In this chapter, our heroes will face Iggy!
And the other heroes will make their way to World 5.
Do you like the chapter title I came up with?
I did say I wouldn't be using my last one.
It's been two months since I started this fanfic. So I feel like I'm making good progress.
Chapter 30: Greedy Little Iggy
Fliprus Lake…which is now Tuskateer Lake.
This time, Jessica would go with Mario, Luigi, and Wario.
"Have you ever thought-a of being on the sidelines?" asked Luigi. Nobody would fault her if she did that. After all, they could switch with her at any time.
"I could do that but I am the main protagonist." noted Jessica. It would feel odd not being in the party.
Though there were some RPGs that allowed you to drop the hero.
"I thought it was Alena." answered Mario.
"She's the protagonist of the other story." explained the magician.
Some Tuskateers emerged from the water.
"I guess the monsters didn't simply appear this time." noted Jessica.
Sometimes the author feels like being a bit more creative.
One of the Tuskateers flexed his muscles.
"This walrus is a showoff." spoke the sorceress.
"My muscles are stronger than yours!" exclaimed Wario.
"Are you picking a fight with me?" asked the yellow walrus.
"Maybe I am!" shouted the yellow plumber.
"Bring it on!" bellowed the walrus.
The two of them began to fight.
There were also Armoured Wartoises.
They had seen one before.
But this time they were attacking in numbers.
They had also seen Mermen, and here they were as well.
They had sharp claws, so the heroes needed to be careful.
On the subject of claws, there were also Clawcerers.
"Isn't there lots of water here?" questioned Jessica.
She didn't think that there would be cats here.
Our heroes noticed that for some reason the flagpole was unguarded.
"That's weird, shouldn't there be something guarding the flagpole?" asked Jessica.
Did the Dragonlord forget to guard it?
That wasn't like him at all.
"Be careful. This could be a trap." noted Jessica. This was looking very suspicious. And she wouldn't put it past the Dragonlord.
Unfortunately, Wario decided to throw caution to the wind.
He swam straight towards the flagpole.
"Wario!" exclaimed Luigi.
Suddenly, the water began to bubble.
"Oh a-no!" shouted Mario.
It looked like Jessica's intuition was on the mark.
Wario was sent flying as soon as the guardian emerged from the water.
He landed on the island the rest of the heroes were on.
"Don't say I didn't try to warn you." spoke Jessica.
Mario looked to see what had sent him flying.
It was big.
The boss of the level was Khalamari. To Jessica, he was a familiar face. She watched as Tavian and Yangus battled the sea monster as a duo.
Though she wondered if she should have stepped in herself. Her magic could have been useful. But the captain HAD been worried for her safety.
"Did he get brainwashed too?" asked Jessica.
That had happened to him once before.
So it made sense that it could happen again.
"I seem to recall facing a giant squid myself." noted Jade.
It was an interesting coincidence. Though this squid did not speak.
"I thought you were on the sidelines." spoke Luigi.
"I can still appear during cutscenes." explained the martial artist.
"That makes sense." nodded Jessica. That party limit didn't extend to them.
"Oh look, it's the heroes who are causing the Dragonlord a lot of trouble, Tenta!" exclaimed Khalamari.
Mario was confused.
"He has a split personality." noted Jessica.
"I say we take care of them, Tentickles!" shouted Khalamari.
"Of course, Tenta!"
Our heroes got ready to fight.
OST: Vs. Boss (Super Mario Sunshine)
Khalamari breathed fire.
"Why is the sea monster breathing fire?" asked Mario.
He didn't think that would be exactly useful for one. Unless the sea monster in question wanted to use smoke to make a getaway.
Then again, he could breathe underwater a lot of the time. So perhaps fire breath would work underwater in this world.
Regardless of whether it was practical or not, it made for a powerful offense, as it could hit the entire party at once.
"Mamamia!" exclaimed Wario.
He needed to stop, drop, and roll.
Luckily, Mario still had FLUDD with him.
He could use it to put out the flames.
So he did just that.
"Thanks!" exclaimed Wario. He didn't think he would brainwashing people into making Mario their enemy, after all. Those he did admit that brainwashing people was fun.
Luigi decided to zap Khalamari with Thunderhand.
He figured that would be efficient against a sea monster.
Though he did admit those tentacles of his (which Khalamari used as hand puppets) did look a bit rubbery.
"O-ouch!" exclaimed Khalamari.
If he had a skeleton, chances are it would be visible.
His hunch turned out to be right regarding the lightning weakness.
However, Khalamari swatted him with his tentacle in retaliation.
He didn't take too kindly to being zapped.
"Ow! Mamamia!" exclaimed Luigi. Those tentacles were strong. Was it a wonder that the citizens of Prospect Port were afraid of Khalamari before he came to his senses?
Perhaps if they wanted to defeat Khalamari, they needed to do something about those tentacles. They were certainly defending the boss well.
Mario recalled the time that he had fought Gooper Blooper. Back when he was doing community service for a crime he didn't commit.
This fight was similar.
Only this time instead of shooting ink it was breathing fire.
Mario decided to hammer the tentacle.
"Ouch! That hammer hurts, Tenta!" shouted Khalamari.
Khalamari decided to summon Khalamari Kids.
It seemed appropriate.
The kids were eager to defend their father. They looked up to him…and wanted to be big like him as well.
They began to attack the heroes.
"These kids need a timeout." noted Luigi as he attempted to shake them off.
Though some of them inevitably got distracted. They could get distracted by sand, as Jessica found out.
"Look at the clouds!" exclaimed a Khalamari Kid.
Luckily, our heroes already had experience fighting them.
Though for some reason they seemed stronger than regular ones.
Jessica decided to give Khalamari a taste of his own medicine.
She hit him with a fireball.
"Oof!" shouted the squid.
He prepared to breathe fire again, but Mario squirted FLUDD into his mouth.
He ended up producing smoke instead.
Khalamari noted that things weren't looking so good for him.
Should he retreat?
Then again, it would be bad if the heroes pulled on the flagpole. If the heroes made it to World 5, the Dragonlord wouldn't be happy.
Wario farted, causing the Khalamari Kids to scream and dive into the lake.
They might not have visible noses, but that didn't mean that they couldn't smell.
Mario then leapt on top of Khalamari.
"Oof!" exclaimed the squid.
Luigi whacked a tentacle with his hammer.
The tentacle receded.
"You take over, Tentickles!" exclaimed Khalamari.
The tentacle attempted to trip up our heroes.
But Mario hammered that one as well.
Khalamari noted that he was fighting a losing battle.
He decided to summon Puppeteers.
"What's the connection?" asked Jessica. With the Khalamari Kids it was obvious. But it was a bit more complex with the Puppeteers, it seemed.
"Maybe it's the hand puppets?" questioned Luigi.
"Yeah. I think that's it." noted the sorceress.
Unfortunately for Khalamari, one of the Puppeteers decided to play an exciting tale that boosted their tension.
"Why'd you do that?" asked Khalamari.
"Sorry." apologized one of the Puppeteers. Perhaps he should have played a tale that decreased their tension instead.
Jessica blasted Khalamari with an extra large fireball.
This caused Khalamari to come back to his senses.
"What happened?" asked Khalamari.
It seemed he didn't remember what he had been doing.
"I'm afraid you were brainwashed again." explained Jessica. Though it wasn't Dhoulmagus this time.
"How many times is this going to happen?" questioned the massive squid.
"I do not know." answered Jessica.
She sure hoped that it wouldn't happen again though.
How many people had the Dragonlord brainwashed anyway? She had met no less than three victims of his brainwashing. Though it was indirect in the case of the Wight Knight.
Luigi noticed DK.
"Is that DK?" questioned Luigi. It was nice to see him again…so long as he wasn't throwing barrels at Mario. Everyone knew abiut thst arcade game.
"Is that a gorilla wearing a tie?" asked Jessica. That was an unusual sight. Though she admitted there was all sorts of unusual enemies in the Dragon Quest franchise.
He looked upset.
So Mario decided to ask DK what was troubling him.
"What's wrong?" asked Mario.
"You're friends with a gorilla?" questioned Jessica. That was a new one.
"You're friends with a Yoshi." pointed out Peach.
"True." noted the sorceress. Though she thought of it as more of a mother-son relationship.
Alistair waved to Donkey Kong.
DK decided to explain what he was looking for.
It would be nice if Mario could help him out. Maybe they could take a break from fighting each other.
"My bananas were stolen!" exclaimed Donkey Kong.
Perhaps he needed to have some of the Kongs guard it.
Though he wasn't sure how they would assign shifts.
Maybe they could draw straws? They had some in case they wanted to drink coconut milk.
"Was it the Kremling Krew?" asked Mario. DK had been fighting the Kremling Krew for a very long time. One time King K. Rool had even tried to blow up DK Island. It was lucky that he had been stopped when he did.
Donkey Kong shook his head.
For once they weren't the culprits. Though he did wonder what they were up to. Were they planning something?
There was one occasion where the Tikis stole it. It seemed the Tikis needed bananas in order to make more of themselves. But it didn't justify hypnotizing the entirety of DK Island.
"Was it the Dragonlord?" asked Jessica. She was on her suspect list to be sure. Ever since he came to the Mushroom Kingdom, he had been nothing but trouble.
"Dragon who?" questioned Donkey Kong.
He scratched his head.
"He's a bad guy who's been causing all sorts of trouble-a." explained Mario. He had set his sights on the Mushroom Kingdom.
"He robbed me." noted Wario. Luckily, he was recovering what he had lost quickly.
"I remember seeing a rhino with an axe and armor." recalled Donkey Kong.
"I remember seeing them on Hargon's airship." noted Jessica.
It seemed likely that the Dragonlord's minions were indeed behind the robbery.
Perhaps the minions were holed up in a tower.
Or perhaps they were in a castle.
Suddenly, they received a letter from the Dragonlord.
This time, it seemed he wasn't happy with the heroes.
"You're really getting on my nerves. I hope Rashaverak can straighten you out." read the Dragonlord's letter. If not, he was going to be angry.
It seemed the boss of the world was a dragon.
It seemed appropriate since all the generals were servants of the Dragonlord.
"We'll help you get your bananas back." assured Mario.
This made DK very happy.
He began to beat his chest like…a gorilla.
"In exchange, I hope you can behave yourself around Pauline." spoke the plumber. She wasn't looking forward to being forced on the rooftop of a skyscraper again.
However, Wario wasn't so easily convinced.
It took more incentive for Wario to want to fight a villain.
"What's in it for me?" asked the plumber who was obsessed with gold coins.
"You should know that money won't buy you happiness." spoke Jessica.
Wario sighed.
Jessica did have a point.
And he did know what it was like to be robbed.
"Fine, I'll help too." spoke the plumber.
Maybe if he was lucky DK would give him a banana or two.
At the Woohoo Hooniversity…
A Yo Bro launched a yoyo at Alena.
But she ducked underneath it.
It hit a Laser Snifit instead.
"Ouch!" exclaimed the Laser Snifit.
"Whoops!" shouted the Yo Bros.
"Watch where you're aiming!" shouted the Snifit.
"Sorry!" apologized the Yo Bro.
Iggy was waiting for them in the auditorium.
And yes, it was the same place that Mario and Luigi had fought Cackletta in an alternate reality.
"I'm looking forward to fighting you!" exclaimed Iggy.
He pulled out his wand.
Iggy fired a green fireball.
He fired noticeably faster than Larry did.
Perhaps he was better prepared for a fight than Larry was.
Alena punched him.
Normally she wouldn't hit someone with glasses.
But seeing as this is one of the Koopalings, she would make an exception this time.
"Ow!" exclaimed Iggy.
He tucked into his shell and spun around.
As this point, our heroes were used to this.
Iggy decided to summon a Chain Chomp.
He had an affinity for them.
The Chain Chomp began to chase after them.
"You think we can fight him?" asked Ashlynn. Something told her that she wouldn't be able to outrun the Chain Chomp forever.
And considering that Chain Chomps were based off dogs, it was likely they had a strong sense of smell.
"Maybe, but he's kind of big." noted Ruff. Bigger than he was, that was for sure.
Alena got an idea.
She redirected the Chain Chomp towards Iggy.
She then jumped over him and the Chain Chomp hit him instead.
This left him stunned.
As for the Chain Chomp, Alena picked him up and tossed him through the floor.
This left behind a hole in it.
Since Iggy was stunned, now seemed like a good opportunity for an all-out attack.
So they teamed up to attack him.
"Ouch! That really smarts!" exclaimed Iggy.
He summoned some Mecha-Chomps.
These Chomps had extendable necks, so they could attack from a distance.
But as noted before, they had a problem with short-circuiting.
Ashlynn had an idea as to how to fight them.
She tried splashing them with water.
This indeed caused them to short-circuit…and then shut down.
"Oh no!" exclaimed Iggy.
Ruff then headbutted the tallest of the Koopalings, causing them to fall to the ground.
"How did I lose?" asked Iggy.
"Maybe you should ask the other Koopalings." suggested Ruff. He wasn't the first one that they had defeated. Though he WAS the first Koopaling to be defeated in Super Mario World and Superstar Saga.
Now there were only three Koopalings left.
But at that very moment, Bowser Jr. showed up.
He wasn't happy to see them.
"It's the son of Bowser Koopa!" exclaimed Peasley.
It seemed he had decided to confront the heroes personally.
"You losers have caused my Dad to get very angry! I'm going to teach you a lesson!" shouted Bowser Jr.
"I guess we're going to have to deal with him too." noted Alena. Bowser Jr. was the type of kid that deserved a spanking. But considering Bowser encouraged Bowser Jr. to be evil, when was the last time Bowser had ever spanked him?
Well, the more members of the Koopa Troop they defeated, the closer they would be to putting an end to the invasion.
So it would be best if they went after him.
It would work great for the Bean's morale.
"Meet me down in the basement!" exclaimed Bowser Jr.
"I guess we should follow him." noted Ruff.
Luckily, he could use his nose to sniff him out.
But there were more Bowser minions up ahead.
It seemed Bowser Jr. had decided that he didn't want to face the heroes alone.
Which was probably a good call. Bowser had tried facing Mario alone before but it typically ended with him falling into lava. Maybe he shouldn't have an axe in his arena that lowers the bridge.
Iggy Koopa is down!
But now our heroes have Bowser Jr. to deal with.
Can they defeat him too?