Last chapter, our merry band of heroes worked on knocking out a few of their side tasks as well as strengthening themselves for the next Star Spirit search, which seems to be pointing them towards the manor hidden in Forever Forest. After a disappointing defeat from Lee, the strongest student in the Dojo, the heroes decided to call it a day and slept the fatigue away. As we speak, the sun rises on another day filled with adventure. What will our merry band of adventurers run into today? Will they finally find the final member of Kimani's posse? Let's find out...
Chapter 10: Over The Blooper and Through The Woods!
Mario's House- Morning
It was the following day, and everyone had gotten up and dressed relatively quickly—well, almost everyone...
"Kimani, rise and shine. We have a few side quests to wrap up and then it's off to Forever Forest," Jordan urged Kimani, who was still cocooned in his blanket and nestled in the hammock. His response was a groggy, incoherent sound. Mario, with a piece of toast in his mouth, entered the scene. He quickly finished his breakfast before joining the conversation, curious about the delay.
"It's Kimani... He's not a morning person at all..." Jordan deadpanned. Mario snickered, nodding his head in understatement. Mario had his moments of unresponsiveness in the morning times. Mario suggested they go ahead without Kimani and clean up the final side quests they had to do.
"That depends on what we got to do,"
"Uh, finish exploring Toad Town Sewers, then check out the Pit of 100 Trials again," Goombario recited from behind. The mention of the pit caused Kimani to stir a bit from under the blanket before he groaned again and poked his head out.
"...No, no... I couldn't ask you guys to do that yourselves... Give me a few minutes to pep talk myself out of bed and get dressed... I'm sorry..." He mumbled as he slowly started to crawl out of the hammock. Since he wasn't there mentally, he tumbled out of it, landing in Jordan's awaiting arms. Jordan snorted before putting him on his feet, watching Kimani waver for a moment before slapping his cheeks twice to jolt himself awake slightly. Getting an idea, Dylan skipped over and placed a hand on Kimani's head, using Jumpstart to give him some much-needed energy.
"WOO! I'm up! Shit!" Kimani exclaimed as his eyes shot open, and he jumped into the air slightly. He landed, fully awake.
"Good idea, Dylan," Jordan thanked.
"Don't! It was Alpha's!" he happily said as Kimani got dressed. Jordan snorted, as did Mario before Kimani was fully clothed. The group walked to the front door, with Kimani snagging a piece of toast, a few strips of bacon, and grilled cheese from Luigi's awaiting plate.
"Nice to see you up. You guys stay safe today. Let me know if you need me or Chainston. I'll be relatively free today," Luigi told them. The four walked outside, seeing the rest of the partners ready.
"About time, Pint! We've been waiting for 10 minutes now!" Kooper exclaimed, posted on top of Chainston's head, who was running around the yard.
"Yeah! Did yesterday drain you that bad?" Bombette asked. Kimani sweatdropped in response.
"Maybe? Regardless, I'm up now, so let's get moving," Kimani answered, already heading towards the pipe. Kooper snickered as he hopped off Chainston, petting him before he and the others jumped into the pipe...
Toad Town
...And landed back in Toad Town Square. They ran straight for the pipe that led to the Sewers and jumped inside.
Toad Town Sewers
Once they were inside, all eyes focused on Mario, who pointed to the right side.
"...Oh, the pipe bridge?" Goombario asked. Mario nodded rapidly before he put a hand on his chin, eying his current badges.
"...Wondering about what Badges to carry, just in case?" He asked again. Mario nodded once more.
"Well, if it's another Blooper, your Quake Hammer is useless, so maybe Multibounce or Smash Charge?" He offered. Mario nodded, going with Multibounce since Jordan was currently holding Smash Charge. With that done, he led his team to the pipe bridge they stopped at the very first time they visited down here. Once Mario placed a boot on the bridge, a familiar "BLOOPER!" rang out as a slightly bigger Blooper flew from above and hovered in front of them menacingly.
"Yep. Figured," Kooper deadpanned as the party entered battle with the Blooper. As always, Goombario started the fight with a Tattle.
"Hmmm... Ok, I got it. This is an Electro Blooper. Electro Bloopers are electro-charged. Max HP: 80, Attack Power: 8, Defense Power: 0, but they're immune to electricity attacks. A bit of advice: When they're emitting electricity, it'd be smart to avoid contact with 'em. If you can manage to damage 'em while they're emitting electricity, they'll go back to normal. Their attack power while charged is higher... like way higher, so let's try and be careful..." Goombario informed the group. Mario nodded before he started the battle off with a hearty Hammer Throw, nailing the Blooper in the face for 4 damage, leaving it with 76 HP. The Blooper shook for a second before it produ-
"Did that thing just have birth?" Kimani exclaimed.
...
"...Oh, sorry,"
Ahem... The Blooper shook before it produced 2 smaller versions of itself. Kimani let Goombario Tattle as he thought about his next move.
"Who were you apologizing to earlier?... Eh, never mind. We have bigger problems in front of us. This is a Blooper Baby. Electro Blooper spits 'em out, and they come to drain you. Max HP: 6, Attack Power: 3, Defense Power: 0. We need to beat 'em quickly so they can't drain us dry. They're so cute, though! Can we keep one?"
"I think we have enough pets at the moment," Kimani muttered. He couldn't hit anything normally since they were floating, so he took his chances and used Sleep Stomp on the Electro Blooper, dealing 6 damage. He didn't spend any extra FP, so he left the Electro Blooper at 70 HP. He didn't get the sleep either. The Blooper Babies rushed over and latched onto Kimani, who struggled to pull them off of him in time. It took a bit of elbow grease, but he eventually pulled them off. However, they were collectively able to steal 6 HP from him, leaving him with 19 HP. The Electro Blooper charged up electricity before he floated over Kimani. He then divebombed Kimani, who was too busy lamenting about the suction cup marks on his arm, shocking him harshly and leaving him prone on the ground with a single point of health left. He lost his charge doing so, however.
"18 DAMAGE!?" Bombette yelled, deafening everyone around her. Kimani's body was covered in soot, and he randomly twitched occasionally.
"Ooooooowwwwwwwwwww..." Kimani moaned. Jordan growled before he leaped at the Electro Blooper, jumping on it twice via Power Stomp and dealing another 5 damage. Typhoon summoned his water tentacles, causing them to slap the party. He made the fourth one slap the Electro Blooper once more, so the babies took 3 while the Electro Blooper took another 5 overall, dropping his HP to 60. The Blooper Babies came after Jordan, who was able to effortlessly yank them off without taking damage. The Electro Blooper shot a gout of ink at Jordan, but he kept it at bay mostly with his shield, only taking 4 damage, evading the poison effect, and putting his HP to 31. Dylan had Alpha sacrifice 5 of his HP to charge him before he Jump Started Kimani, bringing his HP back to 11 and giving Kimani the Zap Tap effect for 3 turns. Bombette changed places with Parakarry, ending Dylan's turn. He endured both the Babies and the Electro Blooper's dive attack, causing a total of 13 damage and dropping his HP to 12. The turns circled around again, and Mario saw that the Blooper Babies had healed to full. Mario frowned before he clapped his hands together, calling upon Mamar to sing again. This time, it worked, and the Bloopers went to sleep for 3 turns. The party had Kimani and Goombario perform their charged attack strategy, tacking on 19 damage on the Electro Blooper, putting him at 41. The Blooper shook in frustration before he sparked up and attacked Mario this time around, dealing 16 damage after he blocked it. Mario's health tanked to 14 as a result. He got mobbed by the Babies, but he was able to yank them away before he received any more damage. Kimani was finally back up, albeit with 11 HP to work with, so he decided to just gun-ho on the Blooper, using Firebrand to flare up and unleash a Dragon Uppercut and Decent follow-up, dealing 16 damage to the Blooper, dropping his HP to 25. The Blooper Babies tried to attack Kimani, but they got burned and shocked for trying so, taking 3 damage altogether and leaving them with 3. The Electro Blooper spewed ink at Kimani, but he was able to counter it, picking up a nearby rock and chucking it as revenge since he couldn't normally counter it, dealing 4 damage due to Firebrand's attack boost, putting him at 21 HP.
"Ok... Surely, we should be done soon..." Kimani panted as Jordan went next. Mario sweatdropped at the rough start Kimani's morning was getting. Jordan nodded.
"Yeah, just gotta push a little bit more, and we'll be in the clear," Jordan encouraged him. He was answered by a groan, causing him to sweatdrop as he leaped and stomped on the Electro Blooper twice while Typhoon's tentacles whacked away, taking out the babies and dealing another 5 damage to the Electro Blooper, dropping his HP to 11. The Electro Blooper shook before it produced 2 more Blooper Babies.
"At least he didn't attack this round..." Kimani deadpanned as Dylan and Parakarry finished it off with an Ion Beam and Shell Shot. The party got a ton of Star Points as a reward, as well as hearts, flowers, and coins. Kimani borderline dove on the hearts while Mario snickered and walked over to the chest, opening and picking up a Shrink Stomp Badge and a Yellow Shard. Dylan squealed as he ran over and (politely) snatched it from Mario, using it. He glowed, and Alpha informed him that his Copycat ability was upgraded again, allowing him to copycat his allies for free.
"Not bad... But can we go now?" Kimani moaned, his HP back to 18, but he was still twitching slightly from the voltage and covered in soot. Mario nodded, opting to lead his party back...
Toad Town
...To Toad Town. Mario directed them to a Toad House, where they entered, and Kimani immediately jumped face-first onto an empty bed. The Toad on duty sweatdropped before he asked if his party wanted to rest. Mario nodded before the Toad directed them to the beds, where they all got comfy and took a quick power nap. After 30 minutes, everyone woke up, fully healed and ready to continue. Mario thanked the Toad before he brought his team back to...
Toad Town Sewers
...the Sewers. Mario led them to the left side, passing the blue Warp Pipes and breaking the Stone Block to the left with Kimani. They walked into the next room, seeing 3 "empty" ? Blocks. Mario wasn't buying it if his Adventuring Senses had anything to say. He walked over to the middle one and hit it, making a Snowman Doll fall into Mario's pockets. Kimani was curious and hit the other blocks, only earning coins. There were some floating... tiles, so the gang used them to reach a Warp Pipe in the wall, going into it and exiting into another section of the sewers. Mario looked around before Bombette started waddling to the left doorway, causing the others to follow. Inside, a few Spiked Gloombas were roaming around. Kimani, still not over the Blooper fight, told them to ignore them for his sanity, causing everyone to do just that (Sweatdropping along the way) as they reached a Brick Block holding a Spring. Jordan swung his hammer overhead, breaking the block and allowing them to leap up the ledge to their left. Inside the next chest was a Green Shard and a Power Smash Badge. Mario took off his Multibounce Badge and put on the Power Smash Badge before they went back to the previous room and jumped into another Warp Pipe, being greeted by a Buzzy Beetle and his friends. Once in battle, there was a Buzzy Beetle, then a Spiked Paragloomba before the order continued once more. Mario wasted no time, chucking his hammer at the first Spiked Paragloomba, dealing only 2 damage to it, bringing both the now Spiked Gloomba down as well as it's HP to 9. Mario looked at his hammer as if it was the problem.
"No, I guess Gloombas also got their helmets reworked. Hmmm... Wonder how often this will happen," Goombario mentioned from the sidelines. Mario shrugged as Parakarry Shell Shot the same one, dealing another 3 damage to it and dropping it to 6. The enemies came after him, causing Mario to grunt as he blocked the enemies' attacks, taking a total of 8 damage and dropping his HP to 22. Dylan went next, Jolting the other Spiked Paragloomba to the ground, dealing 3 damage to it and putting it at 8. He then had Alpha cleave through the group with Ion Beam for 4 damage. With their defense lowered, Dylan borrowed Kooper from Kimani, having him Power Shell through everyone for 2 damage, leaving only the Spiked Goombas with 2 and 3 HP, respectively. Dylan blocked the spiky headbutts, taking a total of 8 damage, bringing his HP down to 17. Since their defense was back, Kimani had to spend a bit of FP to knock out the first one while Kooper just tickled the last one with his Shell Toss, only doing a point of damage. The Spiked Goomba got countered for his attempt, taking a single point of damage and allowing Typhoon to send him to the dirt with his Slam attack, winning the battle. Everyone sighed slightly before they continued on to the right, seeing an even stronger block in front of him.
"Are those... Metal Blocks?" Parakarry asked.
"Yep... Mario's hammer and Kimani... in general, can't pierce it yet, even with Dylan's help," Goombario deadpanned. Kimani took minor offense from the comment but nodded anyway as they went back up the pipe and used the tiles leading to the right pathway. Once they walked in, Mario saw a tile leading up to a series of long jumps he had no chance of making by himself. Parakarry offered his services, flying him over said jumps and earning another Star Piece for their troubles. Bombette noticed the tiles kept going through the ceiling.
"So... can we go up there?" she asked. When Mario and Parakarry got back, they looked, shrugged, and told the party to stand on one of the tiles. When they reached the top, they went through a hole in the ceiling, reaching a hidden crawl space.
"Huh. Nice eye, Bombette!" Dylan exclaimed.
"Aw! Thanks, Dylan!"
"...Wait, is that a ghost?" Kimani asked, shaking slightly due to the Ghost floating around. Mario took heed of this before Jordan got his shield out, blocking the scare attempt and causing the group to enter battle on even footing.
"Hey, Pint... You OK? You're kinda shaking..." Kooper asked.
"O-Of course! Why w-wouldn't I b-be?" Kimani stuttered, still shaking.
"...Are you scared of Boos?" Goombario timidly asked. Kimani frowned in return.
"Boos, in general? N-no!... But ghosts... yeah..."
"...Shit, I forgot you don't like horror movies," Jordan facepalmed.
"Well, since Kimani's Spooked, he can't perform any Action Commands until he shakes it off!" Goombario told everyone.
"Really? D-damn these nerves of mine..." Kimani grumbled. Mario felt bad for him. His brother had the same fear, albeit worse. If the thought of a Boo crossed Luigi's mind, his whole body would shut down.
"Sit this battle out, Little Buddy! We'll handle it!" Dylan told Kimani. Kimani bit his lip before he sighed and nodded, escaping from battle and watching from the sidelines alongside Kooper.
"Ok, guys! Let's handle this smoothly! This is a Boo! Man, I thought these guys were friendly, but I guess you could say the same about Goombas. Max HP: 10, Attack Power: 7, Defense Power: 0. Anyway, these guys go invisible and launch sneak attacks from the shadow. I don't think we can scare them off or run away easily. Yup, I'd say we're in for a real fright- get it?... Sorry. But we'd better be good with our blocks because if we fail to block their scare attempt, you'll be Spooked, and you'll be incapable of performing any Action Commands for a turn! Poor Kimani will be Spooked as long as a Boo is on the field, so if we ever run into any, take them out first so we can get him back in action!" Goombario Tattled. Everyone nodded before they noticed that the Boo, while levitating, was at the right level to be hammered, but it started the match, invisible, so Mario couldn't hit him. Frowning, he just yeeted his hammer at one of the two Swoopers in the back, dealing 4 damage and leaving it with 1. Parakarry flew and kicked it as well, finishing him. The Swooper rushed Mario, only dealing 2 damage and dropping his HP to 20. When the Boo floated up to him, the delay threw his block off badly, causing him to fall for the Boo's jumpscare. The following mini-heart attack drained 7 HP from Mario and caused him to be Spooked, placing his HP at 13. On the plus side, the Boo was visible again.
"Alright, I'm not amused with you scaring my friends," Dylan seriously said, copying Jordan before he activated Berserk, raising his attack by 2. He then whacked the Boo in the face for 4 damage while Bombette ended him with a well placed Bomb attack. The Swooper attacked Dylan, clonking him in the head for 4 damage, leaving him with 13 HP left. Jordan borrowed Parakarry and sent him after the Swooper, finishing the battle. Since the Boo was gone, Kimani's Spooked status disappeared.
"Phew... I'm not sure how helpful I'll be in Forever Forest," He muttered as the party continued to the right, seeing a hole in the ground. They jumped down, avoiding a Paragloomba and hitting the Super Block. Since Bombette was the only member not ranked up, it was an easy pick.
"Hehe! I'm even stronger now! My Bomb attacks now have a chance to shrink whoever I hit, and I learned Power Bomb!" She told the group. Kooper felt a bit overshadowed but when he noticed her Power Bomb took a massive 8 FP, he didn't feel as bad. With that done, Mario felt like their time in the Sewers was done, so he quickly led his party out of the Sewers, finally popping back...
Toad Town
...In Toad Town, where they went back to the Toad House and took a small break to refill their HP and FP before they went back to...
Pit of 100 Trials- Entrance
...The Pit of 100 Trials. Kimani had filled in the others on what this place was, causing them to nod as they leaped into the blue pipe, starting the gauntlet once more.
Pit of 100 Trials- Floor 10
The group appeared back in the rest room after a few minutes of blitzing through the previous floors. Since they were significantly stronger and had more members, they didn't have any problems. Mario hit the ? Block, earning a Mushroom that he split with everyone. Everyone munched on their parts, healing the minor wounds they received from the White Ninjakoopas. With that done, they looked at the Warp Pipe leading to the lower floors.
"Alright, new territory, so let's be a bit careful," Typhoon told them. Firebrand also appeared, opting to be Kimani's partner for this part. Kooper nodded, as did Bombette. Before they went down, Mario's senses started tingling before he looked above the depleted ? Block. He jumped on it before he leaped once more, hitting a hidden ? Block and earning a Pow Block for their troubles. Mario gave them a thumbs-up before they leaped into the pipe.
Pit of 100 Trials- Floor 11
The party landed, and after seeing some Clefts, Mario swapped out his Power Smash with Quake Hammer. When they entered battle, Mario assaulted the ground, one shotting all of them. They went down the pipe...
Pit of 100 Trials- Floor 12
...And landed next to another Cleft. Mario assaulted the group with his hammer again while Parakarry kicked the Red Paragoomba out of the sky, winning the battle.
"Wow... so far? Easy as shi- I mean, heck," Kimani deadpanned, catching himself. Mario nodded before they went down again.
Pit of 100 Trials- Floor 13
The next team they saw was another Cleft, A Monty Mole, and a Red Paragoomba.
"Hmm... I'm seeing a pattern here," Goombario mentioned.
"Like what?" Firebrand asked.
"The first 10 floors were foes we fought on the way and inside the Koopa Bros. Fortress. These past few floors have been ones we've seen on Mt. Rugged. If we're still following this trend, we should see some Bandits and other enemies from Dry Dry Desert as well as Dry Dry Ruins,"
"...You know? I'm noticing it too, now that you said it out loud..."
"Nice eye, Goombario! If we keep this in mind, we may be able to predict our next battles!" Kimani exclaimed. He was a bit too loud, so he ended up making the Cleft try to attack him, but Jordan was quick, sliding in front of him and repelling him with his shield, starting the battle out on even footing.
"Smooth..." Jordan hissed at Kimani.
"Bite me! We're not in much danger just yet!" Kimani shot back. Mario halted their argument with another Quake Hammer, defeating the Cleft and leaving the Monty Mole with 2 HP. Parakarry divebombed the Monty Mole, taking it out. The Red Paragoomba flew after Mario twice but he was able to block the hits, taking no damage. Kimani sent Parakarry at the enemy, defeating it and allowing them to go to the next floor.
Pit of 100 Trials- Floor 14
The next party had a Bandit, Bandito, and two Dry Bubbles floating over them. After a bit of discussion, they had Dylan start this time. Dylan used his Ion Beam to cleave through the 2 Bubbles for 4 damage. Dylan then zapped the first one while Parakarry Shell Shot the other one, taking care of the Bubbles. The Bandits came over and mugged Dylan for his health and money, taking 6 HP and 30 coins overall. The Bandito left the battle while the other one was preparing to leave. Kimani assaulted the last Bandit, winning the battle. Mario handed Dylan a Mushroom afterward, allowing him to heal up to 24. They went down to the next floor...
Pit of 100 Trials- Floor 15
...and immediately ran into a Pokey.
"Ok, I really gotta stop doing that..." Kimani grumbled, rubbing his nose. Jordan and Dylan cackled as Mario rolled his eyes and checked his Star Power before he used Lullaby to put everyone to sleep. With that done, the party was easily able to defeat them with no problems. As Kimani choked out Dylan and Jordan, Mario pushed them into the pipe, following them afterward.
Pit of 100 Trials- Floor 16
The next floor had a Pokey and 3 Banditos, so Dylan just blasted them with an Ion Beam and had Kooper plow through them as well before they kept it moving and went to the next floor.
Pit of 100 Trials- Floor 17
"...OK, now we're getting to the hard stuff," Kimani said, referring to the 2 Buzzy Beetle, Pokey Mummy and Dull Bones. Mario sighed before he eyed his FP, which was at 4 before he did another Quake Hammer, dealing 2 damage to the Beetles and Dull Bones while the Pokey Mummy took 3 damage. The 2 Buzzy Beetles had been flipped over and had 3 HP left, while Pokey Mummy was left with 3 as well, while the Dull Bones only had 1 HP left. Mario considered his options before he shrugged and just sent Parakarry after one of the Buzzy Beetles, kicking it to submission. The Pokey Mummy and Dry Bones were the only ones that could attack, and they got blocked, so Mario only took 5 damage, lowering his HP to 25. Dylan, yet again, cleaned up the rest with an Ion Beam, Jolt, and Bombette's new Power Bomb attack.
"Or not... Hmm... Dylan, you ok FP-wise?" Kimani deadpanned, asking him that question afterward. Dylan put a finger on his chin while sticking his tongue out.
"Um... Still good!" He exclaimed, causing Kimani to snort as they went to the next floor.
Pit of 100 Trials- Floor 18
This floor had a team consisting of a Mummy Pokey, Buzzy Beetle, and two Dull Bones. No one wanted to deal with the annoyance, so Dylan used his same combo to wipe out everything sans the Buzzy Beetle, who hit him in the ankle for 3, putting his HP at 22. Mario and Parakarry finished him off, letting them continue to the next floor.
Pit of 100 Trials- Floor 19
The party landed and immediately sweatdropped from the opposing group, which consisted of a Poison Pokey, 2 Stone Chomps, and a Dry Bubble.
"This may be a problem... We're all running low on FP, aren't we?" Jordan asked. Everyone nodded. At the moment, Mario only had 2 to his name, while Kimani was floating around 10 (He got a bit carried away on the lower levels...) while Jordan was doing the best with his 15 FP. Dylan's combos had drained him to the 5 FP mark, so he wasn't able to do it again. Mario checked his inventory, noting the lack of FP restoring items he had. He frowned and made plans to fix this wrong afterward. He informed the party that they had to make do with what they had currently.
"Mmm... Alright. Mind if I take lead, Mario?" Goombario asked. Mario nodded, eager to hear his thoughts.
"Dylan's passive FP gain will still allow him to use Ion Beam every turn, but the problem is we'll have to suffer some unnecessary damage to do so... but we have to let all party leaders go once before we can choose our order again..."
"...So... What are you getting at?" Kimani asked.
"Let me finish... We can't mess with the natural turn order, but maybe we could find a loophole in a sense,"
"...Am I allowed to ask you now?"
"...Long story short, why not have Dylan or any party leader borrow our turn?"
"Borrow? You're going to have to elaborate for me?"
"Let's get into battle first," Goombario said, whistling loudly and causing the enemy to finally notice them before they rushed them. Mario waved his arms rapidly before he hammered the approaching Pokey Mummy, starting the battle with 3 damage tacked on to the Mummy Pokey, leaving him with 3 HP. Goombario wasn't in battle, but like how Twink would do and even Kimani that one time, he was in the middle of the field.
"Ok. Let's have Kimani go first since his Counter will keep him safe,"
"Uh... Hmm... I guess since we're doing tutorial mode..." Kimani muttered, burning all of his FP to defeat the Pokey Mummy. The attacks came his way, and he was able to Counter everything, dealing 2 damage to the Dry Bubble, leaving it with 3.
"Alright, now's the time! Dylan, go to your Strategies Menu!"
"OK!... There's something that says Borrow," Dylan asked.
"That's what we need. Hit it, then select Jordan!"
"Wait, what?" Jordan said. Dylan did just that, causing a segment of Star Power to drop, but Dylan and Jordan were surrounded by Star Power for a moment.
"What just happened?"
"You'll see. Attack normally, Dylan," Goombario told him. Dylan saluted before he fired off an Ion Beam, defeating the Mummy Pokey and dealing 4 to the Stone Chomps, leaving them with 2 HP. He Jolted the Dry Bubble out of the fight afterward. He didn't have the FP for Bombette to Bomb or Power Bomb, so she just Focused, earning the team some more Star Power. When the enemies attacked, they didn't go for Dylan but rather Jordan, who barely blocked the two bites, taking only 4 damage overall and putting him at 31 HP.
"What was that?!" Jordan yelled, not mad but a bit flustered. Goombario sweatdropped.
"Dylan, in a sense, borrowed your turn so he could attack without risking an attack. Didn't think it would cost Star Power to do so, but eh,"
"So, what... Did I just lose my turn?"
"Yeah, you gave it to Dylan. If we had the Star Power, Dylan could borrow from whoever hasn't gone again, but for now, we'll just let him end this battle," Goombario explained, letting Dylan Ion Beam the Stone Chomps again, defeating them and winning the battle. Mario asked Goombario how he came up with that idea.
"Oh, that? I'm always thinking about how we can maximize our turn efficiency. Just didn't have a way to test this one until now,"
"It's not a bad idea, however. It'll certainly come in handy in the future!" Kimani exclaimed.
"...Why am I suddenly fearing for my HP in the future..." Jordan moaned, causing everyone else to sweatdrop.
"The bond between Mario's party has deepened even more! Party Leaders can now "Borrow" other Party Leader's turns, allowing them to act more than once per cycle! The Party Leader that had their turn borrowed will be attacked in their stead, and they won't be able to act until the cycle refreshes!"
"Thank you for explaining that again..."
"Sorry, still fun to do," Goombario sheepishly said. Mario smiled before he went into the pipe.
Pit of 100 Trials- Floor 20 (Rest Room)
The group landed in another rest room, sighing in relief. Mario hit the ? Block and hidden one above it, earning a Maple Syrup and Fire Floor. Mario grumbled at the Maple Syrup before he pocketed the item and looked at the statue. He cleared his throat before he started reading the text.
"A BASHFUL YOUNG BURT KNOWN THROUGHOUT THE FOLD, CALLS MANY FROM AFAR SO THAT HE SHINES LIKE GOLD! HE LENDS HIS MIND TO ALL WITH IDEAS NOT FEW, OFTEN ONE SIMPLE WORD HELPS CREATE SOMETHING NEW!"
"Mario, please stop doing that!" Jordan yelled.
"What? Yelling?" Kimani asked.
"No! Actually talking! It's weird! I'm used to his sign language and grunts!" Jordan exclaimed back. Mario sweatdropped from the conversation before he opened the chest, earning a Shrink Hammer Badge as well as another Green Shard for the collection.
"Alright. We should call it here. I don't think we'll get pretty far without FP anyway," Firebrand said. Mario nodded rapidly before he hit the button nearby, swapping the direction of the pipe and leading them out of the pit.
Toad Town
The party arrived back in Toad Town before Mario immediately rushed to the store, leaving his party members behind. Before anyone could follow him, Mario came out of the shop, arms full of items, before he disappeared into Tayce T's house. After a bit of time, Mario came back with a satisfied expression on his face.
"So... what was that all about?" Kimani asked. Mario explained that he had bought some stuff from the shop and had Tayce T restock them with a ton of home-cooked meals. He also had a few FP-specific items.
"You really didn't like being out of FP, didn't you?" Kooper asked. Mario rapidly shook his head, causing Kimani to snort. He looked to the west of Toad Town and saw two things. First thing was a Boo disappearing into the woods, and the second thing was a Toad Guard cowering in his booth. Kimani very briefly got Spooked, causing everyone to glance at him. The icon disappeared, however.
"Spooked... Did you see a Boo?" Goombario asked.
"Mmm-hmm... And it seems like I wasn't the only one," He told them, pointing at the Toad Guard, who yelled and rapidly started stabbing in the direction the Boo came from. Mario was concerned for the Toad, so he walked over with his group.
"Brrrrrr... Juh...Just now, a ghost passed right in front of me! You saw it, didn't you?" He asked. Kimani nodded while everyone else shook their heads. The Toad grabbed his head in anguish before he started ranting to Kimani, who was nodding the entire time. In the middle of his rant, (and Goombario mentioning that he was a few spots short of his Mushroom.) the same ghost that Kimani and the Guard saw popped up behind everyone. KImani instantly got Spooked while the Toad just screamed bloody murder. Everyone turned to where they pointed/brandished their spear, seeing nothing as it disappeared just as they turned.
"What's wrong, Little Buddy?" Dylan asked.
"That Boo was just behind you guys... LOOK, THERE IT IS AGAIN!" Kimani got out, yelling, when he saw it again behind the group. Everyone whirled around, seeing nothing yet again. Kimani and the Toad were on the verge of losing their collective shit, so Mario offered to help however he could. The Toad Guard introduced himself as Fice T and told him to chase after the Boo that darted into the woods. Mario nodded before he pointed towards the woods. Kimani instantly declined.
"Are you ill? You want us to go into a presumably haunted forest and fight God knows what to chase after a Boo?!" Kimani argued. Mario sweatdropped. He supposed that sounded rather crazy when he put it that way. Typhoon appeared and picked up Kimani by the back of his shirt.
"Enough. We gotta go there for the Star Spirit anyway. Plus, remember? Bushy is located somewhere in there, and we gotta find him," He reminded him. Kimani looked for a counter-argument, but he just sputtered in defiance.
"...Man... Never should have taught you how to counterargue..." Kimani groaned. Typhoon chuckled before he set him down.
"Lament on it later. We got a forest to go through,"
"Fine... Can we at least refill our stuff? We're still out of FP..."
"...Oh, duh," Bombette muttered. Mario nodded, leading them to the Toad House, napping real fast before they sprinted back, passing the Guard House and venturing into the Forest.
Forever Forest
The group didn't get far into the Forest before the ghost appeared in front of the group, Spooking Kimani and making the others jump slightly.
"Pardon me, sirs... and madam... Would you happen to be Mario, Kimani, Jordan and Dylan?"
"Y-yes?" Kimani said, shaking.
"How do you do, sir?... Does Master Kimani require a heater?"
"No, just a b-bit of a phobia... Wait, did y-you cal-"
"Good. My master wishes to see you. If you would, please call on us at the mansion on the far side of Forever Forest. My master would also like to add that she has in her possession important news regarding the Star Spirits. Our guest also asked for your company as well,"
"Guest? Is he about Kimani's size? A human?"
"The size part wasn't needed..."
"Ah, yes. Master Austin. He's awaiting you at the mansion. Please make haste! We shall await your arrival with a warm welcome,"
"...Sounds simple enough..."
"And if you don't come... We'll GET YOU! BOOO!" The Boo said, growing 5 times his size and scaring the group. Kimani, Goombario, and Kooper, causing them to sprint out of the forest. Mario almost fell over himself. Once he caught himself, he saw the 3 were gone so he sighed and asked Jordan to go get them back. Jordan rolled his eyes before he left the forest. After a minute, Jordan had Kimani tucked under his arm while Typhoon was carrying Kooper and Goombario in his oversized hands.
"Can we go home yet?" Kimani whined. Mario shook his head before he eagerly pointed forward, causing Kimani to sigh as he was placed down. Mario gave him a sympathetic look before he fixed his cap and started marching forward, eager to learn about this mysterious master and their info on the Star Spirits. He snuck a glance back to Kimani, who was slowly trudging behind the group. He also hoped finding Austin would brighten his spirits... and maybe help him with his fear of ghosts for the time being.
File saved!
Current Party Overview:
Mario:
Starting Stats: 10 HP, 5 FP, 3 BP
Current Stats: 25 (30) HP, 10 FP, 12 BP (Level 9)
Equipped Badges: Close Call (1), Attack FX B, Damage Dodge (3), Power Smash (1), HP Plus (2), Feeling Fine (3), Hammer Throw (2)
Main Partners: Parakarry
Items: Maple Shroom x5, Maple Syrup x5, Fried Egg, Koopa Tea x4, Super Soda, Spicy Soup x2, Pow Block, Sleepy Sheep, Fright Jar x2, Egg, Whacka's Bump, Stopwatch, Maple Super, Sweet Shroom x3, Snowman Doll
Current Star Pieces: 6
Current Badges: Peekaboo, Speedy Spin (1), Close Call (1), Hammer Throw (2), Dizzy Attack (2), Multibounce (1), Smash Charge (1), Power Bounce (2), Refund (1), Attack FX B, Power Stomp (1), HP Up (2), FP Up (2), First Attack (1), Smash Charge (1), D-Down Pound (2), Zap Tap (4), Feeling Fine (3), Starman (1), Damage Dodge (3), Quake Hammer (1), Group Focus (1), Runaway Pay (1), Attack FX C, Shrink Stomp (2), Power Smash (1), Shrink Hammer (2)
Kimani:
Area of Expertise: Grounded Combat, Single Target Damage, Countering
Starting Stats: 10 HP, 10 FP, 3 BP
Current Stats: 25 HP, 25 (30) FP, 9 BP (Level 9)
Equipped Badges: FP UP (2), Power Plus (4), Power Rush (1), Sleep Stomp (1)
Main Battle Partners: Firebrand, Kooper
Battle Talent: Stronger Attack Action Commands (can input one more action command, dealing more hits/damage) but stricter timing on ALL Action Commands.
Field Actions: Can strike enemies in the field with his fist, allowing him to perform his action commands for Strike early. (Basically, his first strikes have the potential to do 3 damage should he time the commands right) He can also help Mario break Super Blocks on the field.
FP Moves:
Strike: (0 FP) Strikes a foe with a punch or kick. Pressing the A button with correct timing allows up to 2 follow-ups. Pow: 1 (PP: 2) (up to 3). Style: Timed. Can hit Top-Spike enemies, can't target flying enemies
Power Strike: (2 FP) Strikes a foe with a stronger punch or kick. Can press A at the right time to execute another Power Strike but will cost an additional 2 FP. Pow: 3 (PP:4), Style: Timed: Can hit Top-Spiky enemies, can't target flying enemies
Focus Blast: (3 FP) Charges up a devastating blast of energy. Gets stronger with each turn spent charging. Maxes at 12 damage. Pow: 3 (PP: 4) (1 turn), 6 (PP:7) (2 turns), 12 (PP: 13) (3 turns)
Dragon Uppercut: (5 FP) Launches a devastating uppercut that launches foes into others! Pressing A at the correct time allows Kimani to follow up with a Dragon's Descent, spiking the enemy back down for extra damage! DU: Pow: 5 (PP: 6) (Enemy projectile pow: 3 (PP:4)), Style: Timed, Can hit flying and Spiky enemies. DD: (5 FP) Pow: 5 (PP: 6) (Enemy projectile pow: 3 (PP: 4))
Dragon's Dance: (20 FP) Unleashes a combo of 5 attacks upon a target. Reaching the max hits will permit Kimani to use Dragon's Fury, which unleashes 5 extra hits. Pow: If properly executed, 10 (PP: 15) + 10 (PP:15) from Dragon's Fury. Style: Timing. Pierces Defense. Extremely hard to time, but easily the highest-damaging move in the entire game. Can hit all but flying enemies. Will leave Kimani Winded for a turn.
Passives:
Counter: Can't guard normally but can Counter attacks. Has stricter timing than the normal guard but will null ALL damage and damage the attacker for 1 damage.
Master's Potential Unlock: Kimani's Counter has been enhanced! Now, it can do 2 damage to whoever he hits!
Second Chance: Will survive a singular fatal hit with 1 HP. Will be available to use again once 10 HP is reached.
In The Zone: If Kimani goes undamaged for 2 turns, he'll enter The Zone, which is a focused state for Kimani. During The Zone, Kimani's attack and defense rise by 1, and the number of Action Commands he can input goes up by one as well! (For example, his normal Strike command can be followed up by 3 extra attacks, and his Power Strike can attack up to 3 times!) Taking damage twice will knock him out of it.
Master's Potential Unlock: Kimani's focus is even more stable! Kimani can take a singular hit before entering In The Zone!
Firebrand:
Area of Focus: Versatile, Ice Enemies, Single Target Damage
Field Actions: Can spend 1 FP to launch a fireball. Fireballs will ignite flammable sources and can First Strike enemies at a distance.
Element Shard Upgrade: Firebrand's attack pow goes up by 1!
FP Moves:
Swipe: Lashes out with a quick claw swipe. Pressing the A button at the right time launches another swipe. Pow: 2 (4), Style: Timed, Can't target flying enemies. Can hit Spiky Enemies.
Fireball: (2 FP) Launches a fireball at an opponent. Can hit all enemies. Deals double damage to Icy enemies but will heal Fiery enemies. Pow: 4, Style: Charge
Fire Form: (5 FP) Firebrand disappears into Kimani's amulet, allowing Kimani to flare up. Kimani's attacks deal fire damage for the duration, and enemies will take 1 damage from hitting him physically. His attack goes up by 2 as well. After 3 turns, Kimani will take 1 point of damage after every turn until he uses the Cool Off ability.
Dragon's Roar: (10 FP) Firebrand unleashes a huge burst of energy from a close-range punch. The energy hits everyone behind the original target as well! Pow: 8, (Energy Blast only happens from perfectly timing the command: 6 Pow to everyone hit by the energy.) Style: Charge, pierces defense.
Jordan:
Area of Expertise: Defense and Damage Mitigation
Starting Stats: 20 HP, 5 FP, 3 BP
Current Stats: 35 HP, 20 FP, 9 BP (Level 9)
Equipped Badges: Smash Charge (1), D-Down Pound (2), Power Stomp (1), Pay-Off (2)
Main Battle Partners: Typhoon, Goombario
Battle Talent: Guard Action Command is more forgiving and will block up to 3 points of damage. Doesn't have any Attack Action Commands outside of Smash, however.
Master's Potential Upgrade: Jordan's blocking techniques have improved! He can now block up to 4 points of damage!
Field Talent: Can raise his shield, preventing foes from first striking him. He also turns into a platform during this stance. This allows his friends to reach high switches and enemies. Mario can perform an Enhanced Spin Jump from this position in order to break weak floor panels. (Once Mario acquires the Super Boots)
FP Moves:
Smash: Bonks foes with a downward swing. Pow: 1(2) Style: Charge, Can flip enemies. Can't target flying enemies
Berserk: (1 FP per attack) Jordan sacrifices his defense for more attack power! Effects: +2 to Jordan's Attack Power and +1 to all FP Cost, Defence Power drops to 0, can't Guard, Doesn't cost an action or FP to use or deactivate.
Defensive Shout: (5 FP) Unleash a rousing roar that increases everyone's defense by 2 for 3 turns. This stacks with Jordan's Stand Strong passive and enhanced guard.
Cyclone: (2 FP) Jordan spins forward with his hammer outstretched, plowing through all grounded enemies. Pow: 2, Style: None, Can't hit flying enemies.
Guardian Angel : (2 FP) Dedicates a turn blocking attacks for the next party member. Will take full damage from attacks, however. Guarded characters can guard, reducing the amount of damage Jordan takes.
Revenge Strike: (5 FP) Jordan assumes an aggressive stance, allowing his enemies to attack first! Once this is done, Jordan will swing his hammer, dealing half the damage he took to ALL enemies! Jordan's defense drops to zero during this stance and he's incapable of blocking attacks as well!
Dome of Protection: (All FP) Jordan projects a shield that covers everyone, preventing damage until Jordan's next turn. Jordan becomes Exhausted for 2 turns
Passives:
Stand Strong: Gains a defense of 1, which automatically reduces damage by one. Doesn't stack with his Action Command, however.
Master's Potential Unlock: Jordan's defensive nature has been enhanced! His defense rises to 2! Still doesn't stack with his Action Command, however...
Typhoon:
Area of Expertise: Area of Effect, Ground Enemies, Ceiling Enemies, Displacement
Field Ability: Typhoon lets out a roar, taunting enemies towards them. Any enemy that attacks at this time will be twice as strong but they'll give twice the amount of Coins, Hearts, Flowers, and items upon defeat. Star Points aren't affected.
Element Shard Upgrade: Typhoon's attack pow goes up by 1!
Slam: Hits the ground with a powerful swing of his fist. The shockwave will damage all grounded foes. Deals less damage per enemy. Pow: 3, (To front enemy) decreases by 1 with each enemy. Can't target flying enemies. Will flip flippable enemies. Can hit enemies on the ceiling.
Disrupting Wave (2 FP): Summons a wave of water to wash over foes. Will shuffle the enemy formation. Pow: 3, can't target flying foes. Deals double damage to Fiery enemies.
Liquify (3 FP): Drag a foe to the depths of the ocean, temporarily taking them out of the battle! Typhoon will also be unavailable for the time being as well.
Njǫrd's Fury (10 FP): Typhoon will evoke Njǫrd's power, causing 4 water tentacles to appear on his back. For 3 turns, the tentacles will attack the opposing party. Each tentacle will track a different opponent if possible. If not, it'll hit the same target for reduced damage. Once the 3 turns are up, Typhoon becomes Exhausted for 2 turns. Pow: 3 per attack. If an enemy gets struck by another tentacle on the same turn, the damage will be reduced by 1.
Dylan:
Starting Stats: 10 HP, 20 FP, 0 BP
Current Stats: 25 HP, 40 FP, 0 BP (Level 9)
Area of Expertise: Area of Effect, Healing and Buffing, Versatile
Equipped Badges: N/A
Main Battle Partners: Alpha, Bombette
Idle Animation: Dylan will rock on his heels and swing his arms idly while looking around. After a moment, he'll start to dance. He'll actually dance to whatever background music is playing (Will match the tempo of whatever song is playing) until an input is pushed.
Battle Animation: Dylan will have a hand on his ear and snap his fingers to the beat of the music. When it's his turn, he'll upgrade into a mini two-step.
Battle Talent: Passively regenerates FP over time (5 FP every turn) and doesn't take lightning damage, but he takes double damage from Water attacks, and he can't use FP items or badges.
Field Ability: Dylan can give Mario and Kimani a jolt in order to strengthen their attacks, allowing them to break Stone Blocks. (Mario does need the Super Hammer, at least) Will also give whoever he jolts a free Charge (+2 to their next attack) if they enter battle.
Jolt: Dylan launches a Lightning Bolt at a target of his choice. The bolt will jump to other targets if he's Charged Up. Pow: 2, (3 if he does the action command correctly) Can't hurt electric enemies. Style: Charge
Copycat: (5 FP, Cost 0 if he's Charged Up) Dylan scans a target, copying their moves and attributes for 2 turns. Alpha becomes unavailable during the Copycat. Pow: 0, changes Dylan's appearance and attributes after usage. Doesn't work on bosses or enemies with more than 5 Pow or 10 HP (Subject to change. Might just allow Dylan's Smash Shards to upgrade the threshold) Style: Aim, doesn't end Dylan's turn.
Quicken: (5 FP) Give your buddy an energizing zap, giving them an extra turn for 2 turns! Should Dylan be charged up, Quicken will also restore 5 FP!
Jump Start: (7 FP) Dylan sends a large amount of electricity into a friend of his choice, healing them for 5 HP and giving them the Zap Tap status for 1, 2, or 3 turns! If Charged, the HP goes up to 10, and the Zap Tap status will be 3 regardless of success or failure. Style: Charge
Passives:
Static Charge: Dylan passively builds up static as he fights. After 2 turns, Dylan becomes Charged Up, giving him the Zap Tap status and empowering one of his moves. The charge goes away after attacking or getting hit twice, however. Guarding doesn't count as being hit.
Copycat MK.1: Alpha's processors have been upgraded! He can now copy foes up to 12 HP!
Copycat MK.2: Alpha's processors have been upgraded! He can now copy foes with Attack Power as high as 7!
Copycat MK.3: Alpha's processors have been upgraded! He can now use a copied foe's second attack! (if they have one)
Friend Forms: Dylan can copycat his allies for free!
Element Shard Upgrade: Dylan and Alpha's attack pow goes up by 1!
Alpha:
Area of Expertise: Debuffing, Area Of Effect, Information
Field Ability: Alpha can scan nearby enemies, exposing their weaknesses and lowering the frontmost foes' defense by 2 for one turn when they enter combat. He can also spend 5 FP to Copycat a friend or foe, and allow Dylan to start in said form.
Special Characterises: Alpha doesn't physically appear. Instead, Alpha will digistruct his tools for Dylan to use during his turn. Should Dylan take more than 10 HP damage in one turn or get hit by a water attack or fire attack, Alpha will Overheat or Short Circuit, which is his variation of being Injured for 1 turn.
Ion Beam (5 FP): Alpha digistructs an Ion Cannon onto Dylan's arm, allowing him to fire an Ion Beam at a target of Dylan's choice. The beam will cleave through a line, so if he aims at a grounded foe, all grounded foes will be hit. Pow: 3 (4) Ignores defense and lowers it by one point for 2 turns. Doesn't stack with itself. Style: Charge
Safeguard (2 FP): Alpha locks his systems, preventing him from being Overheated or Short Circuit next turn should Dylan take 10 damage or be hit by a Fire or Water attack. This will also raise Dylan's defense by 1 for this turn.
Scan: (10 FP) Alpha scans the enemies and gives his team pointers on their attacks and weaknesses, decreasing their Attack Power and Defense Power by 1, 2, or 3 depending on Dylan's success with the Action Command. This can cause an enemy to fall into Dylan's Copycat threshold. Style: Memory
Overcharge: (5 HP) Alpha overcharges Dylan, granting him the Charged buff instantly!
Assist: Alpha forgoes his turn, allowing Dylan to get an extra turn.
Notable Changes From Main Game:
-All that electricity made the Electro Blooper more of a hassle! (+30 HP, +4 Attack (+12 for charge attack), ink attack poisons. Can now summon Blooper Babies like Super Blooper)
-Kids are the absolute worst, and Blooper Babies are no exception. (+1 Attack)
-Shrink Stomp shrinks your FP cost a bit more as well (Costs 2 more FP to cast)
-Shipment of tougher helmets lost in Toad Town Sewers. Gloombas and Paragloombas seemed to have found them (They have a defense of 2 instead of 1)
-There's something strange... in the Toad Town Sewers... (Boos: 10 HP, 7 Attack. Starts battle invisible. Their attacks now inflict Spooked if not blocked)
-A new status effect appears! (Spooked: Inflicted by scary attacks or by being near your fear. If inflicted, can no longer use Action Commands of any kind. Kimani gains Spooked whenever he's near a Boo. Status will go away if the Boo in question is moved away or defeated.)
-Bombette learns a new formula in her explosions. (Bombette's Bomb attacks now have the chance to shrink foes.)
-Power Bomb's formula requires a bit more gunpowder! (+2 FP to cast. Also gains the chance to Shrink)
-The Pit of 100 Trials holds some cut content (Shrink Smash Badge. 3 FP cost, 2 BP cost. Basically Shrink Stomp but it has a stronger Shrink due to the limitations of the hammer)
