Yoshi's Island, Dinosaur Land

A green pipe startles a purple Yoshi, who runs off the spot and looks in astonishment. "Yoshi?" It asks, to no response. When a Toad pops out, the worries waddle away. "Yoshi!"

"Heya, Peps!"

The Yoshi licks his face. Mario slides up next, and crawls out. He gets a look around, and realizes: this isn't plain grass. There's a variety of Yoshi's walking around, whispering. He even sees a NEW one, light blue with sick shades resting on it's nose. Something shiny catches his eye…

There's a star tucked behind him. Whatever that is, this Yoshi's got a tight hold on it.

"Hmm.." Mario goes to approach him, but a familiar green Yoshi steps in his way!

"Yoshi!"

"Hello!" Mario rubs the Yoshi's head. "It's-a been..A WEEK?" Yoshi doesn't register the question, staring into Captain Toad's headlight. Mario covers his eyes. "NO! You'll-a go blind.."

"Oh, Mario." Captain Toad scuttles over. "If you need a translator, I'm your guy! I've talked to Yoshi, Thwomp's, bees, and even BOMBS!"

"How are you-a still alive?!"

"Luck!"

Yoshi's looking back and forth. Captain Toad shines his headlight at that Yoshi with shades. "Who's the one with the glasses?"

"That's Boshi. He's ah..really competitive! Yeah! He's been itching for a race. I'd do it, but I was up all night..someone had to watch the babies." Yoshi explains. He tilts his head to get a better look. "That star thing fell, but Boshi's hogging it..

"What a bully.."

"He doesn't play with others. We could do so many cool things with it.." Yoshi frowns. "If we want it back, we have to race him. That's what he always says."

Mario scratches his head. He really needs to read up on his languages. Captain Toad nods his head along and gives him the scoop. "Alright, Mario. You see that Yoshi?"

"Mhmm."

"He's got the star, and we gotta race him."

Mario heads straight for Boshi, even taking his cap off. Yoshi jogs to his friends side. "So..you-a no sharing, hmm?"

"Yoshi."

"Oh boy."

Boshi scoffs at the human. "I don't owe my brothers anything. I found it, and if you want it? You gotta take it from me." Boshi looks at the plumbers legs. "You can't keep up."

"I can." Yoshi steps ahead, blocking Mario off. "Don't make fun of him! He beat THE Donkey Kong!"

That gets a snort. "I bet he has."

"Yeah huh!"

All Mario can hear during their confrontation is "Yoshi, Yoshi. Yoshi Yoshi Yoshi."

Boshi invades Yoshi's personal space. "I'll take both of you on and keep my prize. Then your owner can go back to where he belongs."

"OWNER?" Yoshi grunts, the teeth he has actually gritting together. "I'm no pet!"

"You're gonna be mine. See you chumps on the track." Boshi laughs, walking to the start. The Yoshi that were roaming before are there too. Yoshi stomps back to his friend, but keeps his eyes on Boshi.

"Yoshi.." He says, letting out a yawn. Mario turns to his Toad. "That's-a bad.."

"If you can find a cookie, he should get a boost. It's like caffeine!"

Mario dives into a couple bushes. He manages to find a dirty cookie. Yoshi INSTANTLY swallows it. "You could-a been sick.." the dinosaur smiles, those dreary eyes getting their energy back. "Yahoo!"

"Did it-a work? I think it worked!"

"That's neat! The race is about to start. You have like..five seconds." Captain Toad warns, causing Mario to hop on Yoshi.

"Don't-a do me like that.."

"I don't know if you'll get disqualified for the teaming, but incase you don't: good luck!" He gives a thumbs up, Mario returns it. The duo heads to the startling line, much to the chagrin of their competitors.

"Yoshi…" ("We're racing THAT guy? Aww…")

"Yoshi?" (That's the giant man!")

Boshi gives the pair a cocky smirk, and puts his eyes on the road.

.

.

A rainbow egg gets hurled into the air, and explodes! The word "GO!" Is made out, and the racers are off. Captain Toad cheers on from the sidelines. "COME OOOONN!"

They're already out of sight. The Toad just pulls a journal from his bag, and jots stuff down. "Toad's Log: Day Three.."

The dinosaurs, with a plus one Italian special, have to navigate the twists and turns of the start. Doesn't take long for the grassy land to end, and the orange one to begin. Bright clovers rain down, two big mountains stand above all else.

"Woah!" Mario had never seen THIS part of Dinosaur Land before. He got the bare minimum.

Boshi's pulling ahead so far. A poor Shy Guy on stilts gets knocked over, making a new obstacle that stops a few Yoshi. They have to reroute, and end up losing time. Yoshi sticks the course, with Mario grumbling over this.

"Likes to-a play dirty, Hm?"

"Yoshi.." (All the time.)

A few big ducks with yellow polka-dots walk into traffic. Mario gasps at the Huffin Puffi s. "Look at the duckies!" Yoshi jerks them both out of the way. Boshi almost falls flat on his face, but does a successful flip to stay in it. Yoshi and Mario are closing that gap, while a few Red Yoshi close in from behind.

A giant Piranha Plant meets them from under a bridge. Mario almost loses his hat at a look! "Wah! Right right right!"

Yoshi adjusts their path, saving Mario from that danger. The Red Yoshi's aren't that lucky, getting taken, and spat out! They collide with Purple Yoshi's on the track, causing a pileup! Some Blues and Yellows make it out, but if fortunes don't change, they might as well drop out.

Mario's eyes widen at the spring ahead. "Yoshi?" The Dino doesn't respond, picking up speed and making the jump! He flutter kicks to get more air, all while Mario sees water underneath him. Yoshi's are..somehow walking underneath.

"Your world is-a confusing."

"Yoshi." (Magical.)

Boshi doesn't flutter high enough and hits the water. He's still ahead of his other competitor, all but Yoshi and his trusty Italian. The now leading dinosaur jogs Mario through the seafloor of a castle. Mario tilts his head when he sees shining minerals. He can only wonder how that even got there.

Mario tries to talk, but air bubbles come out. "Brrmghrhrh."

"Yosghghhh."

The water section ends, bringing color back to them. Mario's soul almost leaves his body seeing the white terrain. The seagulls only shock him more. "Are we-a in the sky? Your islands-a—" he gives a chefs kiss. This geeking only annoys the oncoming Boshi more. The light shines off his shades.

"Not in MY race…"

He sees Paratroopas minding their own business. Being the cutthroat competitor he is, Boshi traps one in his mouth, and spits it RIGHT at Mario! The speed of the Red shell knocks him off, and sends him rolling into the bright white. The paratroopa's back out of its shell, huffing and puffing. The first thing it sees is Mario.

"You wanna go?!"

Mario puts his dukes up. The paratroopa's buddies fly in from behind. "Get him!"

Yoshi hits the brakes turning to save his friend. Mario puts a hand out. "NO. You get-a the star. I get-a warmed up." Mario's confidence stare makes Yoshi turn his tail on him. The dinosaur gets back in the race, at the cost of his lead. A snickering Boshi's ahead, and blows his tongue at him!

"Settle for the silver!"

"..NO!"

Yoshi's speed can't catch Boshi yet, but maybe this island can stump him. The Dino's only get higher. They come to another spring, but LAVA's fired up! Boshi has no choice but to stop. "You want to erupt NOW?"

Yoshi makes it to his side. "It's a volcano. It has to erupt sometime!" He smiles seeing it up close. "So pretty.."

"Lava ain't pretty. But that star is so—" Boshi shoves Yoshi on his rear, and flutters over the gap! Yoshi pops right up and jumps the same gap. A tropical village can be seen not far from it. Wonder if it leads into the volcano..

Right when Yoshi lands the lava beam shoots out! "Phew.." Yoshi, grateful for his life, but determined to win, presses forward. All those "pet" accusations Boshi threw at him gave him a reason to win this. If Boshi wins..yikes.

Speaking of Boshi, he grabs a glider held to the side, and makes the jump! Yoshi follows suit, soaring in the air. He waves at the giant purple Nep-E-Nut, the kaiju of Yoshi's Island. It gives him a smile back!

"Hiiii!" :)

"The heck's that ugly?"

Yoshi gasps. "That's my FRIEND! HAVE YOU EVER BEEN NICE?"

"EVERYTHING'S friend to you!"

Yoshi goes for a comeback, but can't think one up. "Ok so what if everything is?"

"Friendship don't win stars..sucker!"

Boshi's already touching the ground first. Yoshi needs to pick up some momentum and QUICK. A flying cloud with a ? Mark at the center floats by. Yoshi runs right into it! After it vanishes, a red bridge pops in midair! The second Yoshi steps on it, it forces the speed into him, putting him ahead of Boshi!

"Thank you magic cloud!"

Boshi spots Yoshi pulling ahead. "HOW?"

"Bye..SUCKER!"

Yoshi cheers as the bridge ends. He's so close to the fin—

YOINK!

Boshi grabs his tail and drops Yoshi on his chest! Boshi starts walking to the end, laughing his way to the bank. "Whoops."

"Hey! That's not fair!"

"Life ain't far, kid.."

"Stop it.." Yoshi forces himself onto his feet. Boshi's inches away from the finish line. Boshi's waving a hand over it. "

A few red shells knock Boshi off his feet! Boshi doesn't land over the line! Instead he falls flat on his back! "Youch!" Yoshi turns around to see Mario with the retreating Paratroopas at his mercy!

"RUN!"

Yoshi nods, and crosses the finish line. The Yoshi's, and even Captain Toad at the sideline, cheer his win! A group of Yoshi surround big Green, and throw him up like he's a celebrity.

"Hip-hip-hooray! Hip-hip-hooray!"

Yoshi smiles wide, winning the Power Star for he and Mario's sake. Well..he didn't do it all on his own. Realizing that he needed help, Yoshi's smile fades a bit. The "pet" allegations may live on. He doesn't have time to think about it, because Boshi shoots the Power Star at him. Mario catches it for Yoshi.

"Here you go." Mario hands it to the dinosaur. "We'll-a need it back, but get-a photo. It'll last!" He says, with a genuine smile. If this were any other species it would be taken as rude, but the Yoshi don't care. It's not like he slandered their friends.

Captain Toad taps Mario's pants. "We HAVE to visit! I need to know about their language, their traditions, the species, the—"

"Don't-a worry. We're going." Mario has to swallow his pride just saying that. Luigi's been a constant reminder for him, but he also know he can't find him alone. Finding his dad was a hassle itself, with the bar fights, and Donkey Kong's raw power being used against him. That was rough.

This WILL be rougher.

Boo Woods

That orange menace floats over Luigi, ready for a fatal swipe. Luigi's heart jumps out of his chest, the ghost is ready to bitchslap him…but a force pulls it back! The ghost panics as it's lower half gets caught in a red vacuum! A short old man, with a labcoat and glasses gets drug across the room.

"You can't run from me, Melmin!" He yells, his vacuum swallowing the ghost. One more shriek, and it's gone. The old man adjusts his opticals, and offers a hand to Luigi. "Look alive. You'll need it to survive these grounds."

Luigi clutches his heart. "What was that?! Why did—" The man tugs his hand, forcing him up.

"SHHHH. We aren't alone." The man pulls a switch from his pockets, and hits a button. A little hole opens at the top of the stairs. An elevator comes up. Slowly. For the two, it's like it's mechanical screams never end.

"H-how long does this take?"

"She's old, give her time. You can't rush perfection."

Luigi turns around to see some Boos PHASING through the wall. "Perfection better hurry!"

DING!

With a ding, his wish is granted. The man heads in, and Luigi wastes no time running in himself. Two men and a vacuum, on a creaky elevator going who knows where. Where are they going? And why are they going there?

One knows, and the other will find out.

Yoshi Village, Dinosaur Land

The Yoshi's escort Mario and Captain Toad to the sign of their village. This is the tropical area Mario overheard about, but the waves, all that sand..even the palm trees! It's a tropical beach! "I'll need-a boat just to get here. Isn't that right, Toad?"

Tod runs into the village, wiggling his paper and pencil around. Mario laughs at his eagerness. "He wasn't kidding.." he follows the Yoshi inside. There's Yoshi children running around the village, with their parents chasing them around. One thing Mario expected..but he lightly laughs at this. Dinosaur parents, oh..oh man he's sure not on a trip.

Captain Toad stares at the housing..well, incredible lack of housing, and jots notes down about it. "Wood..square..uhh..there's really nothing here. They just sleep at the beach." He ends that sentence, and turns around to see a Yellow Yoshi.

"Are you drawing notes?"

"I wish I could draw. I'm just goin' around and writing about the culture here. Do you sleep in the jungle?"

The Yellow lad shakes his head vehemently. "No no. The jungles too dangerous for the kids. We stick to the village."

"Why don't you have..houses? Doesn't the rain bother you? What about the storms?"

"They are way too small! I felt claustrophobic just being in ONE…" Yellow shudders. "I don't know how Mario's Yoshi does it.."

While Toad's on his craze, Mario spots a Brown Yoshi, sitting across from the mighty Chief himself. The Chief gives Mario a wave. "Salutations, Mario! I heard about your success in Kong Country. My brothers and sisters get the word around fast. Hoho, the tales about you are tremendous."

Mario gives him a bow. "Hello Chief!"

"What brings a noble hero like YOU here?"

"I-a gotta find my brother." Mario admits, getting the tough part out. "We got sucked in, and the last I-a saw him, he fell into some..black smoke."

The Chief nods along. "I see. He must have fallen near the Dark Lands. Maybe even the Haunting Grounds.."

Mario's eyes flutter. "The Dark-a Lands?! Oh spaghetti and meatballs, who knows what coulda happened to him?!"

"Worry not. The Mushroom Kingdom remembers your good deed. You should find your guide and head there first." The Leader suggests. "Taking on the Dark Lands alone is a foolish move."

Mario clasps his hands together. "Go to mushroom kingdom, get-a help, got it…where is Toad anyway?" He asks. The Brown Yoshi looks up, and can hear the ravens majestic sounds.

"CAW."

"CAW."

"CAW."

"I'll-a get him." Mario takes the boost up that tree. He peaks his head sees Toad scribbling a bunch of notes. The Ravens are in a circle, communicating in their own raven-speak. "Toad. We've got-a go."

"In a minute…"

With them up there, Yoshi approaches the Chief with that Power Star on his back. He doesn't look in the best spirits, even with his win. The Island Chief looks rather puzzled at his expression. Yoshi gives him a faint wave. "Hi.."

"Is something wrong? What ails you, my boy?"

Yoshi sits on a stone. "Boshi called me a pet…"

"You defeated Boshi fair and square. He was proven wrong."

Yoshi shakes his head in denial. "Without Mario..I would have lost. This doesn't feel right."

"Hmm.."The Chief sets a old finger on his chin, and points it at the young Yoshi. "YOU saved Mario in Vine Valley, did you not?"

"..yes."

"You charged into battle at Toad Town, did you not?"

"..yes. But I was frozen—"

"No buts." He interrupts. "You are letting Boshi's words shake you. His words mean very little, he has not done the actions you have. It's why he will never lead this island. He is not ready for the responsibility you have already shown us."

"But I'm not like you.." Yoshi looks at the grass. "You could have won without help."

"Focusing on the could haves won't mend this. It seems you need more time with these adventures. You shine in them. You can bring the Star with Mario and his erratic guide." The Chief says. "I only request one thing from you."

Yoshi sighs. "And what's that?"

"Show them what you are made of." The Chief leaves his stone seat, guiding Yoshi towards a patch of grass. A white pipe pops out. "You and your friends will take this underground. A few pipes await you. They aren't familiar with where they go, but YOU are. Guide them to the next location, and let Toad navigate. You do the rest."

Mario and Captain Toad join the two. "Aww..can't we stay longer, Mario?"

"After this is-a over."

"Well..ok."

The Chief clears his throat. "Yoshi will guide you to the next area. Take the pipe and he will do the rest."

Mario gives him a goofy salute. "Aye aye Chief! Let's-a go!" Mario jumps in immediately. Both Yoshi look at Toad, who stares back at the village.

"See you soon.."

He jumps in next. The Chief gives Yoshi a knowing nod, as the dinosaur sinks below. Yoshi's not just doing these adventures for his fellow dinosaurs anymore.

He's doing it for himself.

—