-Chapter 56-

Welcome to Yoshi's Island

"Plumber's Log #91. It was supposed to be a simple vacation. We go to Yoshi's Island, hear Suika's story, and unwind after the Tatanga incident. But Bowser and the Koopalings would be here at the same time. A hero's work is never done."

?

Elder Suika sat in the darkness, staring grimly at the flame of the lit candle that was his only companion.

"I can feel it... Yes..." he mused. "There is something in the air… Something dark and foreboding. The time of reckoning foretold so many years ago is upon us. History shall repeat itself, and the battle of Stellar Light and Void Dark shall begin once more a–"

"Elder Suika?"

Suika yelped as the curtains parted, both from the sudden interruption of his soliloquy and the wave of light washing through the room of his hut. He looked over his shoulder, the black, blurry mass standing in the doorway slowly coming into focus until it morphed into a puzzled Yoshi.

"Elder Suika, what are you doing in the hut with no light on?" the younger dinosaur asked.

"Errr… nothing," Suika replied as he stood up. "Just… thinking."

"About what?"

"About…errr…" Suika looked about the hut as his brain attempted to cobble together a reply. Fortunately, he was saved by a glimpse of a nearby rug's red and green patterns. "Ah, yes! I just remembered that Mario and his friends are due to arrive today, and I needed to think of something to welcome and entertain them properly."

"Right!" Yoshi recalled. "Red and Green Man coming to hear rest of story!"

Suika nodded. "If I'm right, they should be arriving sometime this afternoon, would you kindly go with Ichi to meet them at the airstrip?"

Yoshi raised an eyebrow. "You not coming too?"

Suika shook his head. "I have some… important chiefly matters I must attend to before the upcoming Festival of Mirth."

"'Portant chief matters?" Yoshi asked, curiously. "What kind? Can Yoshi help?"

Suika shook his head. "That won't be necessary, my boy, it's a…" He coughed. "Well, it's not something you need to concern yourself with. A trifling matter. Stars allowed, I should have it finished before dinner."

"Oh… okay…" Yoshi replied, somewhat disheartened.

"Now then, you'd best get a move on. Give everyone my regards when you see them." Suika made his way to the entryway to leave, only to stop for one last moment.

"And Yoshi?" The younger Yoshisaur perked upon hearing his name… "Try not to cause too much trouble or eat too much this time, please?"

… only to slump in disappointment upon hearing the Chief's words. "Uh-huh… Yoshi promise."

"Good," Suika replied with a smile. "I'll see you later today."

And with that, he left, leaving Yoshi alone and disheartened.

"Yoshi not eat that much…"

Toad Town

Meanwhile, back in the Mushroom Kingdom, the Marionetti siblings were finishing packing for their trip. Mario was bringing his suitcase outside, getting ready for the trip ahead. Luigi followed shortly with his own suitcase

"Mips still packing?" Mario asked.

Luigi nodded. "Yep."

"C'mon... where is it?" MP's voice came.

"She said she wanted to make sure she had 'everything we needed.'"

"Aha! There it is!"

"Whatcha looking for?" Mario asked as MP emerged from her basement room, carrying her bag.

"My magic satchel," she replied. "Somehow it ended up under my bed. Not sure how that happened."

Kiwi popped out. "KIWI!"

"Oh, that's how."

Mario chuckled. "C'mon. Peach, Daisy, and Aqua should be about ready by now."

Peach's Castle

"CRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAP!"

Daisy was frantically running around her room, gathering up handfuls of clothes, toiletries, and other possessions for the trip. "Crapcrapcrapcrapcrapcrapcrap!"

A soft tapping sounded at the door before Peach and Toadsworth peeked in.

"Princess Daisy?" Toadsworth asked.

"Is... everything alright?" Peach finished.

"Peach! Toadsworth!" Daisy yelped, tossing the huge handful of clothes into the open suitcase on her bed. "Yep! Everything's just fine!"

She stuffed her suitcase with everything she could get her hands on. "Just getting ready to go for the big trip! Totally didn't oversleep cuz my stupid phone alarm didn't go off cuz I forgot to charge it! Nope! Nuh-uh!"

Peach just gave a coy smile. "This is why I told you to move back to your bedroom. You have a perfectly functional alarm clock. Not to mention sunlight and Toadsworth to wake you?"

"And he didn't think to come and get me down there?" Daisy tried to close the overstuffed case... "Come on! Close, you piece of-!"

…only for it to spring open, sending her and all her stuff flying.

"Ow…" Daisy rubbed her head, wincing.

Peach sighed. "Toadsworth, do you mind?"

"Right away, Milady."

Toadsworth and Peach got to work helping Daisy gather her things when Aqua entered, Nimue in tow. "What's going on?" asked the littlest princess.

"Oh, Aqua!" Peach exclaimed.

Daisy jumped. "Hey there, Lil' Dripster!"

"Good morning, Your Highness." Toadsworth greeted.

"Daisy, are you still packing?"

"I, uh... overslept and got in a bit of a rush. Might have overpacked and exploded the suitcase all over the place."

Aqua sighed, rubbing her forehead. "Of course you did."

Nimue shook her head. "Honestly, Your Highness."

"It's fine now," Peach assured."Toadsworth's helping, and Mario and the others aren't due for another hour or so."

The bell rang. At that moment, a Toad with a white mushroom cap and yellow stars instead of spots in a black tuxedo entered.

"Your Majesties!" he declared. "The Mario Siblings have arrived!"

"Seriously?" Daisy shrieked. "Already?!"

"...Guess they got done early," Peach mused.

"CRAP!" Daisy frantically started rushing again.

"Daisy, calm down!" Peach cried.

"Gotta get ready! Gotta pack up! Crapcrapcraaaap!"

Everyone just sighed.

-X-

Outside the front door, Luigi checked his watch. "Think we came too early?"

"Probably," Mario replied.

"It's better to be early than late," said MP. "Like Pa says…"

"'To be early is to be on time. To be on time is to be late. And to be late is to be left behind,'" the trio recited in unison.

"C'mon, close!" They perked as they heard thumping noises and Daisy's voice. "Why! Won't this stupid! Thing! CLOSE?!"

"Though being early can lead to some...interesting moments," Mario mused.

"I'll say," Luigi concurred.

They heard a clicking sound.

"Got it!" Daisy cheered. "Okay! Here we go! Superhero entraaaaaaaaaaance!"

"Daisy, wait!" Peach cried, but it was too late. The Marios looked up to see Daisy jumping from an upper-floor window.

"WOOOHOOOOOOOO!"

"Yikes!" Luigi quickly ran to get into catching position. "Don't worry, Daisy! I'll get you!"

But, instead of landing in Luigi's outstretched arms, Daisy landed several feet away…

SPLASH!

…in the moat.

"...Or not," Luigi finished awkwardly, wincing in embarrassment.

Daisy surfaced with a gasp. "Dagnabbit!"

Luigi ran over, offering a hand. "Are you alright?"

"Yeah..." the middle princess remarked as she took his hand, letting him pull her out. "I'm fine. Just a smacked leg and a bruised ego. You?"

"Uh, fine," Luigi replied. "Why'd you jump out the window anyway?"

"Because she thought it would be faster."

The group looked up to see Peach and Aqua floating down via parasols, gently drifting along the breeze before daintily touching down next to Mario and MP.

"Elegant as usual, Peach," Mario complimented.

Peach gave a small giggle in response. "Sorry to keep you waiting."

"Oh, you're fine," Mario assured. "I know we're early. We were so excited about the trip, we just couldn't wait."

"I know, right!?" Aqua grinned. "We're actually going to Dinosaur Land! Yoshis everywhere! I'm so excited! I've always wanted to meet one!"

"Try not to strangle them with hugs," Peach cautioned gently.

"I'll do my best."

Daisy wrung out her hair. "Well... I've made enough of a royal jackass of myself for one day. How about we just head for the plane before something else happens?"

"First of all, watch your mouth. Aqua is standing right here," Peach said sternly. "Second, yes, let's. I'll have the staff bring out her bags." She clapped her hands twice. "Porto! Bello!"

A pair of Toad butlers came out with a squad of other Housetoads, bringing with them a small mountain of luggage, the majority of it pink with Peach's crown insignia.

"Mamma mia, Peach!" Mario let out. "How much are you bringing!?"

"Nothing much, just a few essentials," she replied casually.

"A few?!" Mario eyed the pile of suitcases. "If this is a few, I can't imagine a lot!"

"We're only gonna be there for a few weeks," Luigi added. "We're not moving there."

"And even if you weren't, I thought you'd have a magic bag like me," MP chimed in. "Seriously, you might as well pack up the whole castle!"

Peach shrugged. "Oh, I doubt that much would fit on the plane. As for the magic satchel, they're very rare and very expensive. I was lucky to find the one you have."

MP blinked. "Wait, if these things are so rare, why give it to me?"

"Honestly? To increase your chances of survival in a world you are not built for. No offense."

MP shook her head. "No, none taken. You're completely right."

"C'mon," Mario grabbed his suitcase. "Let's get to the plane."

-X-

Later...

The group was seated on Peach's plane. Daisy popped her seat back into a reclining position.

"Ahhhh... the old Soaring Rose. I missed this thing." She turned on the seat's massage function. "AAaaAnd the buuuuUUUUzzz seeeeAAAaaTTssss..."

Luigi tried to hit the same button, only for it to fold the seat on top of him over and over.

"Wrong button, bro," MP said, stifling a laugh.

"Mario! Stop this crazy thing!"

Mario did just that, switching it to the actual massage setting. "Better?"

Luigi sighed in bliss. "Better."

Mario chuckled, returning to his seat and kicking back before looking over a brochure for Dinosaur Land.

"So, does Dinosaur Land have any fancy story like Sarasaland?" he asked.

"Well... there is one," Peach said. "Legend has it that eons ago, the Dinosaur Land archipelago was simply a set of islands in the southern seas until the dinosaurs there were rendered extinct by an active volcano. Tens of thousands of years later, five shooting stars came from the light of the Star Road one night, and one of them knocked the top half of a fossilized egg to its lower half inhabited by contemporary monsters. This led to the birth of the very first Yoshisaur, and in turn, the resurgence of the dinosaurs. (1)"

"Wow..." Luigi let out.

"Star Road..." MP mused.

"I think I read about that somewhere..." Mario mused. "That's like, Mushroom World Heaven, right?"

"No. That would be the Overthere," Peach clarified. "The Star Road is part of Star Haven, the source of all wishes and the power of the Stars themselves."

"Wishes?" MP asked. "Like that whole thing with Lady Themis? Wishing to become a symbol of justice?"

Peach nodded. "It may sound strange or silly to you three, but in this world, hopes and wishes hold genuine power. In fact, it's said all existing power-ups are spawned from such hopes and wishes."

"So…" Mario tried to put it together. "For the Star Road to be involved in Dinosaur Land, someone must have wished for the dinosaurs there to be brought back. Is that about the size and shape?"

"Possibly," Peach shrugged. "Who knows?"

"Look!" Aqua pointed out the window. They crowded around, seeing what she was pointing to. "That's gotta be Yoshi's Island!"

They looked out the window, gasping at the sight of a large, colorful tropical island with mountains extending into the sky.

"Wow…" Mario and Luigi let out in unison.

"Beautiful…" Peach managed.

-X-

Yoshi's Island

The plane came in for a landing on a simple dirt path marked by torches. After touching down, the plane slowed down to a stop. As they disembarked, they were met with Yoshi and an older magenta Yoshi, donned in leafy garments.

"Greetings, visitors!" said the magenta Yoshi. "Welcome to Yoshi's Island!"

"Hi, Red Man!" Yoshi greeted cheerfully. "Hi, Green Man! Hi, Pink Girl!"

"Hiya, Yoshi," Mario greeted.

MP smiled, waving. "Hey, Yoshi."

Luigi turned to MP. "Not correcting him about the pink thing?"

MP shrugged. "I feel like if I do, he'll start crying. And I question if he even knows what magenta is."

Mario turned to the other Yoshi. "And you are?"

The Yoshi bowed. "My name is Ichigo (2), but you can call me Ichi. Suika is my mate. He told me to apologize for not being able to meet you here, but he had pressing matters to attend to."

"It's alright," Peach assured. "We're just happy to be invited."

"KIWI!" Kiwi popped out of MP's bag. Ichigo spared her a look.

"Oh! Well, hello there, little one," Ichi greeted happily. "And here I thought we were going to be the first Yoshisaurs you'd all see. Although…" She paused. "Where in the isles did you come from?"

"Her name is Kiwi," MP replied. "She was a gift. I've been doing my best to take care of her."

Ichi perked. "So that's what happened to the egg those Koopalings stole from the rookery." She sighed in relief. "Good, for a moment, I was worried. But, it's clear the little dear has been well cared for."

"Kiwi!" said little dear let out happily, an emotion shared by MP.

Ichigo smiled. "Anyway, you didn't come here to hear an old lady jabber about things. You're our guests, and we're here to entertain you. Now, if you'll just come right this way, we'll be happy to show you around our beautiful island." She motioned them to follow her.

"Well, you heard the lady, let's-a go!" Mario called out.

The group followed Suika and Yoshi along a dirt road, none of them noticing the rustling bushes off to the side, nor the hushed, low-pitched voices coming from them.

"Nuba huma yossi naka? (3)" one asked.

"Hooo… bigga buba… (4)" replied another.

"Iwa gima bonk-bonk? (5)"

"Nawh…" the other shook his head. "Memo tazjo: nuzu yossi fo Gra-Poobah. (6)"

"Ahhh… ohka. (7)"

-X-

"Here we are!" Ichigo declared. "Welcome to Yoshi Village!"

Mario and Co. looked in awe at the sight of the Yoshisaur's village. It was a simple, beachside village with huts made of straw, bamboo, and other natural materials. There were even a few treehouses built along the outer rim of the jungles.

Around the village, Yoshisaurs of various ages and colors roamed around, all clad in simplistic, primitive-looking garb made of furs, pelts, and assorted woven grasses, leaves, and flowers. A few were accompanied by bizarre-looking dog-like creatures with beady, black eyes, large lips, and tails that ended in balls, all having various colored patches on white fur.

Luigi let out a whistle. "Nice place."

"Wow..." MP let out. "It's amazing."

"Look at all the Yoshisaurs!" Aqua cried out, bouncing on her feet, looking as giddy as a kid at Christmas.

Peach giggled at the sight. "Indeed, it's positively splendid."

"Colorful too," Daisy commented. "And check out the fruit!"

Daisy pointed to a large, purple Yoshi pushing a large cart filled to the brim with various assorted fruits, all far bigger, and brightly colored than what they were used to seeing.

"Mamma mia… what a haul!" Luigi let out.

"I think that apple's as big as my head!" Mario added, pausing to take a whiff. "And they smell irresistible!"

"Dey aww," Yoshi replied, his cheeks bloated as he happily crunched on a fruit.

"Hey!"

Everyone perked as the purple Yoshi spun around, glaring right at them, or rather, at Yoshi.

"Are you swiping my fruit again, you little, green hog!?" he snapped.

"Uhhhh…" Yoshi swallowed the contents in his mouth. "What fruit?" He smiled guiltily, his teeth filled with tiny shreds of apple skin and orange pulp.

"Darn it, Ichi! I thought I told you to keep that bottomless pit of yours under control!"

"I know…" Ichi sighed. "My apologies, Uva."

The Marios perked. "Uva?"

Just then, Uva noticed the newcomers. "Ahhh, these must be the guests Chief Suika mentioned. The ones who defeated Bowser."

"That's us," Mario replied. "The Super Mario Bros."

"And the Mario Sister," MP piped up.

"Well, welcome to Yoshi's Island!" the large Yoshi greeted enthusiastically. "I'm Uva, one of the tenders of the Fruit Fields. It's an honor to finally meet you." He then noticed the Princesses. "And you must be the Mushroom Princesses."

Peach bowed. "Princess Peach of House Toadstool, daughter of King Truffle and the late Queen Gardenia, and these are my sisters…"

"Hi, I'm Daisy!"

"And I'm Aqua, it's so nice to meet you, Mr. Uva!"

Uva chuckled. "Likewise. Anyway…" He returned to his cart. "Hate to up and run, but I gotta get this haul back to the storehouse for the festival feast, or Arancia's gonna serve me as the main course."

"Arancia?" Mario let out.

"Festival?" Luigi asked.

"The Festival of Mirth," Uva explained. "It's a super huge holiday we're having a week from now. If you're still around by then, you should join. There's gonna be music, games, and lots of food… hopefully." Uva directed his gaze at Yoshi, giving him a withering glare before giving an "I'm watching you" point before heading off.

"Well…" Luigi began. "That was…interesting."

"Yeah…" MP nodded. "Are all Yoshis named after fruit?"

"Fruit?" Daisy replied, confused.

"Uva and Arancia mean grape and orange in Italian," Mario explained. "And if I remember those anime nights with Mips, Ichigo and Suika are Japanese for strawberry and watermelon."

Ichi nodded. "That's correct. It's something of a cultural tradition here, isn't that right, Lyme?"

At the mention of "Lyme," Yoshi went pale.

"Hold on…" MP cut in. "Your name is Lime?"

"No, no, it's Lyme," Ichi corrected. "L-Y-M-E, not L-I-M-E."

"...how did you hear that?" MP asked worriedly.

"Stop calling me Lyme!" Yoshi said, puffing his cheeks indignantly. "Yoshi's name is Yoshi!"

"It is the name Suika and I gave you, along with the community," Ichigo said sternly. "It is the name I will call you, especially when you pull stunts like this, young man. Don't forget who raised you."

Yoshi grumbled in response.

"Now, come along everyone, there's much more to see."

As they followed Ichigo, Luigi turned to her. "So, you and Suika are Yoshi's parents, then?" he asked, hoping to lighten the mood.

Ichigo nodded. "In the sense that we raised him, cared for him, and made him who he is today, yes, we are. In the biological sense... we honestly don't know."

Luigi raised an eyebrow. "Wait... how do you not know?"

"Perhaps I should elaborate. Traditionally, we Yoshis raise our young communally, as a group. Very few members of our kind are solely raised by their birth parents. Lyme may be Suika and my son by blood, he may not. We don't know, and it doesn't matter regardless."

"Ahhh… like in Gargoyles," Mario remarked.

"A cartoon from our world," Luigi clarified. "The gargoyles in that raised their young the same way."

"Elder Ichi!"

Everyone paused to a group of little Yoshisaurs running toward them, one green, one blue, one purple, one red, one yellow (7). The little Yoshis all looked frightened.

"Elder Ichi! Elder Ichi! Big trouble! Big!" the yellow Yoshi cried out.

"Shhhshhh… it's alright, Bana, calm down," Ichi soothed. "Now, what is it?"

"We playing hide-n'-seek in jungle, and we hear weird noise. So, we go see what was and… and…"

"Dome-People!" the red one suddenly cut in, pointing at Mario and the others, prompting the others to notice them and scream.

"Dome-People!" the green Yoshi cried out. "There's Dome-People! They gonna eat us!'

"Whoa, whoa, hold on!" Mario soothed. "We're not… Dome-People? We're friendly!"

"These are the heroes who defeated the evil King Bowser," Ichi explained. "The Red and Green Men, see?"

The Yoshi kids settled down, getting a better look at the Marios.

"So… they good guys?" the purple one asked.

"Yeah," Mario nodded. "We're the good guys."

"Oooooooooh…"

The… Yoshilings all looked at Mario in awe, moving closer to get a better look.

"Hero…"

"He so big!"

"Why buggerpillar on his face?"

"Where's da tail?"

"Alright, alright, settle down, give the hero some space," Ichi replied, urging them away. "Now, what is it you were saying?"

"Oh!" Bana replied. "Dome-People! We see Dome-People in jungle! Err… real Dome-People!"

Ichi paused, her expression turning worried. "Bana, are you sure?"

Bana nodded. "Yuh-huh! They jump out the bushes to getted us, but we got away!"

"I see…" Ichi sighed.

"Elder Ichi… I scared."

"Don't worry." Yoshi stepped forward. "No be scared of Dome-People! Yoshi and new friends protect you!"

The five younglings looked at Yoshi, giving him the flattest looks their little faces could.

"What? What big, fat, baby-coward like you do? Cry so they fall over?" the blue Yoshi replied, causing the children to burst out laughing, to Yoshi's embarrassment.

"Hey," Mario cut in sternly, stepping in. "Yoshi helped my brother and I save seven kingdoms from Bowser not too long ago. And even if that wasn't the case, don't be mean."

"Liar! Slo not stupid," the apparently named Slo (8) scoffed. "Lyme get so scared, he run screaming from shadow! Big Bro Aobe saw whole thing."

"That is enough!" Ichigo said sternly. "Lyme did help Mario and Luigi. He's telling the truth. And I will not tolerate anyone insulting and making fun of anyone else on this island. Say one more nasty thing, and be prepared to spend the rest of the night shut up in the rookery. Have I made myself clear?"

The little Yoshisaurs quivered in fear at Ichi's fury, even Slo, though he looked somewhat irritated at having been chastised.

"Good," Ichi nodded. "Now, run along and go play… and play nice."

And with that, the little Yoshis scurried off into the jungle.

"Honestly… those kids," Ichi let out, shaking her head. "I'm sorry you all had to witness that."

"What was that, anyway?" Mario asked. "Those kids were being real snots."

"And what was that about… Dome-People?" Aqua asked.

"Another tribe from the Donut Plains on Donut Island," Ichi explained. "We call them Dome-People because they hail from Dome City. You from the mainland would know them as 'cave-people'."

"Whoa, whoa…" MP cut in. "Cave-people? Are there real cave-people? Like, neanderthals?"

"I am not familiar with that term, but yes. They're known to attack and rob those who pass through their territory, and they've been known to occasionally sneak down here, pilfer our food stores, and generally cause havoc."

"Ahhh… no wonder they were scared of us," Luigi noted.

"And what about how those little brats were treating Yoshi?" Mario asked.

"I-It nothing, Red Man," Yoshi replied. "They do that to everybody…mostly Yoshi."

"But you're not a coward," Luigi pointed out. "You helped us save the world from the Koopalings! How does that make you a…?"

"Hey look, over there!" Yoshi cut in as he ran ahead.

"Lyme, wait!" Ichi cried out.

"Don't worry, we'll get him!" Mario called out as he ran after the rogue dino.

"We'd better go too," Peach said. "Come on, everyone!"

And with that, they sped off, leaving Ichi alone.

"Goodness, they're fast," the magenta Yoshi said.

-X-

"Yoshi, come back!" Mario called out as he chased after him.

"No do, Red Man!" Yoshi replied. "Yoshi got sketchel to keep!"

Yoshi zipped through the village, Mario and friends pursuing him the entire way. Unfortunately, his saurian stamina and speed ultimately allowed him to give the group the slip, while they were left mostly out of breath.

"Whew! Mamma mia…" Mario let out. "That dino can really move."

"How… How can something that plump run that fast?" Daisy asked, wiping the sweat from her brow.

"Yoshisaurs have… really… really strong leg muscles," Aqua replied through ragged breaths. "They can jump… up to five times their… height… and run… faster than most race horses. They can even… float in the air for a… few… seconds… by rapidly kicking their feet. Hoooo…"

"And he has home-field advantage," MP sighed. "Great…"

"We'll find him," Peach said. "He couldn't have got far."

"I think he might have gone that way!" Luigi pointed, prompting the others to run off… right as Yoshi popped out from behind a stack of melons.

"Whew! That was close…" He dusted himself off, then let out a sigh. "What Yoshi doing?" He walked into the jungle, sitting on a rock. "Yoshi make big stupid of himself and run away from friends over secret… that not so secret, really." He sighed. "Why Yoshi like this?"

"Oi!"

Yoshi stiffened, quivering in fear at the sound of a voice around his age, only deeper and more masculine.

"Turn around."

Yoshi slowly did as he was told, just in time to see a wooden club fill his field of vision.

"Oh no…"

-X-

"Yoshiiiii!" Peach called out. "Yoshi, where are you!?"

"Yoshi!" Mario shouted. "Come out, come out, wherever you are! We got a nice, big, juicy watermelon with your name on it!"

MP proceeded to pull out said watermelon (which was about the size of a large beach ball) from her bag.

"We're not lying either!"

They waited for a few seconds, but got no response.

"Dang, I thought for sure that would work."

"Hey guys…" Aqua cut in. "You don't think something may have happened to him, do you?"

"That's a good point, Aqua…" MP said. "There's a chance he might've run into those Dome-People Ichi mentioned… and I've a hunch that's not gonna be really bad."

"You mean, they'll kidnap and hold him hostage until they get a million-zillion cave dollars?" Aqua asked.

"More like kidnapping him to sacrifice to their creepy, evil volcano cave god."

"Daisy!" Peach chastised.

"What? That's what happens when you get nabbed by cave-people, Peach! They tie you to a pole by your hands and feet, then drag you off to their secret cave-people temple high up in their secret cave-people mountain. Then, they bang their drums and dance like crazy while their creepy, masked witch doctor-shaman-guy chants all kinds of creepy magic spells! Then, they shove you into the volcano and you fall into the lava and burn!"

"WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!"

"Daisy, stop! You're scaring Luigi!" Mario snapped.

"That wasn't me," he replied.

"OWWOWOWOWOWOWOWOWOW!"

"That was Yoshi!" Luigi shouted.

"It came from that way!" MP cried out, pointing back the way they came before leading everyone off.

-X-

SLAM!

"Waaaagh!"

Yoshi slowly slid down the palm tree he'd been thrown into, little stars floating around his head.

"Ooooogh… Yoshi head hurts…" he moaned.

"Tch! That all Lyme gots?" his attacker scoffed. "Seems you get even weaker since going."

"Yeah, weaker!" parroted one of his cohorts.

"Hit 'im again, Aobe! Hit 'im again!" jeered the other.

"Alright…"

"No, don't!" Yoshi pleaded, but the newly named Aobe refused to do so, pulling back his club for another swing…

"Yoshi!"

…only to stop upon hearing voices he didn't recognize drawing closer. He looked over his shoulder and saw a group of humans: Red, green, pink, orange, light blue, and… dark pink.

"Red Man!" Yoshi cried out, using his attacker's distraction to run over to Mario and the others.

"There you are!" Mario cried out. "Are you…?"

Mario paused as he got a good look at Yoshi's new injuries. He had a black eye, and his body was peppered with scratches from what appeared to be claws, along with several large bruises, the biggest being right on his white belly.

"Yoshi…" Mario began darkly. "Who did this to you?"

"I'm guessing it was the fashion disasters over there," Daisy replied, pointing ahead.

Mario looked to see the "fashion disasters" in question; a trio of Yoshisaurs - red, blue, and yellow - in more vicious, spiky, savage-looking furs and outfits. They walked wide-legged and carried wooden weapons like classic anime delinquents. Their leader, the blue one, with sharp claws and a snaggletooth fang, even had large, pointy sunglasses.

"Whoa, these guys look mean," Luigi replied nervously. "'Specially that blue one."

"Aobe… (10)" Yoshi replied, nodding.

Mario slowly turned to face Aobe, a deep frown on his face.

"Mind explaining why you and your clowns were ganging up on my friend here, Mr. Thug-a-saurus Rex?"

'Mr. Thug-a-Saurus Rex' scoffed. "Aobe not explain nothing to you, you…" He paused, lowering his sunglasses so he could get a better look at Mario. "What you s'posed to be? You not Dome-People, so you…" He tapped his chin in thought. "Baldy Kong?"

Aobe's cohorts threw back their heads, laughing mockingly.

"It's Mario. Super Mario. Perhaps you've heard of me?"

Aobe paused, raising his hand, prompting his goons to stop. "Kuran! Lemo!" (11)

At that, the goons went from laughing to worried in an instant.

"Super…Mario?" Aobe replied.

"Red Man who defeat Koopa King?" Kuran, the red Yoshi, exclaimed.

"What Red Man doing on island!?" Lemo, the yellow Yoshi, chimed in.

"Suika invited us," Mario replied. "We have a history with each other. Also, I'm friends with his… apprentice, who you've been pounding on. And I wanna know why."

"You… friends with Lyme?" Lemo asked.

"Why Red Hero Man friends with big, fat coward crybaby like him?" Kuran added, earning him an elbow from Aobe. "Ow!"

"Shut up."

"Okay, this guy just earned himself a spot on the creepwad list," Daisy said, her eyes narrowing.

"So, you did do this?" Mario continued. "Why?"

"Because Lyme deserve it," Aobe replied plainly. "Lyme big scaredy."

"He also eat all the food!" Lemo chimed in, earning himself an elbow.

"Shut up!"

"My brother's scared too, but he's still a hero," Mario countered. "And even then, that's still no reason to treat someone like that."

"Tch! Yoshis no need cowards and weaklings," Aobe snarled. "That why Koopas run Dinosaur Land. Why Dome-People steal and attack. Why eggs go missing and…" Just then, Aobe's eyes widened, his jaw going slack.

"YOU!" He shouted, pointing his club at MP.

"Me?" she replied, pointing to herself.

"So, you come back for more, haven't you, egg thief!?"

"Wait, what!?" Mary Pat put her hands in the air. "I'm not a thief! I swear!"

"Yeah, buddy! My sister didn't steal nothing!" Mario shot down.

"You lie!" Aobe pointed to Kiwi. "Long time ago, egg vanish from rookery. Spots same color as baby."

"It wasn't me, I swear!" MP insisted. "Kiwi was a gift!"

"Yoshisaur not pets, man-person! I know you steal her, you have Mark of Koopa!"

"Mark of…?" MP's eyes went wide as she realized that she'd just made the horrible mistake of wearing her Royal Koopa Pass… in non-Koopa territory. "Oh-"

"KIWI!" the baby Yoshi cried out.

"-how could I be so stupid!?"

"Kuran! Lemo! SMASH!" Aobe ordered.

"Yes, Boss!"

Kuran and Lemo readied their weapons, letting out a furious 'NINAMOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!' as they charged at MP.

"Oh no you don't!" Mario shouted. "Luigi!"

"Okay!"

Not wasting a second, Mario and Luigi put themselves between their sister and the berserk reptiles.

"You're not laying one finger on Mips!" Luigi began to threaten. "You–!"

"Move, Green Man!" Kuran shouted, swatting Luigi aside.

"What he say!" Lemo added, doing the same to Mario.

"Mario! Luigi!" MP shouted.

"Worry 'bout you, Koopa-girl!"

MP snapped back to reality, noticing Aobe had run over to her, club poised to bash her head in.

"Oh shhh–"

But before she could finish, a flash of green suddenly rammed right into Aobe, sending him flying backward and into a tree, knocking loose a large fruit that proceeded to clonk him on the head.

"Wh-What the…?"

"Leave Pink Girl alone, Aobe…" Yoshi growled menacingly, a menace that was briefly ruined when he let out a squeal and clutched his neck. "Owie! Yoshi shoulda not used headslam."

"Wh-Wha?" Kuran let out.

"B-Big baby Lyme beat Big Bossy!?" Lemo let out.

"Hahaaaa! Nice one!" Daisy cheered.

"Youuuuu…" Aobe snarled as he forced himself up. "You pay for that, crybaby coward Lyme!"

"Not crybaby coward!" Yoshi yelled. "And Yoshi's name Yoshi, no Lyme!"

"You always crybaby coward!" Aobe shouted angrily. "You only brave when someone there to help you!"

"Pink Girl Yoshi's friend! So is Red Man and Green Man! Yoshi may be coward, but he there for friends!"

Aobe growled viciously, then looked down at the fruit that had landed on his head… a green honeydew melon. Upon seeing the fruit, a vicious, evil grin came over his face.

"We see 'bout that."

Aobe picked up the fruit and tossed it in the air. Once it reached the peak of its height, his tongue shot out and grabbed it, pulling it into his mouth before swallowing it whole.

"Whoa!" Mario shouted. "He snarfed the whole thing down in one gulp!"

"That's not all he's doing!" Luigi cried out, pointing to their opponent.

The ground seemed to tremble as Aobe's body began to surge with blue energy. He threw his head back, letting out a mighty roar as a pair of large, feathery wings sprouted from his back.

"You always there to help friends, crybaby Lyme!?" Aobe lowered his head, grinning savagely at Yoshi. "Let see you help save them from dragon!"

Author's Note:

(1): Based on a Japanese guide for the game Yoshi that explains the origin of Dinosaur Land.

(2): Japanese for strawberry.

(3): "New people Yoshi friends?"

(4): "Hooo... big problem..."

(5): "We give bonk-bonk?"

(6): "No... Remember job: steal Yoshi for Grand Poobah."

(7): "Ahhh… okay."

(8): The Fearsome Five from Paper Mario

(9): From sloe plum, a type of blue fruit.

(10): Derived from ao (blue) and be as in beri.

(11): Derived from cranberry and lemon.

Oh, snap… this could be trouble.

Aobe is Boshi from Super Mario RPG, for those not in the know. The language the Dome-People used is based on the prehistoric dialect used by SpongeGar, Patar, and Squog in the SpongeBob SquarePants episode "Ugh".

Voice cast for this chapter:

* Porto - Martin Jarvis (Alfred Pennyworth in Batman: Arkham, Nergal in The Grim Adventures of Billy & Mandy)

* Ichigo - Emma Thompson (Mrs. Potts in the live action Beauty and the Beast, Professor Trelawney in Harry Potter, Nanny McPhee)

* Uva - James Sie (the Cabbage Merchant in Avatar: The Last Airbender, Jackie Chan & Shendu in Jackie Chan Adventures, Atom in Batman: The Brave and the Bold, Professor Hojo in Final Fantasy VII Remake)

* Aobe - Clifford Chapin (Ichijo Takayanagi from Red Data Girl, Connie Springer from Attack on Titan, Shingo Wakamoto from Prison School, Kukulkan in Smite, Hideyoshi Nagachika from Tokyo Ghoul, Yuri Dreyar from Fairy Tail, Billy Kid from Zenless Zone Zero, Katsuki Bakugo from My Hero Academia)

* Kuran - Justin Cook (Yusuke Urameshi in Yu Yu Hakusho, Super Buu, Raditz, & adult Dende in Dragon Ball Z, Hatsuharu Sohma in Fruits Basket)

* Lemo - Sam Riegel (Metal Bat from One-Punch Man, Donatello in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 2003, Peter Parker/Spider-Man in The Amazing Spider-Man film tie-in games)

Please R&R. Until next time!