(BlazingBarrager)
Out in the outskirts near the sea, a young girl was leaning against a
tree snoozing away while her partner, a Toad named George, sat on the ground
staring at a portable alarm clock waiting for it to reach 60 minutes.
“Cmon you stupid clock hit 60 already,” he muttered quietly. He glanced
at the slumbering girl nervously, praying she hadn't heard him. If he would have
accidentally roused her from her slumber - he shuddered involuntarily at the
thought. Just then, the alarm went off causing the orange Toad to jump in
surprise. The young girl, on the other hand, slowly opened her eyes and began to
stretch her arms and legs.
“Mmm…yeah that was a good nap,” she said.
“At least you got one Sachi,” the Toad replied.
“No one asked you to keep tabs on the time George.” She was then handed
the clock and put it into her cap before looking around. “So, we’re looking for
this “Giant Land” right?”
“Yeah. It’s out in the sea somewhere, but even if we knew where it is
it’s not like we can get there.”
“Unless you want to try swimming.”
“Har har har…” George said sarcastically. He then noticed a figure
walking toward them. “Hold it right there buster!” Suddenly, a hammer appeared
out of nowhere with a loud “poof” noise and landed on his arms.
“Whoa whoa easy little one. I’m here to help you,” the figured said with
his arms up.
“Right, you’ll help us get taken to Bowser’s castle. Like we’ll fall for
that!”
“George, you think everyone works for Bowser,” Sachi replied.
“Well it’s…kinda true.”
“You thought Daisy was working for Bowser.”
“Hey with her track record it’s better to be safe than sorry.”
“I mean you no harm, and no I don’t work for the vile beast.”
Sachi and George looked at each other before turning back to the figure. They
then noticed he was carrying a briefcase of sorts, or at least it appeared that
way. Based on his short appearance, it was safe to say this figure was a Goomba.
“A Goomba that doesn’t work for Bowser…” muttered Sachi.
“Not surprising. A large amount of the population resent Bowser’s
tyranny.”
“So you know you can trust me?” the old Goomba asked.
“As if!” George exclaimed. “How do we know you’re just playing the nice
guy so you can get us off guard?”
“Because I can help the girl with getting to Giant Land, and with a bonus
to boot.” Sachi just looked at the Goomba occasionally shifting her eyes back
and forth at the briefcase. For some reason, she could sense something familiar
in that briefcase.
“Let’s listen to what he has to say first, then if he’s lying you can
beat him up.”
“Ugh…you’re too trusting!”
“Thank you miss. My name is Professor Elec. I work, or used to anyway, as
one of E.Gadd’s science partners where I studied power-ups and their
functionality.”
“You studied how a power-up works?”
“Not just how they work my dear. Allow me to explain.”
----
Over an hour has passed since Professor Elec started his explanations on
his studies. Sachi sat there so excited and inspired while George was nodding
off from boredom. The professor finished up his long lecture just in time for
George to fall and start snoring. Elec glared at him in response and grunted.
“Hmph, children these days. No respect for their elders I tell you.”
“Well I found it interesting,” Sachi replied.
“That’s good to hear my dear, since this is where you’ll be coming in.”
“Me?”
“Quite. Now I heard some rumors about a young girl travelling the land
who could use power-ups even with Bowser’s spell rendering them useless to all.
Can you confirm this?”
“Yes. I’ve used several power-ups over the last week or so.”
“Good, then you’ll be able to test my prototype Mega Mushroom.”
“I’m sorry what?”
“You heard me. A prototype Mega Mushroom created by yours truly.”
“I find that hard to believe.”
“Sure you would, which is why I brought this.” He sat his briefcase on
the ground and pressed various buttons to unlock the case. Opening the case, he
revealed the mysterious contents inside - a jar. Inside the jar, floating in an
odd liquid, was a small, and rather inconspicuous, mushroom.
“So that’s it?” Sachi asked.
“Yes my dear, but don’t let the size fool you. It has the same abilities
as a normal Mega Mushroom, and more.
“More?” she repeated.
The old professor nodded. “Although I would have liked to complete it,
but perhaps it’s for the best I don’t.” He then cleared his throat. “What makes
this mushroom so special is that, once ingested, it will modify your body to be
able to maintain the increased size indefinitely.”
Sachi’s eyes sparkled. “Really?!”
Professor Elec nodded. “But there’s a catch. If you return to normal
you’ll have to find another Mega Mushroom to reactivate the effect. I was hoping
to bypass that, but I couldn’t complete it before Bowser’s spell took over.
Thinking about it, it might have been too much for a person to handle.”
“Um…okay. Anything else I should know?”
“Pudding!” George suddenly screamed. The young girl and old Goomba
quickly turned to see the orange Toad muttering and drooling while asleep. Sachi
could only help but make a disgusted look as she watched her friend roll back
and forth. “And he was tired of me sleeping often.”
“Kids these days,” Professor Elec grunted.
----
Meanwhile in Giant Land, dark clouds loomed over a castle located in the
East. In the throne room though, a giant Koopa with a big, pink bow, red
necklace, and a golden ring on each arm sat on the throne with a cage set up
next to it. Inside the case sat the one of the former rulers of Giant Land. She
had long, brown hair and wore a red dress with black boots and a pink crown.
They were the only ones residing in the lonely castle. Tears slowly slid down
her face as the giant Koopa peered at her and grinned.
“Aww what’s the matter “Princess” Apple? Feeling lonesome?” Apple did not
respond and simply shifted her head away from the Koopa. “Eh…not that I care.
Truth be told, I’m liking the silence. It’s always so noisy back home with the
Koopalings, the whiny brat, and King Bowser being angry most of the time, but
the peace and quiet is so soothing you know?” Again, she was met with silence.
“You can at least nod or something you know? What you miss your husband King
Hugo because he’s in the dungeons?” Finally, the princess’s attention snapped
back to her captor with a hardened gaze. “Ooooooh, I’m sorry, did I touch a
nerve?”
“You’ll never get away with this Wendy!” Apple yelled.
“That’s the fifteenth time you said that, you know. Get a reality check
“princess,” because there is no one coming to save you this time. King Bowser
made sure of that.” Wendy then gave a sinister smirk. “And you best be nice to
me or I’ll make sure the guards stop giving you crumbs”
“Madam Wendy!” called
a voice. The giant Koopa then turned to see a giant Para Goomba fly up to her.
“What is it?”
“A boat has been spotted approaching the docks with two people in it.”
“Seriously? Who would be stupid enough to come here?”
“Based on the reports, it’s an orange Toad and a young girl.”
“Young girl? What color were her clothes?”
“Blue, madam.”
“I see…tell the guards to head towards the docks. Oh, and take no
prisoners.”
“Yes. Madam.”
----
At the docks, George and Sachi tied up the boat before looking up at the
empty village. The sheer silence in the air caused the orange Toad to shudder,
but Sachi stayed determined to defeat whatever evil had befallen the kingdom.
Still, she couldn’t help but wonder why there wasn’t any guards around. As the
two made their way off the docks they noticed various footprints of varied sizes
in the dirt. Curious, Sachi turned her attention to George.
“Some of these footprints look normal sized. Did normal sized people live
here as well?”
“Well there were some here and there, but for the most part Giant Land
was dominated by…well giants. Still, this must be the work of Bowser’s spell.”
“But doesn’t his spell only affect power-ups?”
“Well I’ve only heard rumors, but it’s said that a special kind of
Mushroom is grown here. It’s supposed to permanently make you a giant and can
only be found here. Judging by the footprints, it seems that the spell negated
the mushroom’s effects on the people…or some of them anyway.”
“Yeah. There are giant footprints littered around as well that look like
a Goomba made them.”
“I guess Bowser’s spell doesn’t affect his minions, which allowed them to
easily overtake the people. We best be on our guard.”
“Right,” Sachi said before she took off her hat and reached in to take
out a Fire Flower, which she then ate and transformed into Fire Sachi.
“You’re using a power-up now?”
“Better to be cautious. Fireballs can still hurt enemies even when giant
right?” she replied while putting her hat back on.
“They don’t take as much damage, but yeah they’re still susceptible to
fireballs. Ugh…if only I can have one.”
“Don’t worry. I got your back.”
“I hope so.”
Darkness suddenly overtook the group, and Sachi and George whipped around to
view the source - gigantic Koopas and Goombas glaring down at them. George
quickly took his hammer out while Sachi created fire on her palms. “So…who wants
first dibs?” Sachi smirked, and her flames swelled with intense power.
----
Back at the castle, Wendy was in one of the bathrooms getting a massage
from one of her servants. Her wand showcased an entertaining sight: the girl and
the Toad furiously battling with her enlarged minions. She chuckled as the two
heroes struggled to gain the upper hand against the giants.
“Oh, how I wish King Bowser was watching this. He would get a kick out of
these insects’ struggle,” she said. Her attention was disrupted at the sound of
light pitter-patter against the floor, and Wendy shifted to view another
attendant - a Goomba - situated at the entryway. “Yes, what is it?”
“King Bowser is on the line. He
wishes to speak to you.”
Wendy let out a sigh. “I wish he would have picked a better time, but
whatever. Put him through.”
The projection fizzled into static, and it eventually morphed into a large and
daunting creature, armored in a shell covered in spikes - Bowser, the King of
the Koopas. Wendy got off the table and bowed. “Greetings King Bowser. How may I
help you today?”
“Heh…acting not as bratty today eh? You must be in a good mood.”
“Well besides getting a relaxing massage, I learned that this “Sachi”
character is currently here and fighting my minions.”
“I see…” Bowser replied. “I don’t need to remind you what happens if you
let me down Wendy, now do I?”
“N...no King Bowser.”
“Good. Bowser out.”
The transmission cut
off as Wendy had a panicked expression on her face. She snapped at the Goomba
standing next to her. “Well don’t just stand there. Get out there and make sure
her game ends!”
“Yes madam!” the Goomba replied before stuttering out the door. Wendy
turned back to the wall as she signaled the Koopa to continue massaging her
back.
----
As hard as they tried, no amount of Sachi’s fireballs could inflict a
considerable amount of damage on the giant Goombas. Even George, who was
repeatedly attempting to force the Koopas back into their shells, wasn’t having
much luck. Their enemies’ size was indeed the cause of their current woes, and
the duo were on a desperate defensive.
“This isn’t working!” George yelled.
“Gee, thanks for reminding me Captain Obvious!”
Another giant Goomba appeared behind Sachi and before she could react, the beast
jumped into the air and smashed her with a headbutt. Afterwards, it got up and
observed the young girl in the crater back to normal and not moving an inch.
“You think I overdid it?” the Goomba asked.
“Sure looks like it. Then again, Wendy did say take no prisoners.” The
two Goombas then turned to the giant red-shelled Koopa to see George tightly in
his grasp. Despite his struggle, the orange Toad couldn’t free himself.
“So what do we do with this one?” the Koopa asked.
“Not sure. I suppose we could take it to Madam Wendy.”
“Didn’t she say take no prisoners?”
“I say one of us eat him.”
Everyone turned to the Goomba who suggested with disgusted looks on their faces,
which caused him to retort with a simple “what.” This, however, gave George an
idea. He then searched around for any escape routes when he noticed a lone Warp
Pipe. “Bingo,” he said before opening his mouth as much as he could and chomped
his teeth onto the Koopa’s hand.
“YEEEEEOOOOOW!!!” the Koopa yelled. His grip loosened up enough to allow
George to leap out of his prison, falling to the ground. Upon landing, he made a
dash for the warp pipe as the Koopa sucked his thumb to reduce the pain. Before
the Goombas could reach him, the orange Toad leaped into the Warp Pipe and
teleported to a different location.
“Great he got away. Nice going Bob.”
“Hey don’t blame me. The little worm bit me!”
“Well this can’t get any worse, can it?”
Little did they know, however, Sachi was quietly taking the experimental Mega
Mushroom and fusing it together with her other Fire Flower. “I hope this works,”
she muttered before she started chomping on the mushroom. The horrible flavor of
the shroom almost made Sachi want to puke, but nonetheless she chugged it down
and finished it as quickly as she could. After swallowing the last bit, she felt
pain rip throughout her entire as she trembled uncontrollably. Sure enough, bits
of her body started getting bigger and bigger until she towered over the Koopa
and Goombas. Two of the grunts noticed the giant girl while the third questioned
the sudden shadow.
“Huh. Is it supposed to storm or something?” he muttered to himself.
“Uh Larry?”
“Well the weather Lakitu did say we’d get a storm today.”
“Larry…”
“Good thing I brought an umbrella.”
“LARRY!!!”
“What?!” said the Goomba as he turned around to see the gigantic girl
staring down at them with a sinister grin. “Oh…”
----
Back at the castle,
Wendy was sitting on the throne having her feet tended to when Para Goomba flew
in and landed on the ground.
“So…what is it this time?” Wendy asked.
“We have a…bit of a situation.”
“Like?” Before the Para Goomba could answer, a shattering noise echoed
the room and another Goomba flew in and crashed into the wall. As he slowly slid
down the wall he muttered about never flying again before disappearing in a puff
of smoke. “So, you’re telling me that you guys are getting your butts kicked by
one, stinking human?”
“Um…yes?”
“GUARDS!” Wendy yelled. In mere seconds, severally Sledge Bros. came
running into the throne room. “There’s a ruckus going on outside. I want you to
shut it up and shut it up good. You got that?”
“Yes madam!” roared the Sledge Bros. before they charged out the door.
Wendy drew her eyes together and sighed. “Can this day get any worse?” A Green
Koopa walked in with a set of plumbing tools.
“Madam the water is out again,” the plumber said.
“AGAIN?! THAT’S THE FIFTH TIME THIS WEEK!!!” Princess Apple couldn’t help
but snicker at the Koopaling’s anger but made sure to keep it under her breath
lest not to have Wendy hear her.
----
Back outside, countless Koopas and Goombas were being knocked away as
Sachi charged right through them thanks to the power of the Mega Mushroom. As
she charged, George hung on to the girl’s hat for dear life while making sure to
dodge anything that flew by. They eventually reached the lake of the island
where the castle sat. As Sachi looked around for a way to cross the water George
dropped off her hat and landed on her shoulder.
“Geez you were brutal to all these thugs. Did you had some pent-up anger
or something that you needed to let out?”
“Nah. I just had that adrenaline pumping you know? It felt so good having
that rush.”
“Then perhaps next time you can try to be a little less destructive?”
George said while pointing back at the ruined pathway littered with fallen trees
and smashed rocks and warp pipes. A drop of sweat slid down Sachi’s head.
“I guess I did get a little carried away.”
“I think “a little” is a bit of an understatement.”
Sachi let out a nervous laugh before turning her attention back to the lake. She
noticed a trail to the castle connected by a bridge; however, in front, a large,
black fortress loomed over the scenery.
“Looks like that’s the only path to the castle. I’m guessing the fortress
is some kind of checkpoint or something?”
George took out the map from his pocket and examined it closely. “Looks
like it. Used to be an abandoned fortress that Bowser used when the Koopalings
were causing havoc across the kingdom a few years back, but apparently, they
remodeled it to act as a gateway of some kind for the locals. Probably housed by
Sledge Bros. right now.”
“Sledge Bros?”
“Basically beefed-up Hammer Bros.”
“Ah.”
“They’re probably around your current size right now, but that doesn’t
mean we can be careless.”
“Please I can smash through them easily.”
George let out a sigh. “Sachi you got to stop thinking you’re invincible
all the time because you can use power-ups. Remember that one incident that
nearly ended your game?” Sachi looked down at the ground trying to avoid
remembering that incident. She knew George was right. Even her Mega form has
limits, but she keeps trying to ignore that fact. She then let out a long sigh.
“You’re right. Sorry.”
“Hey you’re still learning kid. Now about that plan…”
----
Ten minutes had passed after the two heroes came up with a plan. After
scouting ahead to see the amount of security they were going to deal with,
George returned to the giant-sized Sachi and informed her of his findings.
“We’re in luck. Only two Sledge Bros. are guarding the checkpoint.”
“Guess the others are out searching for us.”
“Probably. Works to our advantage nonetheless. You got the rock ready?”
Sachi nodded as she pulled out a decent size rock. The plan was to get the
Sledge Bros. to start arguing and, hopefully, get them to fight each other.
Sachi was skeptical that they would even fall for that at first, but changed her
mind once George explained that Sledge Bros. weren’t exactly smart. With that in
mind, the two enacted the plan.
----
Sachi slowly approached the opening to the castle and peered around the
corner to see the two Sledge Bros. standing in position but looking in the wrong
direction. This made the giant girl’s job easier as she slowly moved further
into the open only to stop when she felt she was in the right spot. With a
single throw, the rock hit the Sledge Bro. dead on his cheek. The Koopa then
yelled in pain as the rock bounced on the floor in front of the other Koopa.
“What the heck was that for?!” the left Sledge Bros. said to his
colleague.
“What are you talking about?”
“You hit me with a rock!”
“No I didn’t. You must be imagining things.”
“Then why is the rock in front of your feet!?”
The Sledge Bro. looked down to see the rock right in front of him, but before he
could retort in defense the other Koopa tackled him into the wall. The two then
started a fighting frenzy as they took their hammers and bonked each other. This
worked to Sachi’s advantage and she immediately dashed past the Sledge Bros and
towards the castle.
“I can’t believe that actually worked,” Sachi said.
“I told you. Complete. Meatheads.”
It didn’t take long for Sachi to cross the bridge to the island where the
castle stood. As she got closer though, she became more and more awestruck at
how huge it was. She wasted no time running for the entrance though as she knew
that Wendy was aware of their presence. When she and George reached the door,
they tried to open it, but it was locked tight.
“How are we supposed to get in now?” Sachi asked her comrade.
“Hmm…there’s most likely a pipe system outside the castle somewhere. If
we can find it, we can get inside the castle undetected.” George turned to see
Sachi’s expression become disgusted, but it didn’t surprise him since this
wasn’t the first time she’s been in an underground pipe system. “Oh suck it up
Sachi. It’s not going to be the last sewer you’ll be sticking your head into.”
“Easy for you to say. You’re not the one going through it.”
“Yeah there’s that too.” He started to chuckle, but immediately stopped
when he saw Sachi glare at him. “I’m kidding!”
“You better be or you’ll find yourself swimming.” Sachi then rushed away
from the door unaware that a Para Goomba had been observing them from beside the
window that led to the throne room.
Underground, Sachi had a tough time navigating through the sewer. While
the stench wasn’t the worst in the world, the sewer itself was incredibly narrow
making it hard for Sachi to move around. Having George use a flashlight didn’t
help much either given how small the light was to her.
“I didn’t expect the underground dungeon to be this small considering
we’re on an island populated by giants. Maybe it was used for normal sized
people?”
“Don’t know and don’t care,” Sachi muttered. “All I know is that I’m
going to need a long shower after this.” George held back snickering at the
giantess as she continued to navigate through the tunnel.
An hour passed before the two eventually reached the end of the pipeline.
Much to their dismay, however, they found themselves at a dead-end.
“Dead-end. Great. Now where’s the exit George?”
“Um…” he started to say while flashing the light around for some sort of
door or hole. “I don’t think there is one.” He then turned to see the giant
girl’s eye twitch. “Um…Sachi?” The giant girl then let out a massive scream of
anger that rattled the entire sewer and shook the ground above. Surprisingly
though, the two Sledge Bros. that were fighting with each other were completely
oblivious to the sudden shaking. The same couldn’t be said for Wendy, who
covered her ears to drown out the massive burst of noise.
“What in star’s name is that racket?!” she yelled.
None of the Koopas could make out what she was saying though, but Princess Apple
knew better. She looked down to see the floor start to crack. Within moments,
the floor gave way and Sachi burst out from the rubble with George hanging for
dear life on her skirt. Wendy and the Koopas were all surprised by the giant
girl’s sudden appearance, but Apple was so happy to know that a hero came to
rescue her and her people.
“So, it was you after all brat,” Wendy growled. She then pointed her
finger at Sachi. “Guards! Seize her!” The Koopas immediately charged forward for
Sachi, but she simply held out her hand and in a loud “pop” her hammer appeared
at a massive size. She then slammed her hammer at the side of the first Koopa
that got near her before jumping to avoid some of the others charging at her.
Next, she landed on top of a green Koopa forcing it inside its shell before
landing beside it and kicking it into the rest of the Koopas. The shell then
bounced off the wall and slide straight for Saphi, but with quick reflexes she
slammed her hammer into it so hard that the green Koopa flew right out one of
the castle’s windows. As for the other Koopas, they all landed on their backs
and wiggled around a bit before disappearing in a puff of smoke. Sachi then
turned to Wendy, who was trembling in anger.
“Ah what’s the matter? Did I ruin your party or something?” Sachi said
with a mischievous grin.
“How…in…the…blazes…” Wendy struggled to say, her anger spewing out like
hot, billowing steam.
“Did I kick your minion’s butts?”
“DID YOU RUIN THE FLOOR? I mean come on kid this is some good, fashion
work here, and you ruined it!”
Sachi looked dumbstruck. “I beat the pulp out of your minions and you’re
complaining about the floor? Wow…someone needs to get their priorities in
order.”
“Um Sachi? You might want to tone it down on the insults,” George said.
“Wendy Koopa has a bit of a…” Before George could finish though Wendy let out an
enraged scream that shook the entire castle, with the shockwave nearly knocking
the bird cage Princess Apple was in as a result.
“…very bad temper,” George finished.
Just then, a wand suddenly appeared in Wendy’s hand and she immediately waved it
to fire off several rings that homed in on Sachi. “Not good,” Sachi said before
rolling to the right to avoid the rings crashing into the wall, but to her
surprise the rings then bounced off the wall and hit Sachi square on her arm.
She grunted a bit from the pain, but nonetheless the rings only left a bruise as
they retreated to Wendy.
“That Mega Mushroom isn’t going to save you this time, you oversized
brat!” she said before swinging her wand forward causing the rings to fly
towards Sachi. The giant girl took a defensive stance and blocked all the rings
that hit her, sending them flying backwards
“Sachi you’re going to have to get in closer to strike Wendy. Even the
Mega Mushroom has a limit to how much punishment it can take.”
“Thanks for the warning. Here goes nothing!” Immediately, Sachi dashed
directly towards Wendy. As she closed in, the Koopaling waved her wand again and
summoned more rings to let loose at the giant girl. This time, however, Sachi
was ready and made a quick dash left while the rings hit the wall. Seeing the
opportunity, she quickly jumped over Wendy and rolled away causing the Koopa to
become distracted before the rings tackled into her shell. The brunt of the
rings colliding caused Wendy to fall forward. “Now’s
my chance,” Sachi thought before running back towards Wendy. However, Wendy
quickly retreated into her shell and started spinning at high speeds before
ramming into Sachi sending her flying back against the wall while knocking
George off her shoulder. The heroine let out a yelp of pain, but Wendy wasted no
time immediately returning to normal before firing off more rings. This time,
however, the rings latched on to Sachi’s arms and legs before digging themselves
into the wall preventing her from moving.
“Hehe. I learned a few tricks over the years, but you can thank Mario for
that,” Wendy said while walking towards the trapped girl. “Still, you’re just as
big of a pain as he is, and in more ways than one.” She then pointed her wand
directly at Sachi’s face. “So, brat, any last words before I end your game?”
“I don’t, but he does,” Sachi replied with a smirk. Suddenly, George
appeared out of nowhere and dove towards Wendy’s wand jewel with Sachi’s hammer
in tow.
“GEORGE SMASH!!!” he said before swinging the hammer down on the crystal
with full force causing it to shatter into pieces. With its magic gone, the
rings holding Sachi in place vanished allowing her to quickly raise her fist.
“Open wide!” Sachi yelled before lunging her fist with full force into
Wendy’s face sending her flying across the room and into the opposite wall. The
impact created a large crack in the wall, but nonetheless the blow was hard
enough to knock Wendy out cold. “And that’s game.”
----
Several minutes later Sachi and George finished freeing the people from
their cells and gathering them up in the throne room with Princess Apple. Sadly,
Prince Hugo wasn’t among them which saddened the population. “Bowser must have
taken him to a different location like the other rulers of the kingdom. Still,
the people should be fine for the time being,” George said.
“Are you sure? I mean it’ll be hard for them to live their lives as
normal sized people while everything else is big.”
“That won’t be a problem lass.” Everyone turned to see the old, professor
Goomba walking towards the two adventurers.
“You…how did you get all the way here?” Sachi asked.
“Portable Warp Pipe. Very convenient thing to have on you. Anyway, as I
was saying the size issue won’t be a problem thanks to this.” The old Goomba
then pulled out what appeared to be a larger version of the 1-up Mushroom. “I
managed to save one of the mushrooms exclusively native to Giant Land. Sadly,
it’ll only work on one person.” Everyone looked around to see who would be the
one to eat the mushroom, but after a few seconds they all turned their attention
to Princess Apple.
“Me? But why?” she asked.
“Well it should be obvious. You are currently the ruler of Giant Land and
I’m sure you will make good use of your giant size for your people.”
“But won’t the mushroom change into a Poison Shroom if she tries to eat
it?” George asked.
“As I said, I managed to save the mushroom from the curse inflicted by
Bowser. However, there’s a fifty percent chance that it will backfire.”
“Fifty?!”
“Yes, well I was in a bit of a rush. Nonetheless, I’m sure everything
will be fine.” The old Goomba then turned to Princess Apple. “Are you willing to
take that risk, Princess?”
A determined look appeared on Apple’s face. “Of course. I’ll do anything
for my people.” She then took the mushroom and stuffed it in her mouth. As she
chewed she felt her entire body surge with pain before it became too much for
her to ignore causing her to swallow the mushroom and grab her stomach in pain.
“Princess!” the citizens shouted as Apple crouched down on the ground. Just
then, her body began to grow at a fast pace.
“Well looks like it worked,” the professor Goomba said. Unknown to him
though, Apple grew past her original height and her head bumped against the roof
before she stopped growing. The citizens quickly ran behind Sachi’s shoe as
debris from the cracks formed on the roof fell to the floor.
“I’d say it worked a little too well doc,” Sachi replied as she shielded
her face from the dropping rocks.
“Darn it. I knew I set the amplifier for the mushroom too high.”
“Then why didn’t you lower it in the first place you old fart?!” George
yelled.
“Hey even scientists make mistakes, and don’t call me old fart, whipper
snapper.”
“Alright, alright, calm down,” Sachi said. She then looked up at the
massive princess. “Apple, you okay?”
“Besides being too big to fit in my own castle, peachy.”
“No need to be snarky, you know.” Just then, a weird feeling overcame
Sachi and she found herself starting to shrink. “What…what’s going on?”
“Hmm…well that’s unfortunate,” the old Goomba said.
“What the heck I thought your Mega Mushroom didn’t have a time limit?”
George retorted just as Sachi returned to her original height.
“Hmm…it’s possible that performing power-up fusion on my Mega Mushroom
canceled out the amplified effect I programed into it. I’ll have to make sure my
next one will be compatible with it.”
“Shouldn’t you focus on fixing her first doc?” George asked while
pointing to Princess Apple.
“No. Don’t worry about me,” said the massive princess her voice causing
the whole room to shake and everyone to cover their ears. “Sorry.”
“Yeah probably should fix that first.”
----
A few days later Sachi and George stood in front of the warp pipe that
led back to the mainland. Behind them, the citizens of Giant Land as well as
Princess Apple, who was back to her original, giant size were saying their
thanks for what the two had done for them. With a simple wave, the two heroes
jumped into the warp pipe and, once they arrived, met up with the old Goomba.
“Glad I caught you before you headed off,” he said.
“Doc? What are you doing here?” George asked.
“He’s here to give that special Mega Mushroom, right?”
“Right on the mark, young lady,” he replied before bringing out his
suitcase. “Now I managed to modify it to work with power-up fusion, but you only
get one chance with this one. Once you turn it off, it’s gone for good. Couldn’t
fix that I’m afraid.”
“It’s alright, doc. I’ll just have to use it when the time comes to use
it,” Sachi replied while placing the mushroom in her hat.
“Use it well, youngster. Now if you’ll excuse me I must return to my
lab.” The old Goomba then pulled out a red pipe and placed it on the ground
where, in a puff of smoke, grew into a warp pipe. He jumped into the warp pipe
before it disappeared in a puff of smoke. The two
adventurers just stared at the space where the pipe was before turning to each
other.
“You know, I just realized something,” Sachi said.
“And what’s that?”
“There wasn’t a piece of the Sacred Mushroom in Giant Land.”
“You’re right…which means we wasted several days for nothing!”
“Oh come on we helped out a kingdom escape tyranny from one of the
Koopalings and I got a new toy as a bonus.”
“How many times do I need to tell you that power-ups aren’t toys?” George
yelled.
“You’re just jealous you can’t use them.”
“I am not!”
As the two continue to bicker, a figure floated above them in what appeared to
be a Clown Car. He was using binoculars to get a good look at the two heroes
bickering while walking. “Tch…figures that stupid Wendy would mess this up. Papa
isn’t going to be very happy about this.” He then formed a large grin. “I think
I’ll take care of things now. Oh, Papa will be so proud of me. He might even
give me a raise in my allowance.” The figure then flew off into the distance
while Sachi and George headed for the next kingdom in hopes of finding another
piece of the Sacred Mushroom, and end Bowser’s plan.
END