Chapter Eighteen:

The Search for The Stolen Notebook

Following Mario's theft of the Sussy Notebook, performing his duties as the Lord of The Internet Graveyard didn't matter to SMG3, even though the meme guardian still called it his home and still cared about the dead memes residing in that realm. Until that notebook was back in his hands, SMG3 was not going to resume his duty as if nothing had happened.

Whenever he did spend time in the Internet Graveyard, if he got the chance, it would only be for a short time. And then, once SMG3 made sure the memes were safe and comfy, it was back to the land of the Mushroom Kingdom.

It was no less than a few short days after the theft of his precious diary, after composing himself as best he could, when SMG3 headed out to Mushroom City with the intention of finding out where Mario had taken the purple-colored notebook. He couldn't have sold it at a pawn shop or in the Dark Web, the pudgy Italian clearly wanted it for himself.

And in a manner of speaking, why hadn't the authorities busted him already, assuming Mario was hiding with the notebook somewhere in the city?

After he went down to the city, the first thing SMG3 did was go right to the police station downtown, determined to get help from the one guy who hated illegal activity and was likely the last person a former villain like SMG3 ever thought of talking to;

Mr. Hal Monitor.

The computer-headed cop was relaxing behind his desk when a police officer, one of the still-active Mario-looking guys, opened the door and said; "Excuse me, sir. SMG3's here to see you."

SMG3 walked into the room, and Hal Monitor studied him with a calm, but bewildered look upon his face screen. No sooner than he'd made eye contact with the feared police enforcer, SMG3's heart was thumping. He didn't have as much history with Mr. Monitor like some of the others did, but he knew enough about him to know this was a guy you didn't want to mess with.

"How may I help you, SMG3?" Hal asked.

"Nothing much..." SMG3 replied in a near sarcastic voice, "...other than the fact MARIO DID SOMETHING VER RECENTLY!"

Hal Monitor's face blinked, flashing the well-known angry glare that everyone dreaded whenever they saw him in the area. It was well-known that Mr. Monitor absolutely hated illegal activity, and he would deal with crime by any means necessary, and he'd contended with Mario's not-so safe and legal shenanigans in the past.

"And what is thi thing that he did?" Hal inquired.

SMG3 slammed his fist upon the desk, and pulled up an image of his notebook on his phone. "He took my notebook. SMG3's Totally Not-So Sussy Notebook, a diary where I have detailed entries pertaining my thoughts relating to my years of rivalry with SMG4, what you'd call a whole Vegeta character arc, and recent adventures along with dark, deep secrets."

Hal Monitor stood up to his full height, shaking with undeniable fury. "That... is... very illegal." The computer-headed officer buzzed, "To steal one's notebook is a major no-no. Out of all thing L, stealing your notebook is an absolute invasion of personal privacy, and I can't describe what I could do to someone like you if you stole MY notebook!"

"I DIDN'T STEAL YOUR NOTEBOOK! MARIO STOLE MY NOTEBOOK!" SMG3 cried.

The furious Hal stopped shaking, and flashed a less angry look on his face. "I know that." He buzzed, "And the image of your notebook is identical to the one that was seen in the hands of Mario by a couple witnesses a few days ago."

"You heard about it already?!" SMG3 raised an eyebrow.

"Eh, sort of. I was having an off-day with the kids." Hal Monitor shrugged, "Looks like the situation is more important than ever. That overweight son of a scum has a warrant for his arrest now, and a manhunt is in effect. I will gather a team, and track down that low IQ, Italian gibberish-spouting, public menace no matter the cost..."

"...and I'm going to look EVERYWHERE for my notebook, see if anybody knows where Mario took it!" SMG3 declared confidently, "I'll search every street, neighborhood, store, and the beach UNTIL MY PRECIOUS DIARY IS BACK IN MY HANDS!"

"Maybe you should calm down first, Three." Hal suggested, "I'll gather the boys!"

Within an hour, once Mr. Monitor had gathered the best officers in the police force, the manhunt was on. Across the Mushroom Kingdom countryside, sirens were wailing as police vans prowled the streets with cops on alert, searching for the man who'd stolen a notebook belonging to one of the very people who'd helped save the universe from an eldritch horror.

However, it was highly known that Mario was the universe's Avatar, and there wasn't much the police could do when they caught him, other than place Mario behind bars for a while. Even though he was an idiot, the fat Italian was still a very respectable hero in the eyes of the public.

Police helicopters flew over several districts in Mushroom City, and hovered above Toad Town, searching for clues pointing to Mario, while the pilots kept their eyes on the rooftops. Down below on West Street, a trio of Goomba kids trembled in fear as Hal Monitor drove by, flashing a scary angry face as he looked for the Italian Notebook Thief.

In Toad Town, Toad residents stood back as a pair of cop cars rolled in, driving around the city while a cop hollered into the megaphone: "We are searching for a criminal who stole a notebook! If anyone has seen anything, report it to the authorities."

The police were respected for performing their duties. However, there were times when people dreaded the cops, and, as the hunt picked up, it seemed like the Mushroom Kingdom was becoming a police state, all over Mario stealing SMG3's notebook. A pair of officers burst inside a Toad's home, and began pressing for clues related to the fat Italian thief's whereabouts.

News networks didn't take long to begin covering the insane story. In the Mushroom Kingdom News studio, Kermit the Frog adjusted his glasses and picked up a pile of notes that related to the top story of the hour.

Cameras began rolling, even though Kermit was baffled by what he would be reporting about, and the director yelled; "ACTION!"

As the 'Breaking News' card flashed across the screens, the green frog got right to reporting; "Kermit the Frog here, and we have a really crazy news story. SMG4's former nemesis SMG3 had his notebook stolen by resident idiot Avatar-hero Mario, and the police are hunting everywhere for him, and they'll do anything to help SMG3 find his notebook and the thief."

Downtown in Mushroom City, SMG3 was walking around with EggDog, carrying a pair of fliers that contained an image of his notebook. Usually, one put up 'Missing Person' fliers. But in this case, it was 'Missing Notebook' fliers. SMG3 was just that desperate to find the notebook and get it back from Mario.

He taped a flier to a wall, then he taped another to a lamp post, and slapped it on the hood of a car, much to the dismay of a Tellytubby. The Tellytubby protested, demanding SMG3 to get the flier off his car, but SMG3 just stuck his tongue out in a spiteful manner.

"That flier isn't goin' anywhere until someone finds the notebook or tells me where Mario took it." He told the perplexed Tellytubby, "It's really important to me, can you guys at least try to understand?"

In response, the Tellytubby brought out a baton and waved it high while singing; "Nobody caaaaarrrrres..."

Just then, a Toad reporter and a Koopa cameraman approached SMG3 with the reporter holding a microphone into the Meme Guardian's bearded face. "Excuse me, Mr. SMG3?" The Toad said, "Would you care to discuss how you feel about the current situation involving your notebook?"

"I have particular reasons as to why it's not a good idea to let anyone have it..." SMG3 told the reporter, "...especially, because, there are some secrets you don't need to read about. As for what some of those secrets are, I don't need to tell you, because these secrets aren't as family-friendly as you may think they are. Privacy is very important, and diaries are very private."

"Bark-bark!" EggDog yapped.

After the reporter left SMG3 alone, the Internet Graveyard celebrity continued to roam around the city block, posting fliers wherever he went, and looking for signs pointing to where Mario was hiding with the notebook. Hal Monitor drove by at one point, but he and SMG3 didn't chat, and both parties continued their search.

By this point, SMG3 needed help...