Here it is. Final part of the "Kingdom of the Apes" arc. Their journeys are far from over, but for now they live in the present, with a VERY present Wario looking to run kingdoms for cash.
Enjoy :)
Toad Town
Mario, Donkey Kong, and Yoshi fly out of a purple pipe! DK lands first, while the other two land on him. Mario forces his hat back on. "We've-a escaped that microgame hell…"
Wario, wand back in hand, is baffled by their sudden appearance! His mouth is frozen. "How'd you get out so early?"
"Pick a number next time." Mario says.
Wario goes to zap him, but Yoshi swallows that wand! It comes out as an egg. "Oh haha, you think you're cool? Wario's gonna show you COOL!" He steals from an Ice Flower! He goes from white and black, to blue and red. He lobs iceballs at the three, who have no choice but to jump away! Yoshi swallows a few loose fruits, spurting out eggs each time.
One egg knocks Wario in the jaw! He freezes the other, and then freezes Yoshi's feet! The dinosaur tries his best to run, but can't. "Aww, can't run? Wahaha!" Wario gloats over it. "You may be cute, but I'm a businessman. You think cute can kill me?"
D.K rolls Wario right over, immediately taking him to the ground! Mario grabs him by the leg and swings him around, and around! He hurls him into the ape, who spins like a tornado, combo'ing the greedy man like he's fodder!
"Wowowowowow!"
D.K continues the punishment by throwing him Mario's way. Mario kickflips him on the jaw, and jumps up to do it again! Wario's flat on his back. Mario scales a house, and stomps him onto the hard ground.
"You..you.." Wario pants, getting on his knees. "As long as I'm alive, your business with fail!" Mario uppercuts him immediately! Wario stumbles into a bellclap from Kong, discombobulating him completely! D.K and Mario spin their arms around..
BOOM!
Their combined punch sends Wario flying onto ? blocks! Even though he's near the powers, that landings NOT pretty, basically bending him in half. "Aww..that no good." Wario's in dire straits, and he knows it. Seeing the trouble he's in..he smacks a ? block.
Out comes a big, orange mushroom with red dots. D.K's eyes pop out at the sight! "OH OH!"
"That's bad?"
D.K makes Mario stand up straight. "We fight for our lives."
"It's bad.."
One by one, Wario's limbs grow! Wario's legs kick the duo back! His arms grow so large that they wreck the Post Office to his left. Those Toads are evacuating down South, others North, but it may not matter.
Wario. Is. GIANT!
He looks at his massive arms, and down at all the ants below him. "How the tables turn.." he kicks Mario, Cranky, Jumpman, and a trapped Yoshi away! D.K climbs his leg, but gets grabbed easily. That ape stares into the eyes of a titanic sinner.
"Look who tiny now?"
D.K tries forcing Wario's hand open. "You may be bigger. You may . But you are NOT stronger!" He flips out of his wrist, and lands a sick blow to Wario's face! He stumbles North, leaving Toad Town and getting new scenery.
A pristine, White Castle. It's pink up top. With a glass picture of a blonde woman standing out. There's a stream of water surrounding it. It's beautiful. What's not-so beautiful are the mean shots DK's giving to him! Wario's even down to a knee!
Cranky and a few Toads follow. Seeing DK weaken the giant, those Toads start..CHEERING him?
"Get him, Donkey!"
"Kongs are awesome!"
One even pounds his little chest. It puts, for once, a legitimate smile on Cranky's face. "Give him hell!"
DK's thrown onto the roof, crashing into purple bricks! Some of them fall down, causing loyal guards to move. Speaking of said guards, they've got blue on their heads, and spears in hand. Wario's devilish smile startles them!
"AH!"
"H-hey!" The second toad pokes him. "We're supposed to protect the princess."
"Is there..a policy for emergencies?"
The second Toad looks so depressed, hurling his spear at Wario's foot. It does nothing. "I hope so."
Wario plucks the screaming pair, holding them in the palm of his hand. He just laughs at the two, and flicks them away like flies! Lucky for them, they land in the river. Unfortunately, it feels like concrete. "Ow…"
Back in the Town, Mario crawls to a block. That kick was personal, and made him pick glass from his overalls. He hurries over to a couple ? Blocks.
"Fire with fire.."
He scores a fire flower, transforming his overalls to that white-red scheme. The second items that intimidating Giant Shroom. Mario wastes no time taking that in. HIS limbs grow much like his opposite. A selfish man unlocked the Titan Shroom first, so a selfless man needs to set him straight.
Seeing a new hero rise, the residents cheer him on!
"Get him you..you man!"
"Save the princess!"
"Do it for US!"
Mario gives a little salute, and marches his way North, causing a little earthquake for everyone. Jumpman looks on. For a second, he sees his Baby Mario marching away. Then that mustache breaks his flashback. "Get him.."
Wario pounds his chest. "Where are you, monkey? Don't tell me you quit! You supposed to be strong, huh?"
The footsteps cause Wario to vibrate. He turns to see that mustachioed thorn on his side, with his same red hat. "You never go away.."
"Come on. You know me, Wario."
"Some days I wish I didn't." Wario throws a punch, but Mario blocks it with his left! Wario feels a burn on his trapped hand, but can't scream. He eats a fistful of Mario's right!
"Tasty?" Mario asks, hitting a brutal gut punch, exposing his back. Mario grabs the neck, and drives a sharp elbow onto the spine. One thunderous headbutt brings Wario to his knees. Wario spits a big loogie out, and looks at the rushing water below. A little blue flower catches his eye.
Mario looks to force Wario up..but the man uppercuts his meatballs! He doesn't stop there though.
"This is for the sewer!"
Another one!
"Satisfied?"
Another one! Mario's brought to his knees. His own dirty strategy has been used against him. Wario grips his head..and sends it through the glass! Toads inside scramble to get away! Wario forces the stunned plumber back out, and tosses him onto his rear.
"You want fight? Wario show you fight!"
Wario takes in the power of an Ice Flower. His white-and-black transforms into blue and black. He laughs, having a terrifying power in his hands. Wario opens his palm, and sends an Ice beam his way! Mario responds with a Fire beam!
Fire versus ice! Selfless versus selfish! Chubby versus fat! These men are putting all their effort into this clash, where only one can be victorious. The fire beams really starting to push ahead, so Wario steps on Mario's foot to get some momentum! When the ice beam pulls ahead, Mario brings his OTHER hand into it!
The fire quickly pushes forth, causing Wario to move to the side. No burns for him.
"WARIO!"
He turns to see Donkey Kong, scrapes and all, hang onto the flagpole. "You haven't won!"
Wario tries firing an Ice Beam, but Mario slugs him! D.K leaps off, body spread out. He raises those buff arms, and brings them down for a brutal crush of his nose! The impact causes a little gust, making Mario step back, and forcing Wario to wobble around.
"Finish him."
Mario nods, and uses his newfound super strength to lift Wario like a lightweight! One giant bodyslam causes a BIG gust of wind, blowing innocent Toads, and even Cranky back.
"It's-a done."
Mario calls his win early, jumping onto Wario's belly. It actually springs him up! As Mario meets the clouds, he knows exactly how to end it. He flips onto his rear, and picks up speed on his way down. Wario looks up, seeing the Ground Pound fast approaching.
"Oh NOO…"
BOOM!
The impacts so brutal, that the river loses its water! Bricks on the castle fly! Innocent people get knocked back again out of bad luck! Both giants shrink, but in the end, Fire beat Ice. Selfless beat Selfish.
Mario has finally beaten Wario.
"I'm-a tired.." he groans, crawling off of the greedy man. Wario's eyes are closed, he's practically taking a nap after that. A few purple Toads run up to the plumber, even willing to help him up.
"Are you ok?"
"I'm alive.."
A blue Toad with glasses looks him up and down. "That had to be the toughest fight you've been in, by boogity."
Jumpman runs up and hugs his kid tight. "THAT'S-A MY BOY! You killed it! We're taking down those meatball subs tonight."
Mario's still trying to collect himself after that trip. DK walks up, with Cranky on his shoulders. "You are the toughest human i have ever fought." The Kongs turn to Wario's sleeping state. "You were his worst nightmare."
Mario just nods. "Yeah.."
Cranky leans into his grandsons ear. "Give him a few minutes."
DK gets another look at Mario. "Oh. He must not usually deal with such fatigue." While the Kongs chat amongst themselves, Jumpman helps Mario up onto Yoshi. The dinosaur doesn't take off, instead going slow to keep him on.
"Yoshi?"
"Yeah it's his second big fight." Jumpman says. "One night a' rest and he'll be up and at it."
The dinosaur nods at the only human who knows what they say. "Yoshi?"
"Yeah, I'll teach him Yoshi speak."
After a little walk, Yoshi takes Mario to the wizards door. There's a sign that reads: "Merlon's House." That wizard from earlier opens the door for them. "It's fascinating to see Yoshi's around."
"Yoshi!"
"He's been through quite a bit, hasn't he?"
Make that two.
Mario finally comes to his real senses, seeing Merlin across the table. "
"Humans are rare to come by. Interesting to see a descendant." He says, setting a crystal ball on the table. "Would you like any readings before you leave this world?"
I just want a good platter." Mario admits.
"Hmm-hmm-Hmm. Hunger is your next battle." That mysterious man jokes. "I can sense that we WILL meet again one day. My senses are never wrong."
Mario scratches his head. "I wonder how that-a happens…"
"We shall see. For now, your world needs you. Look outside, and say your goodbyes."
Mario does as asked, leaving the house to see a green pipe show up out of thin air! Everyone he's met along the way stands there. Yoshi, his first loyal friend in this world. Cranky, his first asshole that he met in this world. Donkey Kong, his first enemy turned ally.
Then, Jumpman, who has a great opportunity to reconnect in Brooklyn. He shakes his leg. "The powers did a good number on me. Ready to go back?"
Mario declines to answer, giving Yoshi his final pet for this adventure. "You-a deserve all the good fruits."
"Yoshi!" The dinosaur gives him a few licks.
Jumpman also gets a goodbye, in the form of his old rival. "Can't wait to get you out of my hair." There's no viciousness in his tone.
"Are you..bein' chummy with me?"
"Take it how you want." He answers, cracking a smirk. "Enjoy the dirty streets."
Jumpman glances at the pipe again. "I've been waitin' years to find my way back. I wish I found a wizard!"
"Me too, Jumper. Me too.."
While their elders speak, Mario and Donkey Kong share their final moment. "Until we meet again, Mario. Thank you for your contributions. Without you, our kingdom would never see collaboration again."
"Thank you for making me-a fighter."
D.K let's the plumber return to his father. Those two give each other a knowing look. "Are you-a excited?" Mario asks.
"I got years of it!"
The friends they made along the way, watch those Mario's return to wherever they came from. Once the deed is done, that pipe sinks into the ground.
Brooklyn, New York
The Marios step out of the pipe. It's not in the sewer like last time. Instead, they arrive in the middle of an empty street. Thank goodness there's no traffic.
VROOM!
A familiar van comes speeding down, but abruptly stops when the driver sees it. The door gets kicked open..and out comes Luigi, jaw dropped, eyes wide, in utter disbelief! "No way…NO WAY!"
"LUIGI!" Mario runs over and hugs his brother tight. "You would not-a believe what I saw down there!"
Luigi reciprocates, but before he can answer..he sees his long lost dad. He can't even get a response out! "I..you..no..what..why…how.."
"This isn't no dream." Jumpman joins the hug, turning it into a group one. Luigi literally passes out in their arms. Must have been too much for him to process at once. Mario and Jumpman decide to take one of Luigi's arms, and help him into the back of the van.
"So what do we-a tell him?" Mario asks. "He won't believe a thing."
"Leave it to me."
Mario takes the drivers side, Jumpman the passenger. After a stressful adventure, visiting kingdoms with monkeys, penguins, and even Toad people, the normalcy of life puts Mario in a better mood. As he takes control of the car, a slow smile creeps onto his face. Before the adventure, Luigi asked why he wasn't after the credit for his good deeds. He didn't care for the recognition.
He's already legit in his own mind.
—-
So, where to start, huh? There's certain things I'm proud of in this arc, and things I think I could improve on. When it comes to what I'm proud of, the character development of DK and Cranky. D.K went from a pressured, loyal ape who followed Cranky's policies, to acting his own way, and trusting other species despite the tragedy that happened. Cranky went from a distrustful, mean old man, to a more trusting, less mean old man. He still has his ways. I thought I did an alright Mario. He works best bouncing off Luigi, but I had him fly brother-less because I wanted to establish WHY he's confident in the new world.
I also liked Yoshi and Wario's portrayals. Yoshi was easy, and I was having fun with Wario.
Now for the improvements. The Cranky and Jumpman rivalry, could have used a little more attention to make their eventual team-up hit. There was also a little lack of Mario worlds I feel. We have the Sand, Snow, and Kong Kingdoms, but I'm talking specific locations. Like the plains, or other villages that aren't Toad Town. I'll work on more exploration, and settings for the next arc.
The next chapter might not be out for a while, because I have a lot to plan out..but I'm not giving up on this story. There's a little more on my plate with the Sonic story, and even Survivod, which I have to catch up on.
Ticket, signing off. See you down the road.