want to get to know you better and be your friend."
"Que lindo! It seems big bro is finally coming out of his protective shell. And he seems to be interested in someone." said Roll as she had a smile on her face.
"WHAT?!" echoed Pipp's voice.
"Your brother likes Jazz?" asked Izzy as they walked in the hallway.
"What makes you say that?" stated Sunny.
"He wrote her a letter," said Roll.
"What did it say?!" demanded Pipp, grabbing Roll's shirt to stare at the younger sibling of the boy she had a crush on.
"Well, it said he wants to get to know her better and be her friend," confessed Roll.
"Oh, how sweet!" smiled Izzy.
"Yeah, sweet," mumbled Pipp as she let go of Roll and walked away, hoping to find a pillow to scream into.
"What I'm not understanding is why the letter was all crumpled up?" asked Roll.
"Maybe he got cold feet. I bet he wanted to say something but was just too shy," responded Sunny.
"Eh, he's not typically shy, but regardless, it's my obligation to help my big brother."
"And our obligation as best friends to help you," said Izzy.
"When was that our obligation?" asked Sunny as Izzy pulled them in.
"Just now. I made it up," smiled Izzy.
"Thanks, girls," responded Roll.
"One question: What are we gonna do?" said the energetic girl as neither responded.
At lunchtime, the trio tried to devise a plan to help Roll's brother. They were currently in line as they were discussing their ideas.
"We can't take the letter out of his room. It just wouldn't feel right," said Roll as she reached for a pizza slice.
"Oh, I know! I know!" said Izzy as she had a thought. "Ready?"
Sunny and Roll nodded their heads.
"Okay, we can rent one of those biplanes you see on the beach that writes words in the sky. And we tell the pilot to write Mario likes Jazz!" said Izzy as the image of a plane writing the words in the sky appeared above her head. "So the whole city can see it."
Sunny and Roll just turned sideways as they looked at their friend.
"You don't like it, do you?" said Izzy as she looked sad.
"I like that you're trying," said Roll and Sunny with big nervous smiles.
"If only Jazz knew your brother, then perhaps she would at least be interested in getting to know him," chimed Sunny.
"Sunny! Eso es!" shouted Roll as she looked at her friend.
"Huh? Was that something I missed in class?" asked Izzy, as she didn't know what Roll had just said.
"Sorry, it's Spanish. But I just had a thought, thanks to Sunny. We'll let Jazz know what a nice person Mario is."
"If that doesn't work, we'll try the biplane, please?" begged Izzy as the two shook their heads.
Regarding Roll's brother, Mario was currently with Hitch and someone else. Another boy was with them as they were currently playing some darts. Mario was concentrating on the scoreboard before him as he threw his dart. It sailed and landed in the center.
"Bull-eyes!" smiled Mario.
"Nice one, bud," stated Hitch.
"So Rocky, do you still want me to finish writing that letter to Jazz?" asked Mario as the boy approached him for help.
"No, man. I told you I don't want to write her a letter. I just want to talk to her," said Rocky. "I appreciate you helping me."
"So, why won't you just talk to her?" asked Hitch.
"It's just I get all flustered when she's around, and I end up making a fool of myself," said Rocky.
"Well, everyone makes a mistake when they're trying something new. You gotta still keep trying," stated Mario.
"Hey, look who it is," said Hitch as he got their attention.
Coming out from the building was none other than Jazz Hooves as she had retrieved a book from her satchel and began to read it.
"Well, here's your chance, Rocky. Go talk to her," said Mario as he encouraged his friend.
Rocky looked at the girl as his heart beat faster, and his knees shook. Hitch and Mario could literally see the sweat falling off his head.
"Well, what do I say?" asked Rocky as he stuttered.
"Say anything," stated Hitch. "All that matters is that you tried."
With a deep breath, Rocky made his way to the girl.
"Uhm, h-hey, Jazz."
"Hey, Rocky," said the girl as she saw her classmate.
"Uhm, I... I... you know..."
"You good?" asked Jazz, concerned for the boy's stutter and the sweat coming off him.
"I got to go!" quickly said Rocky as he left.
In the background, Hitch and Mario looked at each other as they shrugged.
Sometime later, the school day was let out, and Jazz was shown closing her locker door and looking to head over to her dorm. Sunny, Izzy, and Roll were popping out from a corner as they sought to execute their plan. They all quickly darted out as they soon appeared by Jazz's side.
"Hey, Jazz. Mind we if we walk with you?" asked Roll.
"Sure. By the way, have you guys seen Pipp lately? I've been meaning to talk to her about something." the girl asked.
"Haven't seen her," admitted Roll, as Pipp didn't make her presence known since the morning. "But listen, I was just telling Sunny and Izzy about my brother Mario. He's so funny at times. Isn't he, Sunny?"
"Yup. He makes me laugh," smiled the girl.
"Sometimes I laugh just looking at him. I mean, I laugh because I know he's gonna say something funny. Not 'cause he's funny-looking, so if you, that would be okay." responded Izzy with a nervous smile as they all looked at her weirdly. "I'll be quiet now."
"I... like funny people," responded Jazz hesitantly with a smile.
"He's also smart, too," stated Sunny.
"Si! Si! Eres inteligente. I mean, if he didn't help me with my homework, I don't know what I would do." said Roll as she exaggerated a bit about her older brother.
"Your brother?" said Jazz, seemingly a bit more interested.
"Yup. He's also one of the sweetest boys in school, and I'm not just saying that because he's my brother."
"He's as sweet as candy!" said Izzy as she chimed in before pulling out a chocolate candy bar and eating it.
"I don't suppose, maybe I could... meet him," said Jazz as Roll's smile grew.
The next day Hitch, Mario, and Rocky were in the hallway as the two tried to advise the latter to overcome his nervousness.
"Just remember, say, how are you?" said Mario.
"Okay. Okay, how are you? I think I got this!" said Rocky as he prepared himself.
"Here she comes," said Hitch.
Rocky turned as coming down the hallway was Jazz. His body began to shake as the girl closed in; he took a deep breath before speaking.
"How are..."
"Hey, Mario," said Jazz.
Rocky was stunned when he heard that. He turned as Jazz stood before Mario and stared at him with flirty eyes.
"Uh, hi, Jazz," said the boy to his fellow Fusion classmate.
The girl left to approach her locker. She opened it and inside the door was a photo of him all while she kept looking at him. The boy was confused at the look the girl was giving him, as he didn't know what was going on.
"Did she just say hi to me?" asked Mario.
"That would be an accurate statement," said Hitch.
"Look, I never tried to..."
"Oh, no, it's okay, Mario. It's totally cool. I mean, she can like whoever she wants." said Rocky trying to not let it bother him.
"But I don't like here. I mean, I like her, but I don't like her like her," said Mario as Hitch grabbed his shoulder to turn him around; he put a finger to his mouth to stop talking from making things worst.
"It's no biggie, Mario. I mean, I can't even talk to her," said Rocky.
"I don't get this. I've never talked to her outside of our Fusion class," said Mario as he looked over to see Jazz talking with Roll, Sunny, and Izzy. The four girls laughed and giggled among themselves. "Something's going on. I know it."
Roll was in her room as the girl lay on her bed, reading a textbook. Soon the door to her room opened, as in came Mario.
"Hey, Roll. How's things?" said the boy as he crossed his arms and looked at his little sibling.
"Fine," responded Roll, not directly looking at her brother.
"How's Jazz?" asked the boy.
"Oh, um, fine, I guess. She's a nice girl, huh."
"You've been talking to her a lot lately, haven't you?" stated Mario.
"Oh, you know I talk to alot of people I'm friendly with. So... why all the sudden questions?" asked Roll sheepishly.
"Alright, what's going on, sis?"
"Okay. I entered your room looking for my bracelet and saw the letter on your desk."
"Letter? What letter?" asked Mario.
"The one you wrote to Jazz asking her to be your friend," stated Roll. "I just told her what a sweet, adorable guy you are."
"Roll!" shouted Mario as he clutched his head, now knowing what this was all about. "No es mi carta! That was Rocky's letter! It was on my desk because I was trying to help talk to Jazz."
"Oh, shit!" said Roll as she slapped her head. "I wish you had told me that before."
"Now he thinks Jazz likes me!"
"Aye yai yai! Bro, we need to do something!" said Roll as she stood on her bed.
"Por favor no! Trust me, Roll. You've done enough already," said Mario, as he felt like his sister would only make things worst.
In the school cafe, Roll was standing in between Izzy and Sunny. The girl told the pair about the conversation she had with her brother the day prior and how their plan to get Jaz interested in Mario was a success but also a backfire.
"Well, your plan worked. Jazz is definitely interested in your brother," said Sunny.
All three looked behind them as they turned to see Jazz sitting at a table and staring nonstop at Mario, who was seated at another table with Hitch and Rocky.
"I don't think Rocky's too happy about it either," said Izzy as they saw the boy push his food away, seemingly losing his appetite at seeing Jazz be lovesick over Mario.
"We have to do something, amigas. We made this mess, but we have to clean it up," said Roll as she reached over without looking at the lunch lady, took a plate with a cheeseburger, and placed it on Izzy's tray.
"Why don't we just tell Jazz that Rocky really likes her?" asked Izzy as she inadvertently returned the plate back to the lunch lady as she was too busy addressing Roll to see what she did.
"No. Rocky should be the one to tell her," stated Roll.
"Maybe we should tell Jazz that it was all a mistake and Mario doesn't like her," stated Sunny, reaching over to take the plate containing the cheeseburger from the lunch lady as she made a face.
"Huh! Look at that poor girl!" said Roll as all three turned. They saw Jazz's lovesick expression as she stared at Roll's older sibling. "If we tell her that, she'll be crushed!"
"Biplane, anyone?" asked Izzy as she stuck her arms out like a plane. The others all looked at her weirdly. "I'm trying, remember."
"All we did was tell her that your brother was a great guy, and she believed us," said Sunny as Roll smiled.
"Sunny! Eso es!" shouted Roll, turning to address her.
"Explain, please?" asked Izzy.
"Well, if we convinced Jazz that my brother is great, then we can convince her that he's not so great."
"And how will we do that?" said Izzy.
"Well, we can tell her all about his bad qualities."
"What bad qualities?" asked Sunny.
"Don't worry, we'll think of something. I'm sister; after all, I know stuff," said Roll.
"So that's why she's suddenly so interested in me," said Mario as he was with Hitch as the pair were on the field practicing their kicks.
"You realize there's a very simple solution to this conundrum," stated Hitch.
"Speak to me, bro."
"Use your deductive powers, Mario. What's the primary obstacle?"
"That my sister always butts into other people's business. Mines, most importantly," said Mario with a sarcastic tone.
"No, Mario. Use your logic."
"Just tell me, Hitch. Please."
"The plan is simple. We have to help Rocky overcome his shyness," the boy told his pal.
Mario began to think about what Hitch said as a thought ran through his mind. They then left to find Rocky as they passed by Zipp, who was sitting on a bench and still reading the book that Spitfire had given her.
"To be a good leader, you must trust others. Be an example for others to follow and always be willing to accept criticism and know when to hand things over." said the girl as she flipped to the next page.
After finding Rocky, Mario, and Hitch headed to the local animal shelter. Rocky and Hitch were unsure of Mario's plan until he lifted a small dog.
"The perfect way to break the ice. Jazz helps out at the animal shelter and sometimes walks the dogs in the park," said Hitch as Mario handed the dog to Rocky, who began to lick his face.
"Exactly. You take this little guy out, the two dogs make friends, and you're on your way," stated Mario.
"Well, sounds like a plan, guys," said Rocky.
It wasn't long before all three boys were in the park. They were currently hiding in a bush as they waited. Soon Jazz was shown walking one of the shelter dogs she volunteered as she began to enter the park. However, the boys weren't the only ones waiting. Peeking from behind a nearby tree was Izzy, as it seemed the girls had their own plan.
"Okay," said Izzy as Roll and Sunny pulled her behind the tree.
They peeked out from the tree to see that Jazz didn't see them before popping out and standing beside her.
"Hey, Jazz. May we walk your dog with you?" asked Sunny.
"Sure," said the girl as they all walked.
"So, I was just the girls here about my brother Mario. Oh, he is so rude sometimes, isn't he?" said Roll to Sunny.
"Talk about bad manners," said the girl.
"Really? Cause you said he was nice," stated Jazz, a bit confused.
"No, no, he's very rude!" chimed in Izzy.
"Oh, don't get me started like when he talks with his mouth food. And changes the channel without asking. And he does that all the time. Do you know how hard it is to live that?" said Roll, putting fingers to her head to resemble devil horns.
At that same time, the boys were beginning their plan.
"Okay, it's time. Go get him, little guy," said Hitch.
The small dog Rocky was holding then began to lead him out. Hitch and Mario looked at each other, giving a thumbs up as they expected this plan to work. The dog guided the boy out of the bush and stopped just a few meters away from the girls as they saw each other.
"Hey," waved Rocky.
"Hey," responded Jazz to her classmate.
Before anything else could be said, a squirrel ran by and got the dogs' attention as the leash slipped out of the teen's hands.
"Hey, get back here!" said Rocky, not wanting to get in trouble with the shelter for losing a dog.
The dogs continued to chase the squirrel as they circled Rocky, who got tied up by the leashes and spun around. He recovered and returned to chasing the dogs as Jazz tried to catch them but tripped and bruised her ankle.
"Where you going, little guy?" said Mario as he jumped out of the bush to catch the dog Jazz was walking as it was running by their bush.
As for the dog, Rocky had it continued to follow the squirrel as the furry mammal jumped over a puddle of mud. The dog just ran into the puddle and was covered in mud. It looked at Rocky before shaking itself and covering the boy in some of the substance. Jazz was still on the floor as the dog she was looking overcame running up to her.
"You good?" asked Mario as he approached the girl with a smile and offered his hand.
Jazz accepted his help, and he pulled her up. He had a confused look as he saw the girl in a daydream state. Mario looked to his side as he saw his sister and the rest of her friends with their arms crossed, glaring at him. Mario turned back and nervously smiled at Jazz. In the background, Rocky gave the messy dog to Hitch as he left with his head low, as the dog gave a whimper. It seemed the plan didn't go as predicted for either group.
One change of scene later...
"According to Sunny, Jazz takes an afterschool club," said Hitch.
"And this club is always open for anyone to join," said Mario as he was munching away on a bag of cookies.
"I don't know," said Rocky.
"Hey, you want to talk to her, right?" said Mario.
"Yeah."
"So, this is your perfect chance," said Hitch as they all began to head inside.
Roll, Sunny, Izzy, and Jazz gathered in the auditorium and dressed in dresses. Sunny was fixing a flower headband in her hair as the girls were still trying to use their plan of saying bad things about Roll's brother to Jazz to lose interest.
"I know Mario saved your dog, but he's really unpleasant," said Sunny.
"Tell me about it. This morning, I had just finished pouring myself a big bowl of cereal, and Mario drank all the milk," said Roll, putting a hand to her forehead to emphasize and overdramatic her point. Izzy gasped when she heard that.
"And the last time I was at their dorm, he took the last cookie from the bag without offering to share it," stated the girl.
Regardless of what they said, Jazz still had Roll's big brother on her mind.
"You ready?" asked Hitch as they were all in front of the door to the room.
"Ready! So, what club is this?" asked Rocky as he turned to the door.
Mario and Hitch shrugged at each other as they didn't know. They all burst through the door as the sound of music was playing. The music was very festive; the club they walked in on was a dance club. And today, they were learning about salsa dancing, as evidenced by the type of music playing.
"Welcome, gentlemen." said the instructor.
"Hello, ma'am. Our friend Rocky would like to join," said Mario.
"We're just here to watch," said Hitch, pointing at himself and Mario.
"So, you want to join, Rocky?" asked the woman to the teen.
"Uh, sure!" said the boy, looking at the girls before addressing the instructor.
"Good! Ladies, we have someone new joining!" said the instructors as the girls approached.
"Um, miss," said Jazz as she showed her leg as her ankle was bandaged.
"Well, that's very unfortunate. Best to sit out and wait for your ankle to feel better. Go sit down with the boys." said the woman.
"Yes, ma'am," said Jazz as she made her way to the bench Hitch and Mario were on.
Once she sat, she began scooting closer to Mario, who was still munching on the bag of cookies. He noticed the girl getting closer as he tried to hurry away.
"Hey, Mario."
"Hey," responded the boy as he knocked Hitch off.
"Hey!" stated Hitch after being shoved off.
Jazz kept looking at Mario as he didn't know what to do.
"One cookie left, do you want it?" asked Mario, hoping that would get her to stop looking.
Everybody else was staring at him as he turned to look at them confusedly. The boy did not know that he debunked what Roll said about him and did not share. Soon the club began underway as Rocky was dancing on the stage in an outfit; on the bench, Jazz continued to stare at Mario as the boy kept looking at her, not knowing what to do. Eventually, the music ended as a spotlight, making everything go back.
"All you have to do is talk to her," said Mario as the three boys walked toward their biology class.
"I can't talk to her in class. I'll get in trouble," said Rocky.
"You forget we're doing projects today. And you have to talk to your partner," said Hitch as they all entered the class.
"We haven't even told you how selfish my brother is," said Roll as they walked in the hallway toward their class.
"Oh, he's very selfish. Always me, me, me, me, me!" emphasized Izzy as Jazz just had a bag of cookies and was thinking about the boy.
They soon arrived as Roll, Sunny, and Jazz entered as Izzy left for her class. They all sat at their seats when the teacher began to address the class.
"Alright, students. Let's pick partners for our projects," said the teacher.
Jazz looked at the seat next to her as she didn't see anybody. Across from them were Hitch, Mario, and Rocky.
"Go on! Tell her you want to be her partner!" said Mario.
Rocky approached Jazz as the girl saw the boy.
"Wanna be partners?" asked the boy with some confidence.
"Sure," smiled Jazz.
"Now you'll all see a frog floating in formaldehyde in front of you. I want you to open the jar lid," instructed the teacher.
Her response was met with mixed responses, mostly from the girls, apart from Sunny and Roll, as they didn't mind disgusting things. As for Jazz, she quickly sat at the side of the table and smiled at Rocky with the boy looking at her.
"Don't worry. I got this," said Rocky as he volunteered to remove the lid.
The teen took the lid off as he looked at the floating frog with a disgusted look. Soon he began to feel a bit queasy from the formaldehyde. He soon began to rock back and forth.
"I got him!" said Mario as he rushed to catch Rocky from falling.
"Nice catch, Mario," said Jazz, seemly glad and impressed by Mario's quick reflexes.
"I'm gonna go sit down," said Rocky as he stood up and immediately fell to the ground with a crash.
Mario was in his room as he was at his desk. The door opened as in came Roll as she was distressed based on her expression.
"Mario, you can be really annoying sometimes!" said Roll as she walked into her big brother's room.
"Que hice!" responded Mario to his little sister for her sudden burst into his room.
"Nada! That's the problem," said Roll to her older sibling as he turned around to look at his sister, who flopped into the bean bag chair he also had in his room.
"What do you mean?" asked the boy.
"I mean, I'm trying to fix things between Rocky and Jazz, and you're making it impossible. First, you catch a runaway dog. Then you catch your friend when he faints. You even offer her your last cookie!" said Roll.
As if on cue, a cookie came into the girl's vision as Mario offered his little sister a cookie. The girl accepted it and began to nibble as Mario munched a cookie with a glass of milk in his hand.
"Out of all the times for you to not be an asshole, you have to be nice now," said Roll as she downed her cookie.
"What do you mean out of all the time for me not to be an asshole?!" said Mario as he took offense to what his sister was saying with bits of cookie in his mouth as he spoke.
"You know what I mean."
"Well, sorry, sis. But if you want an annoying and obnoxious brother, you're gonna have to invent him," said Mario as he sipped his milk.
"Eso es!" shouted Roll as an idea popped into her head. Mario spat out his milk when he heard his sister say that, as he knew what that meant.
"Oh, no. What did you think of?" groaned the boy.
"That's a great idea."
"An imaginary brother?"
"Well, not really. Bro, you remember when we were little, and you had that imaginary friend."
"You mean Luigi?" said Mario with a smile, but then registered what his sister said. "He wasn't imaginary, Roll."
"Okay, let's not go there, bro."
"But he wasn't!"
"Yeah, but he doesn't come around often, now, does he?" said Roll with a sly smile at her brother.
"No," responded Mario with a deflated look.
"Well, can we pretend that he does?" said Roll.
"Yeah, I've missed the little dude. But how will that help Rocky?"
"Bro, if Jazz sees you talking to Luigi, she'll think you're just a little... strange. Un poco raro!" stated Roll as she had her finger next to her head, moving in a circle to emphasize her point. "That leaves things wide open for Rocky."
"It's worth a shot. Right, Luigi?" said Mario as he looked to his side to address his imaginary friend.
"Oh, god," mumbled Roll as she started to regret her decision.
The morning of the next day came as lightning flashed. Grey storm clouds were in the sky as thunder boomed. Soon the doors to CHS opened as the wind blew in, and there stood Mario, all wet and laughing weirdly. The boy entered as he talked with Luigi; the students seeing him talking to himself thought it was weird as Roll's plan to make her brother look a bit crazy was working.
Jazz was in the hallway when she saw the boy turning the corner and talking to himself.
"Hey, Mario.
"Sup, Jazz. Hey, have you met my friend, Luigi?" asked the boy as he referred to his imaginary friend.
"Huh?" said the girl, looking at the space next to the boy but not seeing anything.
"Oh, what'd you say, Luigi?" Mario asked before bursting out in huge laughter. "Oh, god. He's such a character. Why did the chicken cross the road?"
"Wha?" said Jazz with a perplexed look.
"Just because!" answered Mario as he laughed once more. "Oh, Luigi!"
The boy walked away with his imaginary friend as Jazz opened her mouth, seeing the boy a bit mentally. Rocky had exited a room as he saw when he saw Mario walking away and laughing. He didn't see where he was going and bumped into Jazz as they rubbed their heads and looked at each other. In the background, watching from some lockers, were Sunny and Roll as they awaited to see what would happen.
"Hey, Rocky."
"H-Hey, Jazz."
The two classmates looked at each other as they smiled. In the background, Roll and Sunny watched on as they silently encouraged Rocky by chanting his name. The boy kept staring at the girl and her eyes as he started to heat up and sweat.
"Uh, I-I gotta go!" said Rocky as he dashed away.
Jazz was left surprised as she saw the boy leave.
"My work is never finished," said Roll.
Rocky made his way to the bathroom; inside were Mario and Hitch. The pair saw the boy enter as he had a frightened look.
"Rocky, you okay?" asked Hitch.
"You look like you saw a ghost. Right, Luigi?" said Mario.
"I just saw Jazz, and she tried to talk to me. Uh, I was so uncool. I just don't know how to act around her." confessed Rocky.
"Mmm. Do you have any ideas, Luigi?" asked Mario as he turned to his friend sitting on the toilet. "Luigi says no."
"Mario, get serious," stated Hitch as he saw his friend talking to an empty toilet seat.
"Not now, Luigi. We'll talk later," said Mario to his imaginary friend. "I hate to say this, guys, but we might need my sister's help. As much as I hate to say it."
Zipp was in her dorm room as she lay on her bed, reading the latest page of the book Spitfire had given her.
"A good leader knows when to react and when to fall back. Don't try to act like your decision is the only one that matters. Listen. Communication is also a key factor that a qualified leader needs."
"Zipp!" shouted Pipp as she walked to her sister's dorm and entered her room.
"Oh no," moaned Zipp, knowing her sister was here for something.
After spending days in her room, eating ice cream nonstop, Pipp needed some support and love. So she went to her sister's room, hoping she could comfort her. Pipp began to hug her older sister as Zipp tried to break free.
"Sis!" shouted Zipp, trying to break free.
"It's devasting! I thought it was perfect! That he was the one! And now, he has eyes for another girl!" exclaimed Pipp as she began to turn into a drama queen.
"Chill, Pipp! It's not like you can't get another boyfriend," said Zipp as she was getting annoyed.
Her phone rang as she struggled to escape her sister's deadly embrace.
"Sunny. Oh, thank god. You have no idea how happy I am that you called!" said Zipp, hoping the girl could get her out of this. She listened to what her friend said as she leered over at her sister. "Don't worry, it shouldn't be a problem."
After everyone was gathered in front of Roll and Mario's dorm, they informed the two sisters of this and their next plan. She perked up almost immediately for Pipp, knowing that the letter Mario had on his desk was meant for Rocky to help him speak to Jazz. However, she also squealed as she was close friends with Jazz and Rocky and looked forward to helping them.
"Just remember, you're a great guy, Rocky," said Sunny.
"But I don't know what to say or do anything," said Rocky.
"That's where we come in," said Roll as she got up and stood a few meters away from the group. "We're gonna roleplay and practice your confidence so that you can talk to Jazz. You be you, and I'll be Jazz."
"Hey, why do you get to be Jazz? I wanna play Jazz," asked Izzy.
"I think I make a great Jazz. Why don't you be one of Jazz's friends, like me?" said Roll.
"Should I be you or you being Jazz?" asked Izzy, which confused Roll.
"Luigi says if you were really Jazz, you wouldn't be wearing those clothes," said Mario as Roll looked at what she was wearing and glared at her older brother for saying that.
"Thank you, Luigi," said Izzy as she bent down to pat his head. "You're so helpful."
"Guys, hello! Luigi doesn't exist!" shouted Roll as everyone, minus Zipp and Pipp, gathered around the imaginary friend and thanked him.
"Shh! Roll! El puede escucharte!" said Mario as he turned to silence his sister to prevent her from hurting Luigi's feelings. "Don't listen to her, Luigi." The others shook their heads at how insensitive Roll was to the little guy's feelings.
"Oh! Now I remember why I didn't like the little son of a bitch," mumbled Roll as she was reminded of how annoying her brother was when he talked with his imaginary friend. "Alright, Rocky, let's just practice with all of us."
3... 2... 1... Cue scene.
Zipp stood as Rocky approached her and pretended that she was Jazz to overcome his nervousness.
"Hey, Jazz. Howave youto... oh, forget it!" said Rocky as he walked off, already messing up.
3... 2... 1... Reset... Cue scene.
This time, Pipp was pretending to be Jazz as Rocky approached her.
"Hey, what's up, my... No, wait, can we start that again?" stated the teen nervously while backing up.
3... 2... 1... Reset... Cue scene.
Sunny was now pretending to be Jazz as Rocky approached her.
"Hey, Jazz. How are..."
The boy didn't finish his sentence as he tripped and fell. The others standing in the background rushed forward and helped him off the floor.
"This is embarrassing," mumbled Zipp.
"You're telling me," responded Mario to the girl.
"Forget it! I'll never be able to talk to her!" said Rocky as he got up with dirt and scraps on his clothes and skin.
"Come on, man. You'll get the hang of this," said Hitch, trying to encourage him.
"No, I can't! I'm too nervous. There's no way I'm gonna be able to talk to Jazz unless you guys tell me what to say." said Rocky as he was starting to walk away.
At that moment, Roll had an idea.
"Rocky! Eso es!" shouted the girl before turning to Izzy. "Izzy, how fast can you make a walkie-talkie and an earplug?"
"Faster than it takes for me to sneak into Mario's room while he's sleeping and take measurements of his head and play with his stuff," answered the girl.
"Wait, what?!" shouted the boy as he was scared to hear that Izzy had entered his room and was measuring his head while asleep.
The others were all confused at Izzy's response.
"Give me ten minutes," smiled the girl.
"Which should be enough time for me to change the locks on my door!" said Mario, not wanting the girl to watch him sleep like a creeper.
Once Izzy had created her walkie-talkie and earplug, the group was putting their plan into motion. Mario and Rocky were in the school's computer lab as Pipp texted Jazz to meet her in the computer lab to make sure she arrived. While waiting, Rocky had an earpiece in his ear as Roll began to speak to him.
"Testing, testing, testing. One, two, three. Do you read me, Rocky?" asked Sunny as the boy flinched from the sudden noise before adjusting the volume.
"Loud and clear," said Rocky.
"Good," responded Roll before they heard the door handle. "Here she comes. Act natural."
Jazz walked in as she saw the two boys over at the computer.
"Hey, Mario, Rocky. Did either of you happen to see Pipp? She told me to meet her here." said Jazz.
"Hey, Luigi. Have you seen her?" Mario asked his imaginary friend as he put his hand to his ear to hear what he had to say before addressing Jazz. "Luigi says, thumbs down."
Jazz merely smiled at seeing Mario still talking to his invisible friend.
"Hey, listen. Luigi and I need to leave. Check you later." said Mario as he did the next part of the plan and left the room to leave the two alone.
Mario exited the room as he turned right and kept on walking. He quickly ducked behind the corner as he ran into Hitch and Zipp.
"So?" asked the girl.
"Let's hope for the best. Now, I'm hungry. Who wants pizza?" Mario asked as all three left to get food.
Back in the room, the rest of their friends were behind a chair as they peeked out to see Jazz watching Mario leave. Pipp then took the walkie-talkie from Roll and began to speak into it.
"Alright, Rocky, play it cool. Just say, Hey."
"Hey, Jazz," said the boy.
"Hey, Rocky," responded the girl as she sat in Mario's seat before and looked at her classmate. "You feeling better now?"
"Am I feeling better now?" whispered Rocky to his earplug.
"Yes," responded Pipp.
"Yeah, yeah. Breaker, breaker. We a blue convertible heading south on..." said Rocky as he suddenly said something else. "What's going on?" whispered into the earplug.
"Izzy. Something's wrong with your walkie-talkie!" spoke Pipp as Izzy grabbed it and began to mess with it. She pushed the button on the side as she began flipping through the lines, and Rocky was repeating what he was hearing.
"Pickup at airport ornament downtown, what?" said Rocky, hearing what he said.
"Are you... okay?" asked Jazz to her classmate.
"Uh, yeah! I'm fine. I'm just sunny with clear skies at 70 degrees. Uh, I mean, I'm fine." smiled nervously the boy.
Izzy was trying to fix the thing when she pulled the antenna off the walkie-talkie as it malfunctioned, and it broke back into the rubble she used. That sent an ear-piercing screech to Rocky's earplug as th boy felt it and jumped in his seat. Jazz was looking to leave when Rocky spoke up.
"Jazz, hold up. I'm not the best talker when it comes to stuff like this, but... I... I really want to talk to you."
"Well, you're doing good now," smiled Jazz.
"I... I want to be your friend," stated Rocky.
"You didn't even have to ask? We're already friends. Even if we don't talk much, that doesn't mean we can't start now, right?"
"Yeah."
"Well, that kinda worked," said Sunny as all four girls smiled and high-fived each other.
Soon they all met up with Mario, Zipp, and Hitch at the pizzeria. They all sat at the table as a server came to get their order.
"We'll have one large pizza with three toppings," said Roll.
"Pepperoni," said Sunny.
"Mushrooms," stated Izzy.
"And olives. With everything. The works!" said Jazz.
"Wow, Jazz baby," said Pipp, "I'm impressed."
"Thanks. So, Rocky, could you help me learn how to play darts? I heard you're pretty good at it." said Jazz.
"Sure, I can teach you," said the boy.
"Uh, guys, maybe this isn't a good time to say this. But Luigi doesn't like olives," said Mario.
"Enough with the stupid Luigi!" shouted Roll as she leaned over the table and grabbed her brother's shirt. "If I have to hear you mention his name again, I'm gonna punt him myself!"
"Roll! Tranquilo! Herirás sus sentimientos!" said Mario to his sister that Luigi heard what she had just said.
"That's it!" shouted Roll as she and her brother exchanged words in English and Spanish.
The others looked at the siblings as they shook their heads. Well, things were somewhat back to normal. Maybe...
Author's Note: Every story needs some wacky and zany fun. And this one was... definitelywacky to say the least. A small misunderstanding and trying to fix things, but in the end, things worked out. Plus helping a friend out is always nice to see. Anyways, I hope you all enjoyed this lighthearted chapter. Hope it got a kick out of you as well.