The loud cries of seagulls mingled with the harsh sounds of clanging metal as Mario came out of Ricco Station and emerged into the wide open morning beyond. The air instantly smelled of fresh seafood, which greeted him like a wave; and possibly due to the shady atmosphere, the sun didn't beat down on him right away. The very first vibe he got was that this place was a busy one – at least most of the time.

   Never one to be dissuaded by talk of monsters, Mario had quickly left the quivering gossipers in the train station and come out to see for himself. Right away their fears had not seemed well-grounded; there was nothing dangerous that Mario could at first perceive. Only the typical hustle and bustle one would expect of a seaside harbor.

   Exiting the underground station he had found himself on a small fishing platform or port of some sort; they had come out on the far western side of the harbor, beside some enormous colorful storage warehouses against the overlooking rock wall. There was no shortage of piled crates and small fishing boats sitting around either – Mario saw with some surprise that some of the canoes nearby were filled with fresh-caught squid and clams, eyes still staring blankly. A couple of salty-looking sailors stood talking nearby – they appeared to have walked right into some big operation.

   Tilting his head up towards the cloudy sky, Mario inhaled the briny air and let it out with contentment. "Ahh, wonderful Ricco Harbor," he sighed.

   "You have been here before?" Fludd asked.

   Mario shrugged. "Well no, but you've gotta love the food!" he replied honestly.

   Fludd turned to the scene before them and immediately began his appraisal. "Ricco Harbor, Delfino's panoramic port city," he said. "Home to boats of all sizes and a thriving tourist trade. They have the freshest seafood for miles around, so most of Isle Delfino's delicacies come from here."

   "You had me at freshest seafood," Mario answered dreamily, glancing around as if expecting to find a restaurant at the nearest corner.

   "Yes, usually they run an impressive operation, but right now there appears to be some sort of hold up," his machine replied, all business. "I suppose we should take a look around."

   From here they could already see that the rest of the harbor was quite the hotspot – beyond the short ramp which sloped off into the rest of the surrounding water, two impressively enormous ocean liners sat parked idle by the dock, lapping waves beating against their sides. Extending behind that for a good ways was laid out the rest of Ricco: hanging over the water beside the port was a hodgepodge of metal framework, precarious catwalks and small platforms high above where a few piantas seemed to be working. From what Mario could see behind the boats, there was some sort of giant cage suspended in the center and an enormous rotor which appeared to control a hanging yellow submarine.

   If he needed any more convincing that this was a major building operation, the larger port on the left side, which consisted of a few large buildings against the rock wall, was cluttered with big piles of bricks and other building materials laid out across most of the blacktop. A seemingly unfinished tower of some kind stood at the nearest corner, apparently left alone for the time being in mid-construction. Aside from the few piantas he could see, the entire harbor felt strangely quiet. Where was everybody?

   Mario nodded in agreement. "Well, let's go!" Coming forward to where the two nearest sailors stood, Mario raised a hand in greeting. "Hey," he called.

   Surprised, the piantas looked up to see the young human coming out of the train station. He was small, even for a grown man; and the odd machine he had strapped to his back looked like something thrown together from a scrap heap. Lastly, he had 'tourist' written all over him. Surely he hadn't been sent to help with the construction or anything; he looked about as out of place as a pineapple at the watermelon festival.

   "Hey there, buddy," one called as he came to stop beside them. Before Mario got a chance to speak, he said, "Look, I don't know if you heard the news, but this area is kinda dangerous right now. There's a... disturbance on the far side of the harbor."

   Mario nodded. "What's the problem exactly?"

   "It's pretty bad," the sailor replied. "Apparently we've got a giant squid or something on the loose. It ravaged the east side, totally mucked up the harbor. The fishing has been impossible with all this pollution."

   His partner nodded supportively. "Yeah, I hate to say it, but we've been unable to get any new supplies or send shipments for the past couple of days. Even communication with the plaza has been sketchy until just recently." Pausing to look the human over, he added, "I don't think it's a good idea to let the public back in here at a time like this."

   The young man before them widened his eyes in what appeared to be genuine surprise. "But you mean you've been unable to make new catches? Who's going to supply the island?"

   "Well, we're doing the best we can," the first sailor replied. "But if something doesn't change soon, we will have to cut back."

   The human looked horrified. "Well we can't let that happen! I'll go check it out," he determined, already looking to the harbor past them.

   "What? But you – Listen, I highly advise against going over there," the sailor began. "Did you hear what I said? It's extremely dangerous!"

   The man shrugged almost indifferently. "It's okay, I'll be alright."

   The pianta blinked and looked at his companion. "Uh, are you crazy? There's a monster over there, it'll -

   But it was no use; the human had already walked off, eyeing with considerable interest the Handysize container ship behind them, where a short metal plank led right up onto its deck above. They couldn't prevent him from climbing aboard it either; they were only laborers, and that ship was under repairs right now anyway. The first sailor just stood there and stared for a second as the bold little human climbed right up the ramp and dropped down into its deck, disappearing from sight.

   He shook his head. "And you're just gonna go right in there, aren't you."

   His friend came to stand beside him and slowly nodded. "Well... he's dead!"

~

   Mario ran a hand along the old metal interior of the container ship, looking up and around with mild interest. The worn red and black painted walls showed years of long wear, and the musty smell that came to greet him was more than a little unpleasant. This ship must not have seen action for a little while.

   Mario put his hands on his hips as he surveyed the metal cage-like platform above him, covering most of the open surface of the ship. "Hm. Whaddya think this ship was used for?"

   "It is anyone's guess," Fludd replied in an unusually unhelpful way.

   Nearby, a pianta in a cabin boy's uniform was standing in the opposite corner, mopping the floor and unsuccessfully trying to shoo off some yellow spider-like creatures. He seemed to be having an increasingly tough time with it, sighing in aggravation each time the annoying things got in his way. Naturally, Mario went over to him.

   "Yep, this has gotta be just about the worst job in the entire harbor," he said aloud, probably to himself as he hadn't noticed his visitor yet. At the sudden sound of Mario's approach he nearly jumped. Taking a deep breath of frustration, he straightened up and looked Mario over in surprise. "Hey, what are you doing in here?"

   "I'm looking for a way to the other side of the port," the human replied, seemingly unconcerned that he had just walked right onto one of the captain's ships.

   The pianta looked him over doubtfully for a second, then shrugged. "You can get over from topside," he said, gesturing to the small opening in the chain-link covering above them. Turning back somewhat grumpily to his work, he added, "Not sure why you'd wanna do that, though."

   Ignoring his comment, Mario turned his attention elsewhere. "Thanks!"

   He was just about to jump up through the opening when a sudden thought hit him and he stopped, turning back for a moment. Well, it wouldn't hurt to help the guy out.

   Taking one of Fludd's handles, he shot a sudden blast of water across the deck near where he stood, giving an extra boost to the pianta's work and dispersing the annoying spiders in the process. Mario had encountered the like before – they were called klambers, and usually dwelt anywhere water was involved. They were especially fond of climbing things and hanging out in musty places – hence the issue.

   In shock, the cabin boy looked up at him and stared. He looked like he wanted to say something but wasn't sure what.

   "Those guys might be a little annoying, but if you hit 'em with a little of that mop water they shouldn't be too much trouble," Mario told him, giving him a friendly wink. Then in one quick bound, he jumped up and grabbed the metal caging overhead, pulling himself deftly up through the hole and out of the deck, leaving the surprised pianta behind. Turning back to his task at hand, the pianta stared at the now-distant klambers and blinked.

   In the open air again, Mario stood on the ship's upper deck and glanced around. He was near the rear of the ship now; the towering smokestack rose from the small cabin beside him – it must have been the captain's quarters. Putting a hand on it to ensure he didn't fall from the small path leading around to the back, Mario advanced forward and came around to the stern. To his surprise, he found a lone pianta standing there, looking out over the rest of the harbor in silent yet intent observation. Although a little skeptical, Mario quickly came forward to greet him.

   "Excuse me, sir –

   "What's this, now?" the older pianta asked, turning at the sound of his unexpected company. Mario could immediately see that the man was in charge, likely the aforementioned captain of the ship given the showy admiral's hat he wore, adorned with the medallion of a shine sprite in the front. He wore small glasses that seemed beyond the times, and his faded blue skin almost resembled the farthest reaches of the sky above the horizon. His gray mustache spoke of numerous long voyages over the high seas, and still smelled of it, too – Mario almost wanted to back away upon getting closer. He supposed sea life was just another aspect of living on Isle Delfino: you were probably gonna smell like the ocean – or worse – all the time.

   Adjusting his jacket, the captain looked over the young man beside him now with interest. Surprisingly, he did not seem at all offended by his sudden trespassing right onto his ship – a problem Mario was all-too-familiar with sometimes.

   "Well, you look like a capable young lad. Captain Jenkins," he said, offering a big hand.

   Mario shook it and offered a smile. "Mario," he said. "I'm uh... here about the pollution." Pausing for a second when the man didn't reply, he frowned. "Do you know what exactly is going on around here?"

   Captain Jenkins sighed and shook his head. "Just look," he said, sweeping an arm across the open waters below them.

   Mario almost forgot to breathe for a moment. There spread out before them was the rest of Ricco's waters; but indeed, one could hardly tell it was water anymore by looking at it. As if hit by the most terrible oil spill, the entire harbor was coated in a deathly black sludge, covering the surface of the water and making any operation indeed seem rather futile. Looking more, Mario could see what appeared to be the goop's source leaking off the edge of the port nearby, dripping down the wall from what appeared to be a big pile of storage crates at the end of the port. Tilting his head dubiously, Mario pointed.

   "What's that over there?"

   The captain paused and followed his gaze. "That? Oh... well that's where the old boy is hiding."

   Mario raised his eyebrows and glanced at him. "The thing that caused all this...?"

   Captain Jenkins looked at him and grinned. "I'll bet you could take him rather easily," he said.

   Mario turned to him. "Yeah?"

   "Sure you could! You're a strong fellow; not unlike myself at your age, anyway. I'd be over there battling it right now if I weren't so old."

   Mario detected more than just age beneath his hesitation, but he didn't really care. With a shake of his head, he straightened up. "Well, I've gotta find a way over there."

   Captain Jenkins raised his eyebrows and looked him over in surprise. "So you're serious then, are you now? Well, it's a bit tricky," he replied. "You can use the catwalks or –

   "That's okay, I've got a better way," Mario interrupted, taking hold of the handles on his fancy machine and switching a button. In an instant, he was equipped with a showy water jetpack of some sort, ready for liftoff.

   The captain broke into a smile. "Well, look at that! What'd I tell ya, huh? It'll be a piece of cake."

   Mario chuckled. "Sure. Well, see you later." Then he pushed down on his handles and blasted away over the gap towards the edge of the port.

   "Hey, listen," the captain called after him. "Thanks a bunch for doing this for us. You're a real soldier!"

   Watching him go, Captain Jenkins shook his head to himself. He barely even knew the guy, so there was no real harm in sending him; but clearly he was pretty foolish. More foolish even than most of the other sailors – although this one didn't look like a sailor at all. Who was he, then? He had just appeared rather mysteriously...

   Well, nothing of it. Somebody had to deal with this issue, so why not him? When the young man had successfully landed on the other side and run off towards the end of the port, Captain Jenkins muttered under his breath.

   "Ooh, that kid is doomed."

~

   "I hope you don't mind my saying so, but do you really believe it is wise to head right into this apparent danger?" Fludd asked as Mario almost skipped along the port towards the end of the harbor.

   The person carrying him didn't slow. "Well, maybe not... but that doesn't matter, they need our help! You want my advice, don't consider danger when you've got a job to do. That's how I get most things done."

   "Oh, I'm sure," Fludd answered almost to himself as Mario slowed to a halt near the end of the port. This human was even more free with danger than the machine himself was willing to be sometimes. He could already tell it would be all he could do to keep the guy from killing himself.

   Upon reaching the ground overlooking the water, the two had landed beside the strip of buildings along the rock wall alongside the harbor, right beside a ledge which dropped down to the small construction site with the unfinished tower. Here there was a small water fountain and, blocking most of the view, two enormous tanks of some sort built by the edge. Mario would have guessed they contained water or something, but the faded labels on the sides of the giant barrels seemed to indicate they in fact held fruit.

   Overhead, a narrow bridge connected the tops of the buildings with the catwalks high above. Frowning upwards for just a second, Mario paused as he took it in thoughtfully. Fludd could already see that he was considering getting up there for one reason or another.

   "Hey," a voice nearby suddenly called out.

   Looking around, Mario soon spotted the lone pianta standing beneath one of the big fruit tanks and fanning himself with an old rag.

   "You shouldn't go any closer there, fella," he called. "There's a reason this place is near deserted. Gooper's camped over there – giant squid. Pretty dangerous, offhand."

   Tilting his head, Mario came over to him, although there was by no means any compliance in his gaze. "Gooper?"

   The pianta man nodded. "That's what everybody calls the monster. Gooper Blooper, Party Pooper. Ricco's definitely not the same ever since he came here. No one should be even getting near it."

   "That's okay," Mario answered, almost amused. "Captain Jenkins sent me to take care of this."

   The pianta started and looked him up and down for a split second. "What? Are you serious?"

   "He would appear to be," Fludd spoke up.

   The pianta man jerked a startled gaze to the machine on Mario's back, now beginning to look as if he'd lost his mind. "I know I heard that thing talk," he said almost stupidly, pointing to the water pump and staring at Mario.

   The young man just chuckled. "Well, he's right," he replied.

   The pianta, now thoroughly unsettled, shook his head and began to back away. "Look, don't say I didn't warn you," he said. "But Captain Jenkins is an old phony. You shouldn't trust anything he says."

   Mario, already not listening, had turned and started for the enormous pile of storage crates stacked tauntingly in the plaza at the end of the port. There, as promised, was an enormous puddle of the same black sludge; and protruding warningly from one of the boxes, hanging motionless out the side, a giant white and blue tentacle, several yards long, was just visible. If ever seafood had looked intimidating, this was it.

   "My, this Gooper must be a big fella," Fludd commented over Mario's shoulder. "He must be sleeping in there."

   Mario, stopped right before it, didn't reply. For half a second it seemed that perhaps he had thought better of it, might have turned around; but Fludd's suspicions were soon proved wrong. Before he knew it Mario had rushed over, grabbed the end of the long, enormous tentacle, and was yanking back on it with all his might.

   Apparently Mario had never been told to let a sleeping dog lie, or so it seemed to Fludd in that one moment. There was an awful stretch sound for a moment as he pulled the tentacle like a child with putty, determined to bend it to his will. Fludd moved his head to see and amended his thought. No, he probably just doesn't care.

   A couple of suspended seconds later, the inevitable happened: like most aquatic creatures, the dangling tentacle that Mario was pulling finally gave way and came loose, ripped clean off the host as easily as if it had been putty. Stumbling back at the violent backlash, Mario stared at the giant, gross tentacle now flopping madly all over the ground in the slime like disembodied limbs do. It could have very easily caused queasiness in the average person.

   "Well, I guess you've already got some sort of action plan," Fludd commented.

   Glancing back up at the crate in surprise, Mario paused for a moment and stared, aware of the rather noisy squid arm squirming all over the blacktop beside him but choosing to ignore it. Oh no, that wasn't good.

   Almost so suddenly they both jumped, the box on the top of the pile exploded, bursting from the inside and sending wood planks flying. For a moment the entire little plaza was covered in an ominously dark shadow as its former inhabitant almost rocketed into the sky, pausing for a moment in midair as if testing its ability to fly, and then ultimately realizing that it could not.

   The harbor was entirely silent for a couple of seconds as Mario gazed upwards, almost stupefied for a moment, at the giant arachnid-shaped shadow falling down towards him. There was no time for Fludd to say anything if he had wanted to.

   Suddenly realizing the danger he was in, Mario began to turn in an attempt to move before the thing utterly crushed him. But that split moment was not quite enough time; and in another second, reality abruptly hit again as the giant squid slammed onto the ground, destroying the remaining crates below. The force of his landing was so great that it somehow hit Mario's back like a shockwave, sending the tiny human flying several feet off the ground before tumbling to a stop a few yards away. Taking the fall like an expert, he managed to roll and landed upright, facing the beast he had just awakened.

[There should be a GIF or video here. Update the app now to see it.]

   It was certainly not something to be messed around with. The squid was enormous – not quite as big as Petey Piranha had been, but the seemingly endless tentacles more than made up for his smaller body. He was mostly white, like ordinary bloopers were; but the resemblance pretty much ended there. This one had markings; colorful blue spots dappled his volcano-shaped body and tips of his limbs, making him look even more like something that belonged in an aquarium. On one side was his face, big enough to equal about Mario's whole body, with strange purple eyes staring blankly at him from behind a black layer of goop. The spear-shaped top of his head was the only real giveaway that he even was a blooper at all, as his unique and slightly creepy spiderlike stance didn't ring a bell with any of Mario's old biology classes. Must be another mutant, for sure.

    Emitting a low, garbled screech, Gooper Blooper reared up its four giant tentacles, as if anticipating a tasty meal. Accepting the invitation like a challenge, Mario stepped forward fearlessly.

   He approached a little tentatively at first, unsure of exactly how to fight it. Carefully taking in his opponent in just a couple of seconds, he soon observed that Gooper only appeared to have four of the larger tentacles; the others were shorter, little half-length ones. And he had already ripped one of the larger ones off... how many had the guy already lost?

   As Fludd had speculated, then, Mario quickly assumed that the surest way to beat the thing was to remove all its large tentacles. It was a gross job, maybe; but Mario didn't think it very complicated. At least, not very much.

   "Mario, look out for the slap!" Fludd warned, just as the quartet of enormous arms came hitting the pavement inches from where they were. Jumping aside, Mario just managed to dodge the hit in time.

   Keeping light on his feet, he circled around to the monster's side, only to be followed closely by the waiting tentacles. Weaving between two close-hitting ones, Mario barely avoided being caught by the end of one.

   "Those things look mighty sticky," he remarked aloud, quickly darting around to the squid's other side. Disturbed by how fast it was able to hound on him, he added, "Any ideas for getting him to hold still?"

   "Well you won't get anywhere with all those flying limbs after you," Fludd began over the noise of Gooper's screech.

   "Yeah, I think you're right," Mario agreed over his own jumping, almost a little satirically. 

   "Mario, I believe you should aim for the head," Fludd said, constantly having to move his own head around to see past his owner's hectic dodging. "It seems to have some sort of protective coat. Try attacking its face!"

   Okay, but I'm a little busy at the moment! the human thought as he darted out of the way of a particularly heavy-sounding slap of one of the blooper's tentacles. So far this 'fight' had been very one-sided; indeed, it was little more than dodging the squid's merciless attempts to squash him. Although he appeared big and blundering, he had surprising precision.

   Running a further distance away, Mario quickly stopped and turned, lingering for just a moment right where the blooper could easily reach him. The instant's pause was too good for Gooper to pass up, and without a second thought he took the bait.

   Jumping up like a ninja, Mario sprang from his feet just before the blooper would have nailed him, causing all four tentacles to collide at the same spot beneath him. Landing atop them all in a spectacular show of timing, Mario soon discovered how slimy they really were.

   "Woah!" Just barely managing to avoid slipping to the ground, Mario jumped back and instantly seized on one of the enormous tentacles. The moment's confusion was all he needed to get ahold of one.

   It was thick and slimy in his gloves; he could barely even get his hands all the way around it. Doing the same as he had done before, he quickly and firmly held on and pulled back, stretching out the confused blooper's arm like string. There was that sickening sound again – and Gooper's squirming soon confirmed that it was likely as uncomfortable as it sounded.

   "My, isn't this disturbing," Fludd said as they observed the limb finally come off and go twitching madly all over the ground. Running a good distance away from it to avoid getting tangled, Mario was too busy to answer.

   By now he had noticed there wasn't much to Gooper Blooper's attacks other than trying to smash him into the ground, so by following his former tactic of taunting and avoiding him, he was soon able to trick the squid into getting another. By the time he'd torn off the second, it almost felt like he was cruising.

   With half of his problem out of the way, Mario ran around to the front and stopped, seizing on Fludd's handles in a sudden change of tactic. Then he opened fire on the blooper's gunky face.

   Scowling and writhing like most victims did, at first Gooper seemed almost defenseless. Then a giant, heavy tentacle came smashing down on him from nowhere.

   "Mario!" Fludd exclaimed as he stumbled back, dazed and coated with some invisible slime. That thing hit like a slap – it was nothing to be taken lightly. Looking momentarily stunned, Mario shook his head and glanced around, as if trying to grasp what had happened.

   Ultimately appearing to be alright, Fludd went on, "Be careful! You'd better eliminate all the tentacles first."

   Quickly coming back to the present, Mario nodded and sidestepped away. Those tentacles were shockingly heavy, and for a second Mario had thought he'd had the wind knocked out of him. But another few moments back in the fight and he seemed none the worse.

   It was clearly obvious that 'being careful' was impossible when the only way to catch his tentacles was by baiting him. Several times the suctioning arms very nearly caught him again; it was only with some sort of expert-like acrobatics that Mario somehow managed to keep from being further hit. But luckily, it seemed that Mario had already been trained in giant squid combat.

   After getting off another giant, convulsing limb, Mario circled around to the back, prepared to give it one more go. Just one last tentacle...

   But Gooper Blooper knew when he was threatened. As Mario paused, waiting for him to strike down one more time with the remaining limb he had, the blooper abruptly jumped, lifting up into the air a little and unleashing a wave of black sludge onto the ground around him. Spinning in a complete circle, he sent the goop flying everywhere in the vicinity, covering the ground.

   Jumping back in surprise, Mario just missed getting hit by the wave. The blooper almost had him up against the far rock wall, and with the slime now everywhere it would only make running all the harder. Not to mention getting the squid ink out of his clothes.

   "Well, we appear to have agitated him," Fludd said as they watched Gooper flail in his own slop. "I was wondering when he might hit you with his ink."

   Only pausing for a second to catch a breath, Mario sprang forward again, making a wide circle around the puddle. He wanted to avoid getting in it as much as he could – if he got trapped in there he might be unable to quickly dodge and he'd be pretty much at Gooper's mercy.

   Parking himself near a building corner a safer distance away, Mario suddenly stopped and turned, unleashing Fludd's jet at the black-covered playing field. As soon as the ink started to wash away Gooper Blooper screeched.

   "There! Now might be your chance to catch him," Fludd instructed.

   Abandoning his place, Mario instantly went forward on the clear ground, dancing around temptingly in Gooper's reach. Another moment and it had struck.

   Seizing on the overgrown tentacle, Mario struggled to hold on to its even slicker surface – aside from his own natural texture, the squid was also covered in his own ink. Ignoring all that in an attempt to keep it under control, he yanked back with all his might, determined not to let it go.

   Several long seconds of struggling and pulling later, the tentacle finally came off, sending Mario falling backwards and leaving the arm to flop crazily around in the black goop. It was easily one of the grossest battlefields Mario had ever seen.

   Scrambling up, Mario raced forward. With all the giant pesky limbs now gone, he came forward practically undisturbed and, after a moment's observation, grabbed the blooper's big, suction-like mouth. Like one last tiny tentacle on the blooper's face, he gripped it firmly and began to pull back.

   He wasn't trying to rip it off or anything; instead, it seemed a good way to teach the blooper a lesson, if nothing else. And a moment later, that's exactly what it did.

   Finally reaching the breaking point, it slipped from Mario's hands and snapped back, violently hitting the disarmed squid with his own squirter. With a loud crack Gooper Blooper recoiled and let out a strange squawk, rotund body flopping backwards almost pathetically. Without his large tentacles for support, he didn't boast much after all.

   Watching from where he was, Mario was just considering trying again when Gooper Blooper rose, trembling as if in anger; and then, as suddenly as when he'd first awoken, the giant squid launched his body into the air with a shocking force. Leaping several yards above, almost as if aiming for the sky, he made a graceful arc over the side of the wall and finally splashed with a finalizing black explosion into the murky waters of the harbor below.  

   In amazement, Mario followed him to the edge and looked down, scanning the dirty surface; but there was no sign of it to be seen. Clearly bested, he had retreated from the port, seemingly to take refuge in his own ink.

   Quickly dismissing it as settled, Mario then turned back to the small plaza and quietly washed away the squid's mess. He had no idea what had happened to the smashed crates which had been here previously – those had completely disappeared. When he was all done, he saw that the ground beneath was painted, covered in a colorful pattern that looked somewhat like a sailor's compass or a star. It was from there, in the very center, that the shine sprite appeared after the slime was gone.

   Freed from its former prison, it emerged sparkling and beautiful into the open fresh air. It immediately brought a smile of satisfaction from Mario, who glanced back at Fludd for a second as if to say, "See? Nothing to it."

   Fludd, almost as if he could read his owner's mind, didn't say anything at first, as if the machine felt 'speechlessness'. As Mario gently reached a hand over its smooth, hovering surface to claim it, Fludd finally spoke up, "Well, another shine sprite. I can't say I'm surprised..."

   Holding it close for a second, Mario inspected its shining surface and grinned. He didn't need words to describe the shine sprites – they made him happy just by being.

   "Hey!" a voice abruptly exclaimed. Looking up in surprise, the two quickly spotted the same pianta from before running towards them in disbelief. Coming to stop near the giant compass' edge, he stared at the plaza with wide eyes.

   "I don't believe it! You... you got rid of Gooper Blooper!"

   "Did you see the whole thing?" Fludd asked from Mario's shoulder, unconcerned about talking to this guy for some reason.

   Still somewhat breathless, he nodded. "That... that was crazy! I can't believe you... Oh, we've gotta tell the others about this!" Turning back towards the other end of the port, he began to run off in excitement, presumably to share the good news. Letting out a little chuckle, Mario came forward to follow him.

   Near the water fountain by the unfinished tower a small little gathering had appeared, Captain Jenkins the first figure among them. On approaching them the excited pianta slowed and said, "Yup! He did it!"

   "What? Are you kidding?" exclaimed one of the two sailors from earlier who had tried to keep Mario from going. Also with them was his other sailor friend and another pianta, presumably a construction guy who had been working on the tower.

   At this Mario himself appeared, once again seeming dwarfed by the small crowd of piantas that quickly surrounded him.

   "Yeah, he's gone!" the excited pianta said. "Saw it myself. Gooper Blooper's dived into the harbor!"

   "Oh... Now that's a lad!" Captain Jenkins declared, coming forward. Patting Mario on the shoulder perhaps a little too harshly, he said, "What'd I say, huh? Chasing off the big guy!"

   "Yeah, thanks a bunch!" the construction guy spoke up. "Now maybe we can get some other operations moving again!"

   "Boy... I guess we owe you one," said the first sailor sheepishly. "You didn't have to come do that and all. Why did you do it?"

   Mario smiled graciously. "Well, I'm actually here for shine sprites," he explained to the group. "We're returning them to the Shine Gate and I came looking for them."

   "Shine sprites?" the second sailor echoed. Elbowing his friend, he said, "Hey Bobby, didn't you say something about a shine sprite in the racing cave?"

   "Oh, yeah!" his friend said. "Yeah. There's a shine sprite in the blooper racing cave, supposedly," he said, pointing back towards the opposite end of the harbor. "It's in there, but it's at the back, so if you want it you'll basically have to win the blooper surfing course. I remember the owner telling me about it."

   "Hm," Mario said thoughtfully, already getting a mischievous look in his eye. "Where can I find this cave?"

   "Oh, you've gotta surf there," Bobby replied. "C'mon, I'll take you."

   As Mario and the two sailors soon started their way off towards the entrance of the harbor, Captain Jenkins crossed his arms and shook his head, turning to the other two piantas beside him. "I'm telling ya, that boy is something else. I honestly didn't expect him to handle that thing."

   "Where did he get such a wild idea?" the excited pianta asked sarcastically.

   The captain shrugged. "You know, kids these days. Dying for any sort of action. Although, I was near about to go deal with the thing myself."

   Mario, still within earshot of the piantas as he walked away, raised his eyebrows upon hearing that last remark. Fludd, as if laughing in a silent way, turned to face Mario to see his reaction.

   Mario just shook his head in amusement and headed on.