(A/N: So... I bet you're all wondering what took this chapter so long? Short answer? A mixture of minor burnout and a change in positions at my job. Slightly longer answer? I got hit with a wave of frustration from work, which bled into my urge to write. Then, I got promoted and had to spend a few weeks training for the new position, which meant no writing time for me. Add that I can't access this website on my work computer anymore and you have a frustrated Koopa trying to figure out workarounds without flat-out bringing my personal laptop to work while also trying to work my way back into the writing groove. Good news, I'm free from training and I can still access my notes and by extension, the program I write my stories on so rather than publish them from either work or home, I just have to publish it from home from now on. No biggie. Also, the burnout is slowly melting away as well due to the promotion and just attention to my mental health. Either way, sorry for the very long wait, and I hope I can go back to my regular upload schedule. (until the next hurdle arises...) Expect the next chapter next Friday, thank you all for your continued patience on my lack of a schedule and hopefully you guys are enjoying the story!- Kooper Shellington)
Welcome all to yet another chapter of Game Jumpers! In the last chapter, our band of heroes narrowly escaped being beaten down by the Anti Squad at the cost of all their coins and 2 of their Star Pieces. Despite the minor setback, the group pushed through, making a bit more progress in the Toy Box before they left, returning a Cookbook to Tayce T. Filled with joy, she used the new recipes to cook the others a great deal of items. Once done with that, the group decided to head back home to rest and recuperate. With a new day rising, the group had decided to tackle the mountain of side quest they had while there was still peace. What awaits our heroes today? Let's find out, shall we?
Chapter 17: Side Quest Squabbles 3: The Trilogy!
Mario's Pad- Morning
The gang was still sound asleep in the house while Luigi, as per usual, was in the kitchen, getting everyone's breakfast done. He was almost done when a soft knock rang from his door. Chainston darted past him and exited through the sizeable doggy door Luigi had installed. Once Luigi turned the stove off, he walked over himself and opened the door. Floating, there was Bow, who was petting Chainston while Bootler was patiently waiting.
"Good day to you, Master Luigi. While we can phase through walls, we thought it would be most impolite to come in unannounced," Bootler greeted.
"Heh, well, I appreciate that, Mr. Bootler. Good morning to you as well, M- Oops, I mean Lady Bow," Luigi returned, fixing his slip-up.
"It's no worries, Luigi. If Ms. Bow is easier for you to remember. I don't mind going by that. You're a friend as well, so Bow will do just nicely as well," She answered. Luigi smiled before he ushered the two in.
"Sorry. You kind of came in when I was cooking. The others aren't up yet but I'm certain once they smell my cooking, they'll start shuffling in he- Oh... Speak of the devil..." Luigi explained, stopping when he saw Mario sitting at the table in his sleepwear, halfway there. Bow snickered while Bootler just looked embarrassed.
"Greetings to you, Master Mario. I suppose the others are also getting up?" Bootler called out. Mario lazily looked over. He flashed them a thumbs-up afterward. Luigi snickered as he walked over and started to set the plates around the table. Once he set the last plate down, that's when everyone began to trudge into the room. They gave Bow, Bootler, and Luigi zombified hellos and hi's before they sat down and started eating. About 2 minutes in, everyone began to show signs of life finally.
"Ah... much better," Kimani moaned, mouth full of the egg omelet.
"Glad to hear. Now that you guys can talk again, what's the plan for today?" Luigi asked.
"Side quest clean up. Got a lot that we need to get done out here so while we have some form of time, we wanna get those out the way before it gets too crazy,"
"Sounds like a lot. Me and Chainston have some free time today. Would you guys like an extra hand today? It's been a while since I've taken Chainston on an extended walk,"
"Really? Well, I won't say no to extra help,"
"Great! I've been teaching Chainston a few tricks as well, so he should be a bit more helpful in battle!"
"Luigi and Chainston have temporally joined the party! Chainston can now Latch on to enemies, preventing them from acting and taking 2 damage per turn! Chainston can only hold a foe for 3 turns at max!"
"...Thank you, yet again, for the meta-commentary, Dylan. So... Where should we start, Mar?" Kimani asked. Mario first suggested they get dressed before anything, causing Kimani to look down, noting he wasn't wearing a shirt at the moment.
"...Oh, right..." He said, quickly finishing the rest of his breakfast before he dashed back into the bedroom. The others followed suit, and after a good 10 minutes, everyone was up and ready to tackle the day.
Toad Town
Mario and his group landed back in Toad Town, seeing Toads walk around as if they hadn't been attacked the other day.
"I guess when you've been living next to Bowser all the time, you bounce back from terror..." Jordan deadpanned. Mario nodded, agreeing with him. Parakarry insisted they started with the Post Office, nodding as they walked inside. At the front desk was another Parakoopa, only elderly. He had a blue cap, blue wristbands, and had on a green shell.
"Oh, Good Morning, Mario. Parakarry. Others... Sorry, I'm a bit down. Our mailbag got stolen the other day, and because of that, our services have been rather slow. "Come rain or sleet or snow or Shy Guys..." We're supposed to deliver no matter what! Whatever can we do!?" He complained. Parakarry walked forward.
"Sir. That isn't our motto. Also, never fear because I have a delivery for you!" Parakarry told him, showing him the bag, which caused him to yell in happiness.
"Airtonio, you beautiful Parakoopa you!"
"A postman's job is never done," Parakarry proudly said.
"...Airtonio?" Ivory asked, appearing next to Austin, causing him to flinch.
"Oh right... That's my middle name. Boss likes to call me by that name,"
"It's a good name. Airtonio," Ebony piggybacked.
"Wait, what's your last name then?" Kimani asked.
"Steward," Parakarry simply said.
"Karry Airtonio Steward? Heh, if Bow weren't here, you'd have the most regal-sounding name,"
"Was that a compliment?" Bow asked Bootler lowly. Bootler could only shrug.
"Yeah... But I can't take all the credit, Boss. My friends were a great help in getting it back," Parakarry mentioned.
"Ah. Is that so? Well, thank you, folks, for your help. Here's a small token of my appreciation," Boss said, giving the gang another Star Piece for their trouble. Goombario and Bow read a letter addressed to them while they were there before they left the building.
"You know. After getting that star piece and getting Mario's Spin Jump, we should go back to old areas and see if there's any more hidden Star Pieces," Austin suggested.
"Oh yeah. Afterward, we should stop by Merlow's and see if he's found any more shards and buy some more badges from him," Kimani asked.
"We got a lot of ground to cover if that's the case," Jordan deadpanned.
"Then we'll do a... uh... a montage!" Dylan exclaimed.
"What is he talking about?" Venom asked.
"Trust me! Let's just start!"
"You know what? Why not?" Kimani sighed. Dylan nodded before he pointed forward.
"Let's go!"
(Music Playing: RRThiel- Athletic)
The group started heading towards Koopa Village, snagging three Star Pieces on the way before they ran into Chuck Quizmo. He greeted the group with open... uh... tail and whisked them away to answer questions. Once they were done, they had 9 more pieces under their belt. A quick jaunt over to Koopa Koot earned them 2 coins and a Gold Credit before they headed over to Goomba Village.
From there, they grabbed a Goomnut that assaulted Kimani in the head and started heading back toward Toad Town, snagging 2 more Star Pieces. While they were there, Goombario checked in with his folks, earning smiles from both his party and his family.
Kooper had told the group that there was a contest to meet someone in front of Dry Dry Ruins with a Nutty Cake, so the gang hopped in the sewers, heading to the desert. After a brisk jog through the desert(and saying hello to a dehydrated Kolorodo and giving said dehydrated Koopa some much-needed water), the gang ended up in front of the ruins, meeting a Toad. They traded the Nutty Cake for a Maple Super, before they went back in town to snag another Star Piece as well as another buff from Merlee (Kimani was, yet again, banned from doing so himself) before they started walking through the desert, earning another Star Piece and a letter from a tree before they headed up to Mt. Rugged.
Entering the mountain range, they got another piece before they took the train back to town (Dylan fell out the window and Chainston had to hop out and give him a ride alongside the train. Kimani hawkeyed them the entire way) and headed to the port, snagging another hidden Star Piece.
They then went to where Mario and Kimani had landed, getting another hidden Star Piece.
They also found one at the beginning of the entrance to the ruins leading to the 100 Pit Trial. Typhoon made the group pinky swear him that they'd go inside later as he was "ready for a challenge." Jordan retorted that the Anti Squad was ready and willing to give him said challenge, making him shrink a bit on the spot. Mario rolled his eyes playfully at this.
They doubled back to Jr. Troopa's Playground, grabbing another Star Piece. Parakarry was looking through his letters, seeing one for Goompa. The gang went back up and delivered the message, sweatdropping at Goompa and complaining about Koopa Koot's constant gossip. They got a Star Piece out of it, so it wasn't all too bad.
The gang then stopped at Toad Town for a quick breather before one of Bow's informatives mentioned that they should go visit Dusty Gulch as Tubba Blubba had been clearing out some of the pathways for everyone. The group shared looks before they headed towards the sewers again.
After a slight detour to House Shivers (Bow wanted to swap her fans real fast while Frank scared Kimani accidentally, causing Bootler to scold him and Jordan to unfreeze Kimani), the group went to Gusty Gulch, meeting Tubba Blubba and Gust, who seemed to be best friends at this point. The duo led them to the area between Dry Dry Desert and Gusty Gulch, telling them everything they've been through since Tubba's defeat. The group was able to find 2 more Star Pieces in the area and witnessed Tubba's strength as he shattered a rock with his bare hands. Once they were done, they waved goodbye to the group before they ended up...
Toad Town
...Back in Toad Town. The group were standing in the exact spots they were at before they started the montage.
"Woah, that was a lot faster than just doing it normally!" Kooper exclaimed. Mario nodded rapidly as Luigi checked the time. Thanks to the montage, they only took 20 minutes!
"Yeah... That's a weird power of yours, eh?" Luigi asked. Dylan just giggled while Chainston barked happily.
"Well... All that's left is to head towards Merlow's. I can't remember what other badges he had that interested me," Kimani said.
"The Berserker one, maybe. You're already reckless anyway," Firebrand deadpanned, resting around his neck. Kimani sputtered for a counter argument while Mario sighed and pointed towards the gate to Peach's. The group nodded before they headed through, eventually ending up...
Merlon's House
...Back in Merlon's House. On the way, Mario's I Spy Badge got them 4 more Star Pieces. Austin quickly counted their total, seeing a grand total of 44 looking back at them.
"44? Oh yeah, let's go shopping, nerds," Kimani told everyone, quickly saying Hi to Merluvlee and heading upstairs. Mario apologized for Kimani's impatient behavior before the group headed up the stairs as well. When they walked into Merlow's room, he was staring out the window. When he noticed the door being opened, he turned around.
"...Oh, hey guys! Great to see you! I have some Shards for you!" Merlow greeted, fishing out four shards. They were one of each color.
"Wait, really? But we've unlocked all of our abilities," Jordan said.
"True... I wonder what else we've lost if there's still some out there," Austin pondered. The other two shrugged before they got their shards and smashed them against their chest. Rather than getting a new ability, their HP increased by 5.
"Eh? Where'd this come from?"
"...Oh right, our Health-Up Alpha upgrades," Kimani said after a moment of thought, snapping his fingers. The others ahh-ed in response. With the increase in HP, Kimani now had 35 HP, Jordan's was at a whopping 55, Dylan was sitting at 40 HP, while Austin was awkwardly sitting at 22 HP naturally. His HP Plus Badge brought him up to 27.
"Oh, thank god. More HP to play with..." Austin sighed.
"You're still made of plywood, so keep dodging,"
"You wanna go?"
"Maybe. We haven't fought in a while," Kimani heckled. The shadows seemed to float off Austin's cocky form while Kimani cracked his knuckles with a devious look on his face, with flames flickering off of him. Before they actually started fighting, Jordan came over and grabbed them by the back of the shirts. He activated Berserk and glared at them, causing them to shrink on the spot. While Jordan was busy being a parent, Mario asked to see Merlow's badge collection with a sweatdrop on the back of his head. Merlow nodded, opening his cloak and allowing him to look at the badges on the sides. Once Jordan walked over with the two grounded teens, they looked as well while Dylan was with the partners, using his Copycat to change into them, much to their amusement.
"...Oh, what's that one?" Kimani asked, poking a blue badge with a star in the middle.
"That's the Flower Saver Badge. Your FP moves will cost 1 less FP," Merlow explained. Mario's eyebrow rose up. That was an excellent badge to have! He quickly gave the Star Pieces he asked for, getting the Badge. Mario also grabbed the Star Gift Badge as well as the Berserker Badge once Firebrand pointed it out. He thought about it some more before he got the Pay-Off Badge as well. Mario gave Jordan the Pay Off Badge, Mario kept the Star Gift Badge, Austin received the Flower Saver Badge, and then Kimani got the Berserker Badge. Curious, Kimani put the badge on, not losing control as he had expected but feeling a familiar energy within him. Firebrand felt it as well.
"...Subspace Energy? I thought Jeff took all of your Subspace?" Firebrand said in confusion.
"I guess not... I think I can turn into my Sub-Form during battle, but if it's anything like last time, it'll drain my health while I use it," Kimani explained. Mario raised a hand in questioning.
"No. It doesn't hurt, but the power drains my life force. It's not permanent, however, and it'll auto drop when I hit 1 HP," He explained, flexing his hand and causing a bit of Subspace energy to build up before he dispelled it. His hand was a bit tingly, but nothing worse than that. Mario gave him a wary look before slowly nodding, trusting Kimani's judgment.
"Kimani has unlocked his Sub-Form! During battle, if he has the Berserker Badge equipped, he can select Sub-Form under his Strategy Menu. While transformed, Kimani's attack goes up by 2, and his normal moves become enhanced and inflict Sub-Touched, which causes them to take additional damage from Kimani's attack depending on the number of stacks. Kimani can also follow up his attacks with an additional input, but it'll cost him some HP to do so! Kimani's HP will drain by 5 every turn and will auto-deactivate should his HP ever reach one. He's able to deactivate it at will,"
"Huh, didn't think we'd have to deal with Sub-Kimani again," Jordan said, ignoring Dylan's meta-commentary again.
"True, but from the sounds of it. I keep control this time around. And besides, while it's been a while, I was more than able to control it somewhat," Kimani said. Firebrand peeked out of the controller.
"We should probably use it sparingly regardless. That health drain isn't a joke. Even if you perfectly defend yourself, you can hold for 7 turns at best,"
"7 turns is plenty of time,"
"Yeah, but when have you perfectly defended yourself?"
"Yo-... Alright, fine. Fair point... Mar, we need anything else?" Kimani grumbled, directing that question to Mario. Mario nodded before he bid Merlow farewell as he led his team back outside. Luigi, who had been sitting outside with Chainston, perked up at the group coming back.
"Got everything you need, Bro?" Luigi asked. Mario nodded before he looked at the others afterward.
"...What?" Austin asked to the look. Mario threw some hand signals up before everyone ahh-ed.
"Why didn't you just say that!?" Kooper exclaimed. Mario's flat expression said it all.
"Well, if I recall, Lee did mop the floor with us last time we fought," Bombette muttered. Kimani bristled in return.
"REVENGE!" Kimani loudly yelled, charging towards Toad Town.
"Why'd you bring it up?..." Typhoon exasperatedly got out. Austin needed clarification on the whole matter.
"Lee?"
"Oh right, you weren't here for this. There's a Dojo in Toad Town. Inside is this old Toad called the Master. He's able to unlock our potential, but we have to prove it by fighting his students,"
"Oh, so he's Matt pretty much,"
"Pretty much," Jordan answered. Mario snorted at the conversation before pointing at Kimani in the distance.
"Oh, right. Our time bomb ran off," Dylan simply said as the others ran after him.
Toad Town- Dojo
The group (Minus Luigi and Chainston, who were simply peeking through the window) was inside the Dojo at this point, and Kimani was vibrating with revenge. Lee locked eyes with him and suddenly feared for his safety. The Master walked over and inspected Austin.
"Oh, uh, greetings. I'm Austin. I'm friends with these guys. A pleasure to meet you," Austin sputtered momentarily before bowing in respect.
"Well met, Austin-San. You must be the last missing member, correct?" The Master asked.
"Yes, Sir. I was told you had the uncanny ability to unlock one's potential?" He asked. The Master sharply glared at Kimani, causing him to wither.
"Don't look at me! I didn't say anything about that!" He exclaimed, waving his arms. He then bluntly admitted he came here strictly to "put Lee in his place this time," causing Lee to sweatdrop in the background.
"That one was my fault, Master. I didn't think that was information we couldn't give out," Jordan answered. The Master's glare cut over to Jordan as a result before he walked over, causing Jordan to sweat. He gave him one more look before he swiftly bonked him on the head with a chop, instantly flooring him.
"OOMP!" Jordan wheezed.
"Jordan-San. I expected better from you. Never reveal anyone's info without their permission,"
"...Clear," He wheezed. With that, he healed Jordan and calmed down.
"Now... What brings you to my humble Dojo today?" He asked. Mario raised a hand and explained their reasoning here today. The Master nodded before he turned to the other four.
"So, you wish to rechallenge Lee. Good. You must have learned from your previous defeat and have gotten stronger. Before I allow this, I require Austin-San to fight Chan beforehand. I need to see his skills firsthand," He explained.
"Right. Austin's never fought here. You got it, Auzz," Kimani said, momentarily quelling his bloodlust. He did make a gesture that he had his eye on Lee, causing him to sweatdrop again. Chan, however, jumped at his name being called.
"Master! I heard my name?!" Chan exclaimed.
"Yes. Chan, your opponent will be Austin-San. Please offer him a great battle,"
"Yes, Master!"
"What am I getting into?" Austin wondered as the Master started the battle. Once in, Austin could see that Chan had 30 HP and was electrified, so Ivory was out in general, while Ebony would strictly be on healing and buffing duty. Venom was unaffected, so that was good.
"You done thinking?" Venom asked him. Austin nodded before he swapped to his bow and fired at Chan, dealing 2 damage to him. Venom followed up with his own shot, dealing 5 damage and putting Chan at 23. Lee tried to Shell Shoot him, but Austin's auto dodge kept him safe.
"If that's the case, this'll be a piece of cake," Austin said, attacking alongside Venom again, dealing another 7 overall to Chan, putting his HP at 16. Chan tried attacking again, but the same thing happened. Needless to say, Austin got through the fight unscathed.
"Enough! Austin-San wins," The Master announced, causing the two to stop.
"Well fought! I couldn't even touch you!" Chan exclaimed. Austin snorted before the Master walked up to Austin.
"...Yes. I'm detecting some potential from you. May I?" The Master asked.
"Sure, sir," Austin said, allowing the Master to place a hand on his chest and stomach. Once his ki started flowing, Austin felt a sudden spike in energy. Once it died down, the Master opened his eyes and stepped back.
"Excellent... Austin-San, both your focus and speed have improved. Your chances of landing a Lucky Hit have increased, and you now have a base chance to dodge attacks automatically,"
"Wait, really? That's sick! Thank you, sir!" Austin exclaimed, shaking the Master's hand. He smiled.
"No need to thank me. You've had the ability long before I helped. Now, Jordan-San. Dylan-San. Kimani-San. I sense more power within you. I take it you're ready to rematch Lee?"
"Yes, Master!" The three of them exclaimed, causing the others to sweatdrop in response. The Master nodded before he looked at everyone again.
"Mario-San. Could I ask you to stay out of this fight? Austin-San, you're allowed to help," The Master asked after a moment of thinking. Mario looked surprised at the question, but he trusted the Master's judgment as well as his party's capabilities, so he nodded afterward.
"Much obliged. Young ones, please pick your partners for this fight,"
"Uh...could we huddle up and brainstorm for a moment?" Kimani asked, raising a hand. He was answered by a nod, causing him to wave his friends and partners over. Mario chuckled before walking over, not entering the huddle but being close enough to hear.
"Alright, just to get everyone up to speed. Lee's a Duplighost so he'll start off by copying either Firebrand, Alpha or Typhoon to start. He'll have their abilities and passives when transformed. Once he attacks, he'll change back to normal and tackle us. That tackle will reduce our Defense by 1, which can go under 0. Once he reaches a certain amount of HP, he'll make 3 clones of himself, which will also change into our partners. With all that said, what are we thinking?" Kimani quickly summarised. Everyone nodded in understanding.
"Master Kimani, I believe my Spring Cleaning would solve your defense problem. Remember that I'm able to clean debuffs off of you as well," Bootler brought up.
"I can have Ms. Bow and Mr. Bootler, Little Buddy! Once Lee splits, I can use Isle Exoskeleton to put the hurt on those clones!" Dylan exclaimed.
"Great!... Oh, but we have to be careful that Fake Ty doesn't kidnap you when he appears,"
"...Oh, right..."
"I think Kooper and Bombette would be great choices too due to their AOE attacks as well," Goombario added on.
"Good call, Bario! I'll take care of those clones easy, tee hee!" Bombette giggled.
"Yeah, and my Dizzy Shell may be able to throw off Fake Typhoon's aim so he can't kidnap anyone," Kooper piggybacked.
"Yeah, but maybe Goombario should stay in. Who knows? Lee might have learned some more tricks since the last time," Parakarry mentioned. Everyone sweatdropped before they nodded.
"Mmm... Fair... OK, here's what we'll do. Kooper, you're with me. Goombario, go with the Big Guy. Bow and Bootler will stick with Dyl. Uh, Auzz can decide which Talon would fit best," Kimani put together. Everyone nodded before they broke the huddle and got in position. Mario could only give them a proud smile as he stood off to the side.
"Alright. Lee, please give our guest a grand battle," The Master said.
"Yes, Master. Steel yourselves!" Lee said as the battle started. Like last time, Lee transformed off rip but what no one was expecting was for him to turn into Venom to start.
"What in the..." Venom said as Jordan went and let Goombario Tattle.
"Alright. Didn't see this form coming. This is Lee, disguised as Venom. Just like the normal Venom, it's borderline impossible to defend his attacks and even more of a hassle to hit him sometimes. Since he's flying, any ground-based moves will miss him. Austin's the only one with a chance to avoid his attacks, but it'll have to be done manually. Strangely enough, Venom's anti-flight bonus doesn't apply to him, so he will simply do normal damage to Lee. Like the real one, Lee can set himself up so he'll fire upon anyone who approaches him, so if you see a glint in his eye, don't even try to approach him!"
"That little sneak!" Jordan yelled. Since he was flying, Jordan just tapped the Power Stomp Badge on his shoes and jumped on Lee twice, dealing 3 on the first jump and then another 2, putting Lee's HP at 70. Lee reached into his feathers and pulled out a flask before he hurled it at the group, showering them in a green mist. The group coughed and hacked before it cleared. Once it did, Jordan and Kimani were a sickly green color. After he did that, Lee's left eye flashed before Dylan felt like he was in danger.
"Guys, I don't feel safe..." Dylan muttered.
"That's because you've been Marked! When you're Marked, enemies will focus on you regardless of whose turn it is! It's like a demented version of Borrowing a turn!" Goombario exclaimed. Jordan and Kimani cringed from their Poison afterward, taking 3 damage and dropping their HP to 52 and 32, respectively.
"Not a good start," Kimani coughed out. Dylan forced his turn next, giving Kimani a Tasty Tonic with his turn and asking Bootler to Spring Clean Jordan. The actions rid them of their Poison, allowing Dylan to smile and shoot an Ion Beam at Fake Venom, dealing 4 damage and putting his HP at 66. Lee transformed back to normal before he tackled Dylan for 5 damage as he forgot to block, putting his HP at 25 and his defense at -1. He then transformed into Ivory.
"Alright, not looking forward to what Ebony can do against us," Venom muttered.
"Eb is mostly support, isn't she?" Austin said as Kimani went next, letting Goombario Tattle again.
"Alright, this is Lee, disguised as Ivory. Ivory's a fast attacker, and as a result, Lee gets two attacks when he's disguised as her. Ivory's impressive leaps can reach us partners, so we'll have to be careful and watch her carefully. Also, watch your HP because if you fall into Danger, she can instantly take you out with Feline Fury. She can also steal your moves, leaving you unable to use them for a few turns. She pierces defense as well, so we had better whip out our healing items or lower her damage!" Goombario Tattled. Bootler, surprisingly, didn't have anything to add to that.
"Wait, I can't normally go twice. Where'd he get that ability?" Ivory asked from within Austin's amulet.
"Boss privileges more than likely. Won't scare me, however!" Kimani exclaimed, going after her with a Dragon Uppercut/Decent combo, dealing 12 damage and lowering Lee's HP to 54. Since Dylan was Marked, Lee went after him, slicing him twice, dealing 10 damage (due to the defense drop) and leaving him with 15 HP.
"Guys..." Dylan worriedly said again.
"We hear you, bud. Bootler, clean that mark off my buddy before I murder Lee," Kimani threatened, causing Lee to sweatdrop again. Boolter also sweatdropped.
"Well, Dylan already went and it's Austin's turn, who can't use other partners! What do we do!?" Kooper exclaimed. Goombario thought about it for a moment before a lightbulb appeared over his head.
"Might be time for another idea of mine. So we all know how Borrowing turns work, right?" Goombario started.
"Yeah,"
"Well, what's stopping us from doing the opposite? In other words, why don't we Loan others our turns?"
"...I'm lost. What?" Kimani asked.
"It's pretty much like Borrowing a turn from someone, but instead of the person Borrowing from a member that hasn't gone already, it's a member giving their turn to someone that's already gone,"
"...Oh, that makes sense! So if I'm getting what you're putting down, Austin needs to Loan Dylan his turn, right?"
"Exactly! Austin, try it now! Check your Strategies for the Loan option!" Goombario exclaimed. Austin did just that, finding the option.
"...Yep. Here it is," He said, selecting it. Once he did, a cursor appeared over Kimani's head. Austin believed he was losing it for a moment, but he rolled with it and 'moved' it so it was over Dylan's head. Once he mentally hit 'A', Dylan felt a surge of Star Power in him, allowing him to go next. Austin did have to endure Lee attacking him twice for doing so. He auto dodged the first hit, but the second one he wasn't allowed to dodge, causing him to take 6 damage, leaving him with 21 HP. The fake Ivory did get zapped by his Zap Tap Badge, placing her HP at 53.
"Oof! Wasn't expecting that," Austin wheezed as Bootler cleaned both the defense drop and mark off Dylan.
"Alright, I expected the Star Energy drop, but I didn't think it would trigger the enemy to attack you instantly nor disable your defensive Action Commands. Got it," Goombario muttered, writing something in a notepad he pulled out from under his hat. Mario and the Master shared a look.
"Your companions are an interesting bunch," He told him. Mario nodded as Dylan zapped Lee with an Ion Beam, then used his action to munch on some Koopasta, healing his HP back to 25. Lee was now sitting at 50 HP. Mario then explained while they were a bit quirky, they knew when to buckle down and get things handled. The Master smiled at this.
"That they do," He said as Lee swapped back to normal, tackling Dylan but getting guarded this time, reducing the damage to 4 and putting his HP at 21 and his defense back to -1. The next form he took was Firebrand's.
"Firebrand incoming!" Kooper exclaimed. Everyone nodded before the turn order reset. Kimani and Kooper bashed Fake Firebrand with a Power Strike combo and Shell Shot, respectively, dealing 11 damage and bringing him down to 38. Faux Firebrand socked Kimani in the gut for 9 damage, dropping his HP to 23. The energy blast whacked the others (except for Austin due to his Thief's Reflex going off), causing Jordan and Dylan also to lose 7 and 8 HP, dropping their health to 45 and 13. The heat from the attack also caused Alpha to overheat for a turn.
"Stay frosty, everyone! We're reaching the point where Lee splits," Goombario explained.
"If that's the case, wouldn't Kimani's Dragon Dance be wise? He could KO him before he even gets the chance," Jordan asked.
"We don't have enough Star Power to Loan, sadly, so that's out the question for now,"
"It's fine. We have Dylan, so he can either copy me or use Isle Exoskeleton if he splits," Kimani wheezed out. Jordan looked at Dylan before he used Guardian Angel on him, opting to set him up for success next turn. Goombario Headbonked Faux Firebrand, but he forgot about his mohawk, which actually burned him, causing him to be injured for a turn. He still did 2 damage, however, leaving Faux Firebrand with 37 HP.
"Yeow!" Goombario yelled.
"...You know, I didn't think about it, but that does make sense," Kimani deadpanned. Jordan bonked him in the head as Dylan went next. He wanted to save his FP, which was sitting at 53, so he just Jolted Lee, dealing 3 damage. Bootler followed up with a swift Jab while Alpha was forced to reboot this turn. This brought Faux Firebrand to 30 HP. He transformed back to normal.
"Oof! Well fought. I haven't been so stagnant either! Allow me to show you my progress!" Lee exclaimed as he made a few hand signs before he split into 3 clones. The far back clone was Ebony, the middle one was Ivory while the front one was... Kimani? But he was a darker color, and the group could see he had a fang sticking out of his mouth. Speaking of color, everyone on the opposing side was drained of theirs.
"Oh... Ok, that's really not good..." Kimani said.
"Understatement! Massive understatement! How'd he even get access to your Sub-Form!?" Jordan exclaimed. The fake Kimani laughed.
"I told you I haven't been so stagnant myself!" He said. Austin sweatdropped as he went after Bogus Kimani, but when he went to swing at him, he was Countered for trying it, taking a meaty 4 damage, putting him at 23 HP, and placing a stack of Sub-Touched on him. The fake got zapped again for 1, putting him at 29 HP.
"Right... Forgot about your Counter..." Austin sighed as Venom fired a shot at Bogus Kimani as well, dealing 5 damage and putting his HP at 24. Bogus Kimani came after him with a Power Punch, but Austin was able to weasel away from the hit. He also forgot about Kimani's Battle Talent so his head almost got taken off by the following roundhouse to his forehead, dealing 5 damage and putting his HP at 18 and getting the Fake zapped again, putting him at 23 HP.
"Freaking... Kimani, why are you so annoying to fight!?" Austin complained as Imposter Ivory came after him twice, but he was able to bob and weave away from her strikes. The thing that annoyed everyone was the fact that Enemy Ebony healed Bogus Kimani back to full.
"What in the everlasting what is this!?" Kimani yelled. Mario leaned forward in exasperation himself. This was ridiculous! By now, Goombario was back in action, so he traded spots with Bow while Dylan tapped the side of his goggles, causing a suit of armor to surround him.
"Sorry for that. Third-degree burns are hard to shake off," Goombario muttered.
"Wait, really?" Jordan deadpanned.
"If that's the case, get the yapping!" Kimani exclaimed again. Goombario stuck his tongue out at him but looked at Bogus Kimani.
"Alright, here comes the hurt... This is Lee, currently disguised as Kimani. Wow, he even got the height down to a tee! Lee has access to everything Kimani can do, which is really bad. We all know how much damage Kimani can dish out, so taking him out or nerfing him should be our top priority! Don't get too antsy, however, as he'll Counter the first attack directed towards him! But if we let him be for too long, he'll enter The Zone and become even more of a headache. To make matters even worse, he's transformed into Sub-Kimani. Of course, since he is a copy, he's not suffering the kickback of the form, so he's not taking 5 damages per turn. Lucky him... Watch your Sub-Touched counter, by the way. The more stacks you have, the more damage you'll take. It goes up with every hit, so Bogus Kimani's multi-hits will really start to add up. We have many ways of going about this, but needless to say, he's the biggest threat we've fought so far," Goombario Tattled. Kimani glared daggers at him for that one as Bootler followed up.
"Young Masters, take heed of Ms. Ebony in the rear. Ms. Ebony is a fantastic healer, so she'll heal the others if we let her. She can also buff the attack of her allies by 2, and should one clone fall before her, she can revive them. I share Sir Goombario's worry about... Er... Bogus Kimani, but I genuinely believe... who's naming these... Enemy Ebony is the one we should focus our efforts on first," Bootler added. Everyone grimaced in return.
"Ok, no problem... Well, I lied. Big problem, but sitting here isn't going to help anyone..." Austin said. Kimani sighed before the turn order refreshed. After some thought, Jordan was the one to go first, putting another bubble around Dylan. He then swapped Bombette with Typhoon, ending his turn. Sub-Kimani's Uppercut clanked against Jordan's shield, knocking him into the air for 4 damage. He whacked him back down towards Kimani with an overhead punch, dealing another 5 damage to Jordan. Kimani panicked and Countered, deflecting Jordan with a deft elbow strike. Since Jordan had 2 stacks of Sub-Touched on him and it was technically Kimani attacking him, he benefited from the stacks and dealt 2 damage to him, leaving Jordan with 34 HP overall. Imposter Ivory slashed Jordan twice, who couldn't guard against her strikes, so he took another 8 damage, putting his HP at 26.
"Getting a bit low over here," Jordan grumbled as Enemy Ebony buffed Bogus Kimani's Attack by two, so he was now sitting at 6 Attack.
"You'll have to suffer for a tad bit longer. We need to start dealing damage. Dyl, it's all you, buddy," Kimani commanded. Dylan nodded before he used Missile Lock on Imposter Ivory, blowing them up. Dylan spent the Overcharge fee, causing Imposter Ivory to catch on fire and placing her HP at 24. Bogus Kimani was at 27, as was Enemy Ebony. Dylan's suit sparked as he was drained of 5 FP, leaving him with 40. Goombario swapped places with Bow and allowed her to drain more of Dylan's FP (6 to be exact) for a Screech, dealing 3 more damage to the enemy team and leaving Bogus Kimani Spooked for 2 turns. Imposter Ivory was able to save face, while Enemy Ebony also suffered a minor scare for 2 turns, leaving the party with 24, 21, and 24 HP, respectively. The enemies came after Dylan. Since Bogus Kimani was spooked, he couldn't do his follow-up attacks, so he just struck Dylan in the face with a Power Punch. Dylan was able to block it, so Jordan only took 5 damage. E-Ebony couldn't nail her Action Command, so she only healed 5 of B-Kimani's HP, putting him back to 29. I-Ivory just waltzed up to Dylan and snatched one of his commands, dealing 4 damage to Jordan on top of that. She did suffer from her burn afterwards so she was left with 16 HP. Dylan took a peek at his commands and saw that his Fourth of July had been stolen, causing him to blow out some air in annoyance.
"Well, so much for Fourth of July..." He deadpanned. Jordan was wheezing as he only had 16 HP left. Kimani went next.
"Alright, we gotta knock something out this turn. Auzz, if I don't nail this, follow up next turn, otherwise, use one of our group healing items," Kimani told him. Austin nodded before Kimani closed his eyes and allowed the Sub-Space inside him to go wild, transforming him into Sub-Kimani.
"Phew... OK... Kooper, can you bait my fake into countering you?"
"...Man... this is going to hurt..." Kooper moaned, going for a normal Shell Shot. As expected, Sub-Kimani Countered it by stomping on the ground, launching Kooper into the air before he roundhoused him. Kooper soared until he crashed into the wall above the Master and Mario with a loud "BLARG!" Mario waved his hands rapidly before he caught the KO'ed Koopa, who had swirls in his eyes. The counter had knocked him out for 3 turns. Kimani growled before he used Void Upper to launch Sub-Kimani into the air, dealing 8 damage. He hit his Action Command, leaping after him with a knee strike that did 9 damage before he spent 5 of his HP to dig his fist into the clone's face, sending him spiraling down. He crashed into I-Ivory, dealing 6 damage to her. Bogus Kimani was sitting at 2 HP, while I-Ivory was left with 10 HP. Kimani cringed as the Sub-energy drained him of 5 more HP, leaving him with 13 HP. His clone growled before he tried to sock him in the gut, but Kimani was able to sidestep and knock him out with a swift roundhouse. Imposter Ivory tried her luck and got smashed into the ground with an axe kick, while the fake Ebony just used her turn to heal Imposter Ivory. She was still Spooked, so it only healed 5, which was instantly foiled when her burn went off. Her HP was now sitting at 7 HP. Austin was next in line.
"Alright, Ivy. You're up! Show that faker who's boss!" Austin exclaimed. Ivory swapped spots with Venom, using Feline Fury to pounce on her fake. There was a dust cloud and feral cat noises before Ivory leaped out the cloud of dust with a Maple Shroom in her hands. More importantly, the fake was down as well. Austin smirked as he burned some FP to use Mirror Image before he and his clone Triple Struck the Ebony clone. Austin got Lucky on all 3 strikes while his clone landed 2 Lucky Strikes, causing her to take a total of 22 damage, leaving her with 2 HP.
"Shit! Just off!" Austin yelled. Enemy Ebony growled before she ran over to the downed Bogus Kimani and used her Smelling Salts to bring him back with 20 HP. Everyone groaned in annoyance. The turns had reset at this time and Dylan, being done with the whole situation, used his reaquired Fourth of July to fire a plethora of missiles into the air. He Overcharged it as well so his FP was now at 0 and he transformed back to normal. Alpha and his natural FP regen was halted as a result. Bow floated over to Enemy Ebony and slapped her to submission. The fake Kimani Mauled Dylan, causing him to be knocked out but next turn, Typhoon and Jordan were able to KO him with a mixture of a Power Stomp and Njǫrd's Fury as well as Dylan's Fourth of July since Kimani was naturally weak to water.
"Enough! Kimani-san and the others win this battle," The Master barked out. Everyone sighed loudly in response.
"Holy shit, that was tough..." Kimani said, falling over in exhaustion.
"You said it. I never want to fight you again, seriously," Jordan said, kneeling and trying to get his breathing back in order. The others nodded as well. Mario walked up and gave them all a hearty pat on the back, sweatdropping when they groaned and winced from the motion. The Master walked over and healed everyone. Lee, now back to normal, sighed in response.
"Ah... It seems like I have more training to do... A grand battle that was, however. Well fought," Lee muttered before he congratulated them and bowed out of respect.
"You too. Seriously, you gave us a run for our money," Kimani shot back. The two of them shared a hearty handshake, causing the Master to smile. He turned back to Mario.
"I must admit, Mario-San. I didn't think they'd get past Lee after that curveball, but I can tell you've been a great mentor to these boys. Here, please take this," He said, giving Mario a Second Degree Card. Mario thanked him for the compliment before he mentioned that the others had simply gotten stronger in their own unique ways. Mario was just there to help.
"Your humbleness needs to be studied, Mario-San. Now, as promised. Kimani-San, Jordan-San, Austin-San, please stand in front of me," The Master instructed. The 3 did just that.
"Once again, you have proven yourselves worthy of having your next stage unlocked. Dylan-San, while I can't increase your potential, your progress has also been noticed, and I hope you continue to shine," He told the group, causing them to smile. With that, he closed his eyes and caused the 3 to be surrounded by a glow. After a moment, it spiked, causing the teens to feel stronger before it died down.
"Ah... Excellent. Kimani-San, your punches and kicks have improved. Your counter can now pierce a foe's defense. The damage also goes up to 3. Jordan-San, your resolve continues to improve. Your natural defense rises to 3, and you can block up to 5 points of damage. Austin-San, your evasiveness continues to improve. The first attack that hits you will now count as Grazing, causing you to take half the damage. This doesn't happen on moves that can't be Auto-Dodged, however," The Master explained.
"This'll help out a lot. Thanks!" Kimani exclaimed. The Master shook his head.
"No thanks are necessary. Now that you've bested my students, your next challenge is to defeat me. Steel yourselves and come at me whenever you like," The Master told them. Mario did a double take when he said that. Mario gave him some hand signs for that one.
"Calm yourself, Mario. I won't go full force from the get-go, but I won't hold back either. I still detect some potential from your boys, so I must keep pushing them," He explained.
"Uh, that's cool and all but my revenge has been sedated and I'm in no mood to get assaulted so fast after a hard-earned victory," Kimani called out from the back. The Master and Mario sweatdropped in response but saw his point. Mario thanked the Master and the students for their time before he ushered the group out the Dojo. Once they were clear of the Dojo, Luigi started cheering with Chainston barking alongside him.
"Wow! You guys were awesome! Were you always that strong?" Luigi asked with stars in his eyes.
"Eh, give or take. Had to change our strategy up a bit," Jordan told him.
"I didn't think having Austin would make the battle harder..." Kimani deadpanned.
"What as that, 'Sub-Space Holder?!'" Austin hollered back, causing Kimani to sputter in embarrassment.
"I didn't know he was that good! Lay off!"
"Ladies, please. You're both to blame..." Kooper deadpanned. When the two of them hissed at him, Kooper jumped in surprise, causing Jordan and Bombette to bop/explode some sense back into them.
"...Are they always like that, Bro?" Luigi asked, looking at the scene with a bewildered expression. Mario gave him a so-so handshake, not even phased at it.
"Yeah, that's pretty normal. Anyway, I guess the next stop is the Pit of 100 Trials, right?" Goombario asked.
"Yep, that was the plan!" Dylan exclaimed.
"Forgive me, but did you say the 'Pit of 100 Trials?'" Bow confusingly asked.
"That he did, My Lady. To think the Young Masters stumbled upon something so legendary... Astounding..." Bootler added on.
"Yeah, it's in my backyard, funny enough," Goombario simply said. This caused the pair of Boos to give him a blank look. Mario sweatdropped before he swatted the fighting group with his hat to get them back on track before he told them their next moves.
"Right, the trials. Lead the way, Mar." Kimani said, shaking the soot off of him. Mario gave Luigi a look and snorted as he and the others went...
Pit of 100 Trials
...Back to the entrance to the trials.
"Huh... Quite," Bootler said, giving the area a satisfied look.
"Yeah... I could make a second empire down here," Bow said.
"Calm down, Supervillain. Let's worry about getting these trials out of the way," Kimani deadpanned. Bow assaulted him in the head with her fan for that one while the others simply rolled their eyes and jumped into the pipe. Luigi lagged behind a bit, saying a quick prayer before he and Chainston jumped inside.
A few minutes later...
Pit of 100 Trials- Floor 20
The group landed in the safe room on Floor 20, taking a moment to breathe.
"Oh wow... You weren't kidding when you said Trials..." Luigi said, taking his hat off for a second.
"Yeah... Luckily, we're strong enough to blow past the earlier floors to some extent," Kimani answered.
"Fair. You guys did take a bit of damage, however. Here. Have a picnic," Luigi said, setting a blanket down and producing sandwiches and drinks from some unseen dimension. No one questioned this as they dug in, going back to full HP and FP.
"Ah... You're a godsend, Luigi," Austin said. Luigi just scratched the back of his head sheepishly.
"Aw shucks..."
"Alright, if we're still following logic, then our next floors will have enemies from the Forest of Perpetual Night and Terror, Gusty Gulch, and Tubba's Castle, most likely,"
"Forest of what?"
"Goombario's idea. Mar, badge wise... uh... I guess you should go more utility? We only have but so much healing items and FP. Using both of those Star Power regen badges wouldn't be a bad idea for some cheeky Refreshes," Kimani suggested. Mario nodded, putting on Star Gift and Starman. He has to take a few badges off to make space for them, which were Power Smash, Shrink Smash, and Close Call after some hard thinking.
"Really? Close Call?" Dylan asked. Mario nodded. He trusted the team enough not to depend on it anyway. After some thought, Mario looked at Austin, suggesting he kept the badge due to his relatively low HP. Austin pursed his lips before he took off Dizzy Attack and placed the Close Call Badge on.
"Alright. We set?" Jordan asked. Everyone did one last look over before they nodded. Mario led the way into the pipe...
Pit of 100 Trials- Floor 21
...and landed in front of a party consisting of a Forest Fuzzy, two Purple Spinies and a Bzzap!. Jordan instantly became Spooked due to the Bzzap! while Mario checked his badges one more time, making sure he had Hammer Throw on at least before he asked Dylan to Charge up Bombette. Dylan did just that, allowing Bombette's Bomb to blow the Forest Fuzzy off the map and starting the fight with one enemy down.
"Woo! That never gets old!" Bombette exclaimed.
"You're the bomb, Bombette!" Dylan praised, causing her to stomp in happiness. Bow only snorted at the sight as Mario started the party with a Hammer Throw, nailing the Bzzap! in the face and taking it out. Parakarry just focused for the team, causing their Star Power to jump by a whole segment due to Mario's badges. Mario tanked the two Spinies, only taking 4 damage overall before Dylan and Bombette worked their magic to take out the remaining threats. They earned a Mushroom for their troubles, which Mario scarfed down to heal before they went to the next floor...
Pit of 100 Trials- Floor 22
...And spotting another Forest Fuzzy. Kimani was more concerned about the Lakiwuns, while Luigi noticed the Piranha Plant as well. Mario led the charge again, using Kooper to deal a meaty First Strike to the Forest Fuzzy. Mario hammered him off the planet while Kooper Shell Shot the Piranha Plant to set up whoever went next. Mario blocked the following attacks, only taking 5 damage overall, leaving him with 35 HP. Austin went next, slicing the plant to bits while Venom took aim and drained 10 HP from the frontmost Lakiwun. They tried to throw Spiny Eggs at the two, but they were able to dodge them with little to no problems. Dylan went next, Jolting the rest of the HP from the first Lakiwun before he used Ion Beam on the last one, draining 4 HP from the last one, leaving him with 9. Bow had rejoined Dylan, so she was able to slap the Lakiwun for 5 damage, putting his HP at 4. Dylan blocked a Spiny Egg meant for him, taking 3 damage and putting his HP at 37. Kimani just sic'ed Parakarry on him with Sky Dive, ending the fight. Once they were out of battle, Mario clapped his hands, spending all their current Star Power to Refresh everyone, putting everyone back to max FP and HP as they hadn't used much overall. With that done, they leaped into the next pipe...
Pit of 100 Trials- Floor 23
...and ran face to face with a Boo. He was joined by another Boo and 2 Bzzaps!, effectively leaving Kimani and Jordan useless in this fight. So useless that the party actually let them step out this fight.
"Sorry! Kooper doesn't have enough Epipens on him!" Jordan yelled from the safety of the corner.
"And those Boos apparently didn't get your memo, Bow!" Kimani hollered, covering his head and cramming himself behind Jordan. Mario sweatdropped but understood their worries. Austin poked Mario in the side, grabbing his attention.
"I'm not sure if you have a way to hit Boos, but me and the gang can see and attack invisible foes so let me go first," Austin told him. Mario nodded before he high-fived Austin, swapping places with him. With Austin going first, he dashed forward and slashed the Boo in front of him, Lucky Striking him for 4 and leaving him with 6 HP. Venom just sniped one of the Bzzaps! out the sky. Austin was able to easily avoid the scares and bee attack, allowing Dylan to Ion Beam and Jolt the Boos and Bee, putting the front Boo at 2, the second one at 6, and leaving the Bzzap! at 2. Bow floated forward, covered her face, and then screamed at the enemies, taking out the Boo and Bzzap!, leaving the other Boo Spooked and left with 3 HP. He gave Dylan a minor fright, taking 3 damage and leaving him Spooked, but it didn't matter too much as Mario Refreshed him and had Parakarry kick the Boo in the face, defeating it.
"Phew... I hate Ghosts..." Kimani muttered, squeezing himself from behind Jordan.
"Excuse me?" Bow asked.
"Oh, bite me! You know what I meant!" He shot back. Before the two could get into another argument, Jordan just grabbed Kimani and leaped into the pipe. The others sweatdropped and followed after them...
Pit of 100 Trials- Floor 24
...and covered their ears when Kimani screamed bloody murder. And for good reasons too, as 4 Boos were looking at him funny. Jordan sighed and placed him in the corner again before he joined the others in the fight. Mario borrowed Bow from Dylan before he recharged their Star Energy before he had Bow Outta Sight him. The Boos tried to Spook him, but since Mario was using the patent-pending maneuver of "they can't scare me if I can't see them," it was null and void to him. Dylan, who was now in command of Kooper, shot an Ion Beam at the group and then Quickened Kooper, allowing him to destroy the Boos with two Power Shells, ending the battle in record time.
"Easy!" Dylan exclaimed, sharing a convoluted series of hand slaps from Kooper. Mario only chuckled at this and thanked Bow for her help as well, which she laughed at.
"I would like to not fight specters anymore, please..." Kimani moaned.
"You should get your wish next floor. It's usually 3 or 4 floors of a certain area's enemies. I bet we'll start seeing Gusty Gulch foes now," Goombario told him. KImani nodded before he did a quick stretch and dived into the pipe. The others followed...
Pit of 100 Trials- Floor 25
...and landed in front of a Hyper Goomba. Kimani eagerly punched his fists together before Dylan charged him, allowing his First Strike to deal a total of 9 damage, taking it out. Sadly, there were 2 Hyper Paragoombas and a Hyper Cleft to also worry about.
"Uh, not it," Kimani said, instantly passing his turn to Dylan with a fist bump. Dylan giggled before he put a hand against his chin. He looked at his options before he decided to use Alpha to fire an Ion Beam through the Hyper Paragoombas, grounding them before he used Copycat on the Hyper Cleft, turning into him.
"You know? You don't use Copycat that often nowadays," Goombario said.
"Dude, we've been together for what? 4 days now?" Kooper deadpanned as Dylan charged into one of the now grounded Hyper Goomba, taking it out with a Headlong Rush, as the name was called. Goombario sweatdropped as Bootler swapped with Bow as he punched the other Hyper Goomba in the face, dealing another 3 to it and leaving it with 2 HP to its name. The Hyper Goomba lost another point of health when he tried to hit Dylan, while the Hyper Cleft took a moment to charge his attack. Austin went next and sliced up the Cleft after Ivory took out the Hyper Goomba. Once they were done with the battle, Mario asked Dylan if he was planning on keeping that form for the next floor.
"Yep! Unless you need me to swap to anything," Dylan responded. Mario shook his head.
"As always, I have to. Ahem. This is Dylan. He's currently copycatting a Hyper Cleft. Like a regular one, Dylan can charge himself up and deal a really nasty hit to whoever is his target, and being a Cleft means his defense is top-notch. If anything attacks him, those spikes will make them pay! However, he can be flipped over if an explosion or earthquake happens to look in his general direction. Dylan's already hyper as it is, so I wonder if this form triples it. Eh. A question for another time," Goombario Tattled. Dylan giggled as the party then jumped into the pipe.
Pit of 100 Trials- Floor 26
The party landed and immediately picked a fight with the enemy party. They were face to face with 2 Hyper Clefts, a Bristle, and a Hyper Paragoomba lurking in the back. Mario borrowed Bombette and, with her help, took out the Hyper Clefts with Power Quake and Power Bomb. The Bristle didn't take any damage from Bombette, but Mario's Quake Hammer pretty much killed it. It did its last-ditch effort attack, which Mario blocked while the Hyper Paragoomba charged. Kimani did Mario a favor and used Refresh on him while Firebrand linked up with Kimani, firing him up and raising his attack by 3. When the Hyper Paragoomba swooped at him, Kimani's overhead swing did 6 damage and grounded him. After that, Austin was able to trounce him. Kimani cooled down, fist-bumping Firebrand and accepting Mario's thankful thumbs up before they continued...
Pit of 100 Trials- Floor 27
...and landed into another fight with 2 Hyper Paragoombas and a Bristle, which the party quickly got through. Luigi gave the party another Picnic as their FP was starting to dip a bit before they went to...
Pit of 100 Trials- Floor 28
...Floor 28, where a team of a Hyper Goomba, Paragoomba, Red Clubba, and Bristle met them.
"Uh, wait. This one actually might be a problem," Austin said, safely veiled by Bow and Bootler.
"If you ground that Hyper Paragoomba, Mar can just use Power Quake to deal with most, if not all, of them. Dyl, can you charge our friend here?" Kimani mentioned. Mario nodded rapidly while Dylan (Now back to normal) put a hand on his shoulder, charging Mario up. Goombario yelled, broke from the veil, and Headbonked the Hyper Goomba, starting the battle for the group. Goombario head bonked the Paragoomba once in battle, allowing Mario to unleash a charged Power Quake. The quake obliterated both Goombas and the Bristle and left the Red Clubba grabbing its head with 15 HP. He tried to assault Mario with a hearty bonk, which he got, damaging him for 7 damage, putting him at 32 HP and shrinking him. The Bristle's last ditch effort was blocked, however so he only took 2 damage, putting him at 30. Kimani just beat the Clubba up after that with an assist from Firebrand. Luigi eyed his FP, seeing it was getting relatively low.
"Hmmm... I'll do a Banquet once we enter battle. We're near a safe spot anyway, right?" He asked. Mario nodded, mentioning that every 10 floors were rest floors. Luigi nodded before they leaped into the pipe...
Pit of 100 Trials- Floor 29
...a-
"THE HELL IS THIS!?" Kimani belted.
...Actually, he had good reason for doing so as a Hyper Cleft, and three Red Clubbas were mean-mugging them. Austin and Dylan shared a look before they nodded. First, they had Luigi Borrow Jordan's turn so he could set up a Banquet for the team. He nailed the three different action commands he had to input, causing a grand feast to appear in front of everyone. They dug in before they all flexed, getting Max HP and FP and increasing their attack and defense by 2.
"Holy shit! Luigi, where was this during the Lee fight!?" Kimani exclaimed as Jordan tanked the hits from the Red Clubba and Hyper Cleft with absolutely no problems.
"I couldn't let Chainston inside, and I can't keep him outside by himself," Luigi sheepishly said. Mario piggybacked and mentioned that the Master more than likely wouldn't let Luigi join that fight anyway if he wasn't able to himself, causing Kimani to pout. Dylan activated his Isle Exoskeleton and instantly used Fourth of July and even Overcharged it. This caused his suit to instantly shut down while Bow just Focused. The Red Clubbas came after Dylan with their multi-bonks, but since his defense was too high, only the last bonks were able to deal some damage, albeit just 1 point of damage, leaving him with 37 HP. The Hyper Cleft just charged. The following missile strikes did 10 damage to the enemy party and Burned them. The Hyper Cleft perished, while the others were left with just 10 HP. Once their burns went off, it changed to 5. Kimani assaulted one while Firebrand cleaned up the second and third one with a Dragon's Roar, taking them out and winning the battle.
"Phew... I'm pooped..." Dylan sighed, slightly giggling at the word, poop.
"Well, you did just spend all your FP instantly. Not sure if it was that serious," Jordan deadpanned.
"No, it was. We already faced a party of 3 Red Clubbas beforehand, and it sucked," Austin retorted. Kimani just snorted while the two brothers sweatdropped along with the partners.
"You know? Sometimes I forget how strong they are," Kooper whispered to the others, earning nods in return.
"Yeah. Might need to update my Tattles on them at some point," Goombario muttered. Mario just shook his head before he ushered his team down the pipe...
Pit of 100 Trials- Floor 30 (Rest Floor)
...and landed in a rest floor. Kooper eyed the nearby statue before he reached into Mario's pocket and brandished a Snowman Doll, threatening to use it on the individual who dared to read the sign out loud. While Mario lamented over the blatant invasion of his pockets, Luigi did him a favor and hit the two item blocks, getting another Snowman Doll and a Super Shroom for their troubles. While Kooper was busy holding Typhoon, Kimani, Goombario and Mario at... snow point, Dylan looked at the statue in interest and started reading it, loudly.
"AN IMPATIENT YOUNG STAR IS BEGGING FOR RELEASE! THE ONE FUN GUY WHOSE CRIES NEVER CEASE! HIS TAUNTING RELENTLESS OF DECEMBER'S LONG PAST! HIS PATIENCE REWARDED WITH THE QUEST AT LAST!" He yelled. Kooper swapped to his native language in righteous fury, but when he turned to flatten the source of the voice and saw Dylan, he peeked behind him, seeing Jordan, Austin, and Kimani preparing to jump him should he even think about hurting Dylan. This caused him to freeze for a second before he groaned loudly. He thought about it for another second before he just took a tiny bit of snow off the doll and hurled it at Dylan's head, nailing him in the back of the head. He then screamed as the other three teens barreled towards him. While that happened, Mario (with a sweatdrop on his head) opened the chest, earning the Dizzy Dance badge. Mario wasn't familiar with this one, so he showed it to Goombario, who was watching Jordan put Kooper in a headlock. At the same time, Kimani and Austin rapidly poked him in the stomach, ignoring his wheezing pleas.
"Huh? Oh, the Dizzy Dance Badge? It lets you jump on a row of enemies and makes them Dizzy. It's like a better version of Kooper's Dizzy Shell since it can hit airborne foes as well," He explained, watching Kooper cough violently, causing Jordan to let him go, Austin to go into Kooper's shell and give him his inhaler while Kimani patted him on the back. Once that was over with, Mario pointed up, causing the others to nod as Kimani hit the switch, causing the pipe to lead them back...
Pit of 100 Trials- Entrance to the Pit.
...to the entrance of the trial. Luigi sighed.
"Well, I'd say that was a good stopping point..." He said. Chainston barked happily.
"Yeah... Guess we should head back to the Toy Box and get cracking on it again," Kimani said. Mario nodded before he and his team hit the Heart Block nearby. They then walked to...
Toad Town
...Toad Town. Everyone shared looks before they looked at Luigi.
"Welp, that was enough excitement for one day. I'll head home and wait for you guys. Thanks for letting Chainston and I tag along!" Luigi thanked.
"Hey, the party's always open for you, man!" Austin said, giving him a thumbs up. Mario nodded rapidly, causing Luigi to smile before he waved goodbye and headed for the pipe with Chainston in tow.
"Luigi and Chainston have left the party!"
"Not you too, Goombario..." Kimani deadpanned.
"Sorry. Force of habit," He sheepishly said. Mario snorted before he fixed his hat and started walking toward the building that held the Toy Box, eager to progress more.
File Saved!
Changes from Main Game:
-Berserker Badge? Must be an unused badge from the main game.
-A new Badge has been sighted! (Dizzy Dance: 2 BP to equip, 6 FP to use. It's an auto Multibounce with a chance to Dizzy whoever gets hit.)
Current Party Status
Mario:
Starting Stats: 10 HP, 5 FP, 3 BP
Current Stats: 35 (40) HP,15 (20) FP, 18 BP (Level 12)
Equipped Badges:Starman (1), Attack FX B, Damage Dodge (3), Star Gift (3), Feeling Fine (3), Hammer Throw (2), FP Plus (2), Quick Change (2), HP Plus (2)
Main Partners: Parakarry
Items: Shroom Cake x2, Honey Shroom x2, Maple Shroom x4, Super Shroom Apple Pie, Lemon Candy, Big Cookie, Yummy Meal, Bland Meal, Honey Candy, Electro Pop, Fire Pop, Deluxe Feast. Spicy Soup x2, Super Soda, Snowman Doll x4, POW Block x2, Sleepy Sheep, Fright Jar x2, Stopwatch, Stone Cap, Tasty Tonic, Hustle Drink
Current Star Pieces: 4 (2 Star Pieces are currently held by the Anti Guy Squad in Shy Guy's Toy Box)
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 Plus (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), Power Quake (1), Shrink Smash (2), Mega Rush (1), HP Plus (2), FP Plus (2), Quick Change (2), Jump Charge (1), D-Down Pound (2), Spike Shield (3), Medicine Man (2) I-Spy Badge, Flower Saver (5), Star Gift (3), Pay-Off Badge (1), Berserker, Dizzy Dance (2)
Kimani:
Area of Expertise: Grounded Combat, Single Target Damage, Countering
Starting Stats: 10 HP, 10 FP, 3 BP
Current Stats: 35 HP, 40 FP, 12 BP (Level 12)
Equipped Badges: Power Plus (4), Power Rush (1), Spike Shield (3), Jump Charge (1), Mega Rush (2), Berserker
Main Battle Partners: Firebrand, Kooper
Battle Talent: StrongerAttack 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!
Master's Potential Unlock: Kimani's Counter has been enhanced. Not only does it pierce defense but it also now does 3 damage!
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!
Health-Up Alpha: Your HP increases by 5!
Kimani (Sub-Form):
Area of Expertise: Single Target Damage, Countering, Damage Amplification
Battle Animation: Kimani flexes, causing an aura of Sub-Space to surround him. Before it overwhelms him, he breathes in deeply to contain it.
Battle Talent: Kimani's attacks inflict Sub-Touched, causing enemies to take additional damage from him proportionate to the amount of stacks a foe has. Kimani attack also rises by 2 as well and he can input another Action Command at the expense of 5 HP. Kimani's HP drops by 5 every turn, and he'll lose the form once his HP hits 1.
FP Moves:
Maul: (0 FP, 5 HP for 4th hit) Attack the foe with a Sub-Infused fist or foot! Pressing A at the right time allows a follow-up strike. Can strike up to 3 times! A fourth hit can be added, but it'll cost 5 HP! Pow: 3 (PP:4) Can hit Top Spiky and Fiery. Can't hit Flying or Spiky. Style: Timing.
Vicious Maul: (2 FP, 5 HP for third follow-up) Channel more energy to unleash a stronger attack! Pressing A at the right time follows up with an additional strike. Pressing A again does a third one, but that one will cost 5 HP. Pow: 5 (PP: 6), Can hit Top Spiky and Fiery, Can't hit Flying. Style: Timing.
Sub-Blast: (3 FP, 10 HP to instant charge) Charge up a dangerous ball of Sub-Energy to engulf the enemy party. The strength of the blast depends on the charge. Kimani can expend 10 of his HP to charge it fully on the same turn. Pow: 5 (PP: 6) (1 turn), 8 (PP:9) (2 turns), 14 (PP: 15) (3 turns)
Void Upper: (5 FP, Unleash a vicious uppercut that launches foes into the air. Pressing A after the uppercut follows the enemy and attacks with another strike at the cost of 5 HP. Pressing A after the follow-up spikes the foe down towards the ground or another enemy! The third attack does cost an additional 5 HP, however... Pow: 7 (PP: 8), Enemy projectile: 6. Can attack all except ceiling enemies. Style: Timing.
Deadly Tango: (20 FP, Places Kimani in Peril afterward) Unleash a violent beatdown that only the toughest can survive. Timing the hits will cause Kimani to follow up with Executing Encore, which will unleash 5 more empowered strikes. The attack will not only leave Kimani Exhausted afterward, but it'll also place his HP in Peril, making this a last-ditch effort. Pow: If properly executed, 20 (PP: 25) 20 (PP:25)from Dragon's Fury. Style: Timing. Pierces Defense. Extremely hard to time. Can hit all but flying enemies. Will leave Kimani Exhausted for a turn. Places Kimani in Peril on success or failure.
Form Drop: Kimani disbands his Sub-Form manually. This will leave him Winded for a turn, however.
Passives:
Sub-Touch: Kimani's attacks will inflict a stack of Sub-Touched to whoever he hits. The debuff stacks on itself, and Kimani will inflict additional damage on Sub-Touched foes. How much damage depends on how many stacks. The stacks will decay if Kimani goes a turn without hitting a foe.
Uncanny Endurance: Kimani can't be knocked out during his Sub-Form. If he takes a fatal hit, he'll lose his form and stay at whatever HP he was at when Uncanny Endurance was triggered. (Example: Kimani has 15 HP and takes a 17-damage attack. He'll detransform and stay at 15 HP) He'll be Exhausted for 3 turns, however.
Fueled By Anger: Kimani's attack goes up by 2, and he can input another Action Command at the cost of HP. This stacks with his In The Zone Passive, meaning Kimani can unleash 2 extra commands if he has both going on!
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!
Element Shard Upgrade: Firebrand's attack pow goes up by 1 again!
FP Moves:
Swipe: Lashes out with a quick claw swipe. Pressing the A button at the right time launches another swipe. Pow: 3 (6), 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: 5, 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 3 as well. After 3 turns, Kimani will take 3 points 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: 9, (Energy Blast only happens from perfectly timing the command: 7 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: 55 HP, 25 FP, 9 BP (Level 12)
Equipped Badges: Smash Charge (1), D-Down Pound x2 (2), Power Stomp (1), Pay-Off (2), Power Quake (1), Medicine Man (2), Pay Off Badge
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!
Master's Potential Upgrade: Jordan's increased strength allows him to block up to 5 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...
Master's Potential Unlock: Jordan's strength has been enhanced! His defense rises to 3! Still doesn't stack with his Action Command, however...
Health-Up Alpha: Your HP increases by 5!
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!
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: 4, (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: 4, 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: 4 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: 40 HP, 55 FP, 0 BP (Level 12)
Area of Expertise: Area of Effect, Healing and Buffing, Versatile
Equipped Badges: N/A
Main Battle Partners: Alpha, Bombette, Bow and Bootler
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!
Element Shard Upgrade: Dylan can take up to 15 HP a turn before Alpha shuts down!
Upgrade Disk: Dylan can now activate Isle Exoskeleton, changing his moveset to a more aggressive one. Dylan's Copycat can also copy any target but if their attack or HP surpasses his current threshold, he will only be allowed to perform one move before the form drops. Alpha will shut down for 2 turns. Dylan still can't copy strong opponents outside of battle.
Health-Up Alpha: Your HP increases by 5!
Dylan (Isle Exoskeleton):
Areas of Expertise: Area of Effect, Status Infliction
Battle Animation: Occasionally, Dylan's suit will spark up for a second, causing him to look at himself in interest before he flexes slightly, making the energy shoot off of him and his suit glow for a moment before it goes back to normal.
Battle Talent: Dylan can Overcharge his attacks, doubling the FP consumption to get enhanced effects. Dylan's Isle Exoskeleton will drain 5 FP each turn it's active. While the suit is on, Dylan becomes immune to electric and fire-based attacks and his defense is increased to 2. Once Isle Exoskeleton deactivates for any reason, Alpha and Isle Exoskeleton are unavailable for 3 turns and Dylan's passive FP regen is halted for the same amount of turns.
FP Moves:
Plasma Blade: (0 FP, 2 FP to Overcharge) Dylan slashes a target with a plasma blade. Overcharging it will allow it to potentially paralyze whoever is hit. Attack Pow: 2 (3 if timed correctly) Can attack all but flying. Pierces Defense. Style: Timing
Photon Cannon: (5 FP, 10 FP to Overcharge) Dylan fires a large Ion Beam at the opposing party, damaging everyone in a line! This will lower everyone's defense by 2. Overcharging it will make the defense drop permanent! Attack Pow: 3 (4), can hit everyone. Style: Aim
Missile Lock: (5 FP, 10 FP to Overcharge) Dylan fires a missile at a foe of his choosing, dealing damage to whoever he hits and half of that to whoever is next to the foe. Overcharging the missile also causes the main target to burn for 3 turns. (Burn is a stronger Poison pretty much. It deals 5 damage per turn, but it can be affected by how much defense a target has) Attack Power: 5 (6) (Adjacent targets take 2 or 3 damage, depending on the success of the Action Command) Style: Aim
Fourth of July: (20 FP, All remaining FP to Overcharge) Dylan fires every missile he has in his suit, bombarding the field with rockets. For 3 turns afterward, rockets will rain on the field, striking every enemy visible. These rockets don't do splash damage. Overcharging increases the damage of the following missiles by 2 and causes foes to Burn for a turn afterward. Style: Memory. Can't be used again until the current Fourth of July is over.
Passives:
Superior Craftsmanship: Dylan's Isle Exoskeleton was built to last! While he wears it, his defense increases by 2, and he can't be harmed by fire or electric attacks!
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.
Austin:
Starting stats: 5 HP, 10 FP, 6 BP
Current Stats: 22 (27)HP, 35 FP, 12 BP (Level 12)
Area of Expertise: Defense Piercing, Versatile, Avoidance
Equipped Badges: HP Plus (2), Zap Tap (3), First Attack (1), Dizzy Attack (1), Flower Saver (5)
Main Partners: Venom, Ebony, Ivory
Idle Animation: Austin will crouch on the ground and look around for any potential threats. If an enemy happens to be close during this animation, an exclamation point will pop up over his head, and he'll aim his bow at them.
Battle Animation: Austin will be in a crouched stance, ready to attack or defend himself at a moment's notice. Occasionally, he'll lose his balance, flail, and fall over before picking himself up quickly. He'll blush for a moment before it disappears, however.
Field Ability: Austin's Thief Lights will highlight hidden paths and items for him. He can also point out weak points in Metal Blocks, allowing Mario and Kimani to break Metal Blocks. Austin's First Strikes do an extra 2 damage.
Battle Talent: Austin's Guard command is replaced by Dodge, allowing him to automatically avoid up to two attacks. His normal defensive Action Command also allows him to Dodge attacks should he time them properly. The timing is stricter as a result (not as strict as Kimani's), and should he fail the command, he takes an extra 2 points of damage. This extra damage doesn't happen if he doesn't attempt the command. Gains less HP on Level Ups. Also can only use Venom, Ebony or Ivory as Partners.
FP Moves:
Slash/Shot: Austin attacks a target with a deft strike from his dagger or a singular arrow from his bow. Pow: 1 (2) Can hit Top-Spiky enemies. (his Bow can hit Spiky Enemies) Pierces Defense. Can't target flying enemies (He can if equipped with his bow.) Style: Timed
Triple Strike: (2 FP) Austin lashes out with three quick attacks from his dagger or bow. Pow: 3 ( 6 if done perfectly) Can hit Top-Spiky enemies. (His bow can hit Spiky Foes) Pierces Defense. Can't hit Flying enemies. (Unless armed with his bow) Style: Timed
Sleep Darts: (5 FP) Austin throws a fan of darts laced with sleep-inducing chemicals. Any foe hit with them has a chance of falling asleep for 2 turns! Does nothing if the command is blotched. Style: Aim.
Arrow/Dagger Rain: (5 FP) Austin throws or shoots a plethora of projectiles into the air, causing them to rain down on the battlefield for a few turns! Pow: 1 every enemy turn. Pierces Defense. Style: Memory. The rain will last 1, 2, or 3 turns, depending on the timing.
Mirror Image: (10 FP) Austin creates a clone of himself that mimics his actions for up to 3 turns. However, taking a hit will disband the clone. This doesn't take up a turn but it does double Austin's FP cost for everything until the clone is disbanded. Style: None.
Stealth: (20 FP) Go invisible and avoid the attention of your foes! You can't be hit or targeted by anything for 3 turns! The command for it is rather difficult, however, and it won't work if you fail it at all. Attacking doesn't break the Stealth either! Style: Memory
Stance Swap: Austin swaps between his daggers or bow. This doesn't take up a turn.
Passives:
Thief's Intuition: Austin has a chance to deal 2 extra points of damage with any of his attacks, and he has access to Thief Lights, a special visual effect that only he can see. This points out hidden objects and pathways.
Master's Potential Upgrade: Austin now has an increased chance to land Lucky Strikes (Base chance is 10%. The upgrade raises it to 15%)
Thief's Reflex: Austin's training with the Talons starts paying off! He will now dodge the first attack thrown at him every turn!
Master's Potential Upgrade: The first hit Austin takes will count as Grazed against him, causing him to take half damage. This won't be the case if he's hit with an unblockable or "undodgeable" move.
Master's Potential Upgrade: Austin now has a base chance to dodge attacks automatically. (The chance is the same as the Pretty Lucky Badge (10%))
Thief's Focus: Austin's Thief Lights allows him and his team to see and attack any invisible foes!
Thief's Warning: Austin's Thief Lights are always tracking danger. As a result, he's unable to be First Struck! He can also dodge moves that are normally unavoidable, such as grabs or other attacks!
Health-Up Alpha: Your HP increases by 5!
Venom:
Area of Expertise: Flying enemies, Defense Piercing, Versatile, Debuffing.
Field Ability: Venom can glare at any nearby opponents, causing them to stop in fear. Entering battle with them will automatically allow a First Strike and will Paralyze the frontmost foe for 2 turns. Has a short range and takes some time to wind up, however.
Idle Animation: Venom flaps his wings to stretch them before he looks at the camera and hastily hides his damaged wing. He continues to glare at the camera until an input is detected.
Battle Animation: Venom hovers behind Austin. Occasionally, he loses some height and quickly flaps his wings to gain it back.
Special Characteristics: Venom will hover in combat or be perched on Austin's shoulder. Due to this, he can't be hit by any ground-based moves. He'll be injured for an extra turn if hit, however, due to his past injuries.
Element Shard Upgrade: Venom's attack Pow goes up by 1!
Element Shard Upgrade: Venom's attack Pow goes up by 1!
FP Moves:
Snipe: Venom fires an extremely accurate shot at a target of his choice. Pow: 4 (5) Deals double damage to Flying enemies. Pierces Defense. Style: Aim
Poison Bomb: (2 FP) Venom chucks a homemade vial of poisonous smoke at the enemies. Depending on how well he performs the action commands, this can Poison enemies for 1-3 turns. This doesn't affect enemies immune to Poison. Style: Memory
Vulture's Mark: (5 FP) Venom marks a foe as a priority target, causing the enemy to take 2 extra damage from Austin, Ivory, Ebony, or Venom himself. Should any of them take the target out, they'll earn extra coins. Can only prioritize one enemy at a time. Bosses will shrug this effect off after 2 attacks from Austin's party. Style: Aiming
Overwatch: (10 FP) Venom watches over Austin and protects him from 3 attacks. Should an enemy target him, Venom will shoot an arrow at them, dealing 3 damage and stopping the attack. Bosses can't be stopped, but they'll still take the point of damage.
Tag Out: Venom swaps places with either Ebony or Ivory.
Animation: Venom will throw his cloak back and disappear in a storm of leaves. If Ivory is picked, she'll do a front flip out of the leaves and pose. If Ebony is picked, she'll simply wait until the leaves stop, appearing in a crouched stance and flipping her hood up before getting into her battle stance.
Ebony:
Area of Expertise: Healing and Buffing
Field Ability: By spending 5 FP, Ebony can perform on-field first aid, healing 15 HP to any party member.
Idle Stance: Ebony will look at her satchel before digging through it. She'll periodically throw out some junk or pull out an item, inspect it, and put it back after a while. If an input is pressed during this, she'll flinch and close her satchel before giving the camera an apologetic look.
Battle Stance: Ebony will stand with her dagger out, ready to strike at a moment's notice. Her hood will occasionally fall into her face, causing her to blow some air, making it go back to its usual spot.
Element Shard Upgrade: Ebony's attack pow goes up by 1!
Element Shard Upgrade: Ebony's healing abilities heal an additional 5 HP!
FP Moves:
Dagger Twirl: Ebony performs a swift dagger strike that hits twice. Pow: 2 (3) per hit. Pierces defense. Can't hit Flying enemies. Style: Timing
Cheer: (2 FP) Ebony fills a teammate with confidence, giving them an extra 2 points of damage for their next attack. Does nothing if she messes up the command, however. Style: Memory, Doesn't stack with Austin's Thief's Intuition. Can target Party Members as well.
First Aid: (5 FP) Ebony uses her skills as a medic to mend a Party Leader for 10 HP. Should she ace her Action Command, she can heal up to 15 HP! Style: Memory
Smelling Salts: (10 FP) Ebony revives a knocked-out hero with her personal stash of smelling salts, bringing them back with Half HP plus an additional 5 HP. She can do this for any leader, and she doesn't need to be behind the knocked-out leader to do so. Doesn't work if she fails the command. Style: Charge
Tag Out: Ebony swaps places with either Ivory or Venom. Ebony will wave before throwing down a smoke bomb from her satchel. If Ivory is selected, she'll flip out of the smoke cloud and pose. If Venom is picked, Venom will flap his wings strongly, blowing the cloud away before he starts flying.
Ivory:
Area of Expertise: Single Target Attacks, Item Stealing
Idle Stance: Ivory's ears twitch before she glances around quickly. Eventually, a butterfly will land on her head, making her stop and swat at it. Afterward, she'll try to pounce on it every time it lands on the ground, missing. If an input is detected, Ivory will stop and wave to the butterfly as it flies away.
Battle Stance: Ivory will energetically bounce on her feet and twirl her dagger. She'll start flourishing her dagger with some impressive maneuvers before she drops it. Embarrassed, she'll pick it up and go back to her default Battle Stance.
Field Ability: By spending 5 FP, Ivory can stalk a selected enemy, instantly taking the front enemy out if its health is less than 10. If not, she will deal 5 damage to the enemy once the battle starts. Taking an enemy out this way guarantees they'll drop an item.
Element Shard Upgrade: Ivory's attack pow goes up by 1!
Element Shard Upgrade: Ivory can now dodge the first attack towards her every turn!
FP Moves:
Pounce: Ivory performs an impressive leap with the help of some vines, striking a foe with her dagger upon reaching them. Pow: 3 (4) Can't hit Fiery enemies. Style: Aim
Tag Team: (2 FP) Ivory prepares herself to assist Austin during his attacks for 2 turns. If Austin or Ivory finishes an enemy during this time, they'll earn extra coins. Pow: 2. Ivory will attack whatever target Austin attacks. This will be canceled should Ivory be injured during the stance. Coins earned depend on the level of the enemy. She can still use her turn afterward to use her other abilities or attacks.
Cat's Eye: (5 FP) Ivory attacks a foe and steals a random assortment of money or a random item. The amount of money or item rarity goes up depending on how hurt the target is, but there's a chance she won't nab anything. Pow: 3 (4), Can't hit Spiky or Fiery enemies. Style: Timing
Feline Fury: (10 FP) Ivory loses her patience and mauls an enemy. Has a chance of instantly defeating a foe. The chance increases as the enemy's health lowers. An enemy taken out this way drops an item. Can target all ground foes but ineffective against flying enemies and bosses. Style: Charge
Tag Out: Swaps places with Ebony or Venom.
Animation: Ivory will give the enemy a cheeky salute before she does a flip, detonating a smoke bomb when she disappears. If Ebony is picked, she'll wait until the smoke clears in a crouched position. She'll then stand up, flip her hood up, and get into her battle stance. If Venom is picked, he'll blow the smoke away with a strong swing of his cloak before he starts flying.
Temporary Party Members:
Luigi:
Position: Party Leader
Area of Expertise: Healing and Buffing
Starting Stats: 15 HP, 40 FP, 0 BP
Field Ability: Can set up a Picnic for 5 FP, which will heal everyone sans Luigi for 10 HP and FP. Has a naturally higher jump than any party leader.
Battle Talent: Easier Action Commands for everything but takes 2 damage from all sources of damage unless blocked.
Moves:
Leap: Luigi performs an impressive leap that can bounce on an enemy three times! Pow: 1 (3 if both commands are inputted) Can't hit Spiky Enemies. Style: Timing.
Words of Encouragement: (5 FP) By complimenting a party member or cheering them on, you fill them with vigor! Raises target's Pow by 1, 2, or 3 for 2 turns depending on the success of the Action Command. Style: Memory
Emergency Snack: (5 FP) Luigi pulls out a snack from his personal stash! Heals 10 HP to the selected target. Can target himself with this move. Style: None
Banquet: (20 FP) Luigi whips up a grand feast for his party! If performed perfectly, it will heal all party members to full HP and FP, Raise everyone's defense by 2 and their Pow by 2! Luigi will also get the HP heal, attack, and defense buff but won't get the FP heal. Will only heal 10 HP and FP if the command is blotched. Style: Memory, Charge, and Timing. Will randomize the order of commands every time.
Kolorodo
Position: Partner
Area Of Expertise: Defense Piercing, Debuffing, Item Usage
Field Ability: Kolorodo can spend 5 FP to dig up an item for the party. The item will be either a Super Mushroom, Honey Syrup, or Fire Flower.
FP Moves:
Chisel: Kolorodo carefully chips away at an enemy, dealing damage and permanently lowering a foe's defense by 1 for the entire battle. This can stack with other defense-lowering skills and the permanent debuff as well. Pow: 1 (2) Can't target flying, front-spiky or fiery enemies. Style: Charge
Improvise (3 FP): Kolorodo rummages through his pack and randomly selects one of five items to use instantly.
Stone: Kolorodo pulls out a random stone and chucks it at an enemy. Pow: 2
Shovel: Kolorodo pulls out a shovel and digs rapidly, sending stones at the entire enemy party. Pow: 2
Camera: Kolorodo pulls out his camera and takes a picture of the enemies. The bright flash will Blind (Dizzy) foes for 2 turns.
Dustpan: Kolorodo pulls out a dustpan before sneezing and covering the party in a large cloud of dust, raising their evasion for 2 turns.
Pencil: Kolorodo pulls out a pencil and notepad, calculating the angles before he uses something from the environment to attack. (For instance, if a pillar is nearby, he'll calculate the right angle and whatnot to tip it on them) Pow: 5 to all enemies.
Chainston
Position: Partner
Area of Expertise: Single Target, Protection
Field Ability: Chainston can give Mario a ride, vastly increasing his speed and allowing him to clear gaps he can't jump over. (Same functionality as Parakarry pretty much)
FP Moves:
Chomp: Chainston takes a bite out of an opponent. Pow: 7, Can hit all but flying, Style: Timing
Guard Dog (3 FP): Chainston moves forward to protect his current Party Leader, chomping whoever attacks and stopping the attack. He's unavailable to act next turnaround (Think of Bow's Outta Sight)
Latch (5 FP): Chainston snags a foe with his teeth, preventing them from moving or attacking for the duration. Chainston can keep a foe stuck for 3 turns at max. Once he Latches on to a foe, he can't Latch on to them for the rest of the battle. Latched foes take 2 points of damage every turn.
Status List: (because I added a few new ones, and some old ones have different effects now)
Stunned: You can't move, act, or input action commands!
Poison: Poison wrecks your systems! You'll take 3 damage at the beginning of your team's turn! Austin can't be poisoned as easily and he'll only take 1 damage if he is!
Burn: You're on fire! You'll take 5 damage at the end of your team's turn! Damage is affected by defense, however. Kimani's fiery temper (as well as actual firepower) makes him naturally immune to this status. Austin takes more tick damage (takes 8 damage per turn), while Jordan has a harder time catching this status and only takes 2 damage per turn from it. (So, none due to his natural defense)
Dizzy: The room is spinning for you. You have an increased chance of missing attacks. You might even be too sick to act that turn!
Winded: That last move left you a bit tired. Your Attack is cut in half, and you can't use any moves that would put you in the Winded Status!
Exhausted: You're so tired, you can't move... Same as Stunned, but you take an additional 3 damage from attacks!
Spooked: You're so scared, you can't focus! You're unable to use any Action Commands or special moves! Enemies will have their attack lowered by 2, and they can't inflict Status Effects! Kimani gets this status instantly if there's a Boo on the field at all. Jordan is the same way with any Bee related enemies!
Marked: You're a target! Enemies will attack you regardless of who's going next!
Allergic Reaction: You're looking a bit puffy there! You'll take increased damage, and you're unable to gain any Status Effects or heal! Jordan's the only one that can get one and it's only from Bzzaps!
Shrunk: You're tiny now! Your attack is cut in half!
Danger: You're close to going down! Danger status happens at 10 HP or lower. (or 5 if you only have 10 Max HP) Some badge activates during this state!
Peril: One more hit, and you're done! Happens when your HP is at 1! Some badges activate during this state!
Invisible: They can't see or touch you! Specific attacks can bypass this status.
Asleep: Nice time to catch some zzz's... You can't act or use action commands. There's a chance you'll wake up if hit, but it's not guaranteed. Dylan's hyperactive nature makes this status null and void to him!
