The 'Shroom:Issue 212/Palette Swap
Director's Notes
The end of the year is approaching. Welcome to the November Issue, everyone!
Obviously, I'll start with Nintendo's surprise announcement of Xenoblade Chronicles X: Definitive Edition. I was supremely excited to see this one, as Xenoblade has become one of my favorite franchises since I got my Switch. I didn't get the WiiU, as I was in college at the time it came out, and I couldn't justify the purchase while I was living in the dorms, which means I never got to play the original X. Now that the game is coming to the Switch, the entire Xenoblade Chronicles series is on the Switch, so if you've been on the fence about this series, please take the jump and go for it! The story is always amazing, the music is gorgeous, and the characters are some of my favorites of all time. X also has customizeable robots, from what I've heard, so I'm looking forward to March 20. Plus, this will give me a reason to finally finish the original Xenoblade Chronicles. Gotta finish the series proper!
This month, our fanfics have returned, along with a new Random Image of the Month for you! I won't hold you up here any longer, so get to it!
~FunkyK38
Section of the Month
Let's talk Section of the Month results! In a landslide this month, it's winstein (talk) with The ? Panel! You all loved that one! In second, we have Shoey (talk)'s volunteer Random Image of the Month, followed by Waluigi Time (talk)'s Waluigi Time Comic. We had a fantastic turnout of voters last month, so thank you, all of you, for voting!
| PALETTE SWAP SECTION OF THE MONTH | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Place | Section | Votes | % | Writer |
| 1st | The ? Panel | 39 | 70.91% | winstein (talk) |
| 2nd | Random Image of the Month | 9 | 16.36% | Shoey (talk) |
| 3rd | Waluigi Time Comic | 7 | 12.73% | Waluigi Time (talk) |
Random Image of the Month
Hello, and welcome to Random Image of the Month, a periodically-appearing section where I look at art from the Mario franchise. Last month, we looked at artwork from my personal favorite 2D platformer, Super Mario Bros. 3. This month, we turn to the far-away mysterious region of Japan as we look at what I assume is the cover to some random manga that happens to exist.
Okay, right off the bat, what the hell is going on here?! Why are Mario and Yoshi on such a tiny island surrounded by sharks? Why is Wario just swimming away as one of the sharks looks at him in disgust? Is the shark disgusted because Wario would abandon Mario and Yoshi to their fates? Or maybe he's disgusted with Wario in general, which, to be fair, I bet Wario would taste gross. How did Mario and Yoshi end up on such a tiny island? Them being stranded on a tiny island reminds me of all those Team Rocket blastoffs that would end with them surrounded by angry Pokémon, particularly the Gyarados ones. You know, the ones where you'd see them and be like "I guess this is where Team Rocket dies?".
On top of that, what is Yoshi doing here in the first place? He wasn't in Super Mario Land 2: Six Golden Coins; he was too busy appearing in puzzle games for the Game Boy! All I'm saying is, if you can't show up for the main game, you shouldn't be allowed to show up in the merchandise.
Now on to Mario. Honestly, I don't like him at all in this cover. I don't know how many times Mario has been depicted without shoes, but I can tell you even once is too many times! Mario, get some shoes on! Put those dogs away! Mario without shoes is just weirdly unsettling for reasons I can't really explain. Also, what the hell is he doing? It looks like he's fishing but that he's using a star as bait? What are you doing, Mario!? That's a terrible idea! You're gonna make invincible sharks, you idiot! I guess it's possible that Mario caught the star? But I don't think that's very likely, since it looks like the star is strung-up like bait. So yeah, I guess Mario is trying to make invincible sharks for some reason. All in all, I don't like this cover! The scenario doesn't make any sense and barefoot Mario doesn't make me want to buy this manga.
Waluigi Time Comic
Drawn by: Waluigi Time (talk)
"Payoff" - Waluigi Time Comic
Panel 1
WALUIGI TIME: Hey Shbeeg, I figured out a great new way to dodge taxes!
MR. SHBEEG: What
Panel 2
WALUIGI TIME: I'm gonna travel back in time and store my money with my past self, like a me bank!
MR. SHBEEG: WHAT
Panel 3
[Waluigi Time emerges from a portal and hands a bag of coins to a toddler version of himself, who is shocked to be receiving so much money.]
WALUIGI TIME: Hey kid, I need you to hold onto this. Don't lose it
Panel 4
[Waluigi Time returns to the present, now wearing disheveled clothes. Waluigi Time Cereal Tower has been replaced by a green skyscraper.]
WALUIGI TIME: Wait a minute, this doesn't seem right
Panel 5
[Waluigi Time goes back to the past, his toddler counterpart is now holding a Game Boy and has candy and toys on his bed.]
WALUIGI TIME: What happened? I was expecting you to hold onto my money!
SMALL OBNOXIOUS WALUIGI TIME: Too bad, Waluigi Time!
Panel 6
[Small Obnoxious Waluigi Time blows a raspberry at his adult counterpart from the background.]
WALUIGI TIME: Next time I time travel to store money with myself, I'm going to go find FUTURE Waluigi Time.
The ? Panel
{The scene takes place at the Garden's exterior at the Comet Observatory}
{Rosalina goes out of the dome entrance in preparation to show Mario something}
Rosalina: I have a special surprise to show you, brave one.
{Mario walks out of the dome entrance}
Panel 2
{Rosalina looks up and points at the sky with her star wand}
Rosalina: Behold!
{Mario looks up and observe what's in the sky}
Mario: Huh.
Panel 3
Mario: {Puts hand on his hat in disbelief, amazed by what he is seeing} Oh wow! I'm in awe.
Panel 4
Mario: {Motions both hands towards the scenery} This is so... breathtaking.
Rosalina: {Smiles with her wand raised} I'm glad you like it!
Panel 5
Mario: I'm-a so excited, I could cheer! Here I go-
{Rosalina looks towards the scenery}
Panel 6
{The scene zooms out a bit}
Mario: {Wide-eyed, and starting to raise his hands} SUPER...
{Rosalina turns towards Mario, wide-eyed, with a plain expression}
Panel 7
{The scene zooms out further. Mario's head is raised so that his eyes aren't visible but his mouth is, and his hands are raised further}
Mario: MARIO...
{Rosalina looks at Mario in shock, realising that she is about to hear something loud}
Panel 8
{A faraway shot of the comet observatory, revealing the special surprise. The surprise are the Super Mario Galaxy title arranged from stars, the "MARIO" in particular has colour, and also planets of the heads of Mario characters: Birdo, Yoshi, Toadette, Toad, Mario, Luigi, Princess Peach, Princess Daisy, Donkey Kong, and a Mii}
{Mario's hands are raised to the top and his mouth is wide open}
Mario: GALAXY!!!
{Due to the earth-shattering scream from Mario, Rosalina bounced off the platform while putting her hands on her ears, catching her off-guard on Mario's ability to yell}
{In the background, the ground has a crater that is the result of Rosalina falling all the way down. The background is overlaid with a big "WAHOO" as well as various lines that Mario typically say, like "Yahoo" and "Hoo hoo".}
Rosalina: {Thinking with a distressed and eyeshot face, while putting her hands on her ears} I can still hear his exhilarating screams...
{Captain Toad is holding a clipboard and shouting to Rosalina}
Captain Toad: Hello! Can you hear me?
Blue Toad: Save it for later. Mario's loud title screaming is still affecting her.
Shmaluigi, Private Investigator
Written by: Waluigi Time (talk)
Light at the End of the Tunnel: Part 1
Sometimes, all you have to do is pull on one little string for everything to unravel. That's what I was banking on, anyway.
I had some free time at the moment, so I was looking into some interesting info that the Sticky Warrior had uncovered. It had been a while since our encounter that ended with the downfall of the international criminal tech giant, Kreep. At the time, the Sticky Warrior told me that the name of my arch-nemesis Monty Brando came up in one of Kreep's old notebooks. But with the big boss out of the way, he had since gotten plenty of opportunity to go through many of Kreep's personal affects. I wasn't surprised that there was a connection between those two - the big mafia boss had some relationship with the internationally known criminal supplier, big shocker - but from what the Sticky Warrior showed me, it was bigger than I ever would have expected. References to Brando and his organization kept coming up over and over in the notes and financial books, going back years, before I even knew who he was.
Mafias and illegal wares go together like peanut butter and jelly, but this didn't sit right with me. What use could Brando possibly have for that much equipment? Kreep knew his own reputation full well, he could charge a premium. It didn't seem likely that Brando's outfit was just working in redistribution this whole time. I suppose he could've started now that Kreep was out of the picture and there was a big gap open, but that's an awfully long game to play with a far from definite possibility of a payoff. Still, it was the only option that made sense to me.
I didn't have the resources to check on something like that myself, but that doesn't matter too much when you have connections. I suppose you could consider connections a kind of resource if you wanted to... But I digress. The point that I'm trying to make is that it was time to go visit Chief Palmer to see if he could shine any light on my theory. I'd have to be crafty about it, though. Technically, I wasn't supposed to know about a lot of what went down with Kreep and the aftermath, and I preferred to keep it that way in all honesty.
When I arrived at the headquarters, it was bustling with activity as usual. The scent of caffeinated drinks permeated the air and worked with the decades-old stained brown carpeting and fluorescent lighting to make sure you knew this place was all business. Looked like a busy day here, so I figured I should probably try to make this as quick as I could. As I walked towards the chief's office, I ran into Deputy Cici Shell.
"Hello deputy. Is the chief in right now?" I asked.
"Oh, hey there Shmaluigi! Yep, he sure is," the Noki replied. I had to admit, her sunny disposition was one of the things I missed not regularly coming around here anymore. I still haven't been fired though, go me.
"Thanks. Looks like you've all got your hands full today."
"You know it. Crime never rests."
"Too true. Best of luck."
I kept walking towards the chief's office, and knocked on the door when I arrived. The chief's voice came from the other side. "Come in."
I turned the doorknob and poked my head inside. "Chief, do you have a moment?"
"Oh, hello Shmaluigi. I suppose you must've heard already?" he said, motioning for me to come inside.
I wasn't sure what he meant by that. "Heard about what?"
"Oh. I guess not, then. Let me see, I had it right here," he said, shuffling through the piles of papers on his desk with those big Pianta hands of his. Finally, he settled on one folder in particular. "There we go, I knew it was here somewhere. Two of those mafia guys you brought in last year were busted out last night. Definitely looks like a professional job."
I hadn't even seen the contents of the folder, but I already didn't like what I was hearing. The chief tossed it over to me and I flipped it open. Yep, that's what I was afraid of. Spiky Don and "the Bone Crusher", as they called him. They were two of Monty Brando's best men who I had the unfortunate displeasure of encountering back during the Scarlet Rose incident some time ago. That fight was quite the harrowing experience, and if I was alone, I probably would've been toast.
Truth be told, I was surprised to be hearing about these two again. I just figured Brando had written them off with how much time they'd spent in the clink. More importantly, what was he planning to need them again after all this time?
"Safe to assume you didn't get any info out of them while they were still here?" I asked.
"You would be correct. The Koopatrol's more afraid of his boss than us, and from what I'm told, the Dry Bones never spoke a single word. Not much going on in that oversized skull of his."
"Figured as much. Well, Shmaluigi will keep an eye out for you." I wasn't planning to chase those two down personally, but as long as I was trying to dig into the organization anyway...
"Much appreciated. Now then, that's obviously not why you're here. What can I do for you?"
"Oh, just a quick question, really. Do you know if there's been any increase in smuggling recently, either here or in the nearby areas?"
"No, the statistics on that have gone way down this year, ever since Kreep went MIA. I can't speak for outside of the kingdom, but I imagine that's not what you're interested in," he said, then paused, stroking his mustache. "Of course, the thing with crime statistics is that's only what we know about, but... Why do you ask?"
"Let's just call it a theory, for now," I told him.
The slightest hint of apprehension appeared in his eyes as he spoke up again. "Shmaluigi, should I be concerned about your potential well-being? Again?"
"No, of course not," I said casually. I could sense that he didn't believe me. Honestly, I didn't believe myself either, but we'll just cross that bridge when we come to it.
"Well, be careful, whatever you're up to. You seem to have a knack for getting yourself into unsavory situations."
"Thanks. You seem pretty busy here, so Shmaluigi won't take up any more of your time."
I didn't like this at all. Something was up, and what's worse, I didn't have the foggiest of what it could be. If Brando wasn't going to try and make bank on the void that Kreep left behind, what was he doing with all that tech, and for so long? I wasn't sure how far word of Kreep's demise had actually gotten in the criminal underworld - for all I knew, the Sticky Warrior managed to tie up all those loose ends - but anyone who was actively dealing with him would've felt his absence by now, surely.
And now there was this business with Spiky Don and the Bone Crusher, so he was clearly planning something. Maybe it was connected, maybe not. After all, this was going on for years and I only recently found out about it, so it was probably just coincidence. Right?
Perhaps my attention would be better focused on wrangling the escapees and figuring out whatever Brando was planning next with them. I knew that ruthless mole well enough to know that he wouldn't go to all this trouble so long after the fact without good reason. Better to work with what you know, and then you can find out what you don't know. Or something like that. It sounded better in my head.
With nowhere else to turn, I decided to stop by the Despair Pub. I'm not sure why, considering the track record. It seems like every time I went there, I either got nothing out of it or ended up walking straight into a trap. Perhaps it was time to consider getting a different seedy establishment to get information out of, but for now, it was all I had.
This place always gave me bad vibes, which I guess is to be expected from a place where so many characters of questionable morality hang out. And if that's what you're looking for, I guess it's a good thing? Still, no matter how many times I came here, the feeling of my wallet getting nabbed from my trenchcoat always washed over me the moment I stepped in the door. And it didn't help that this place was so dark. Seriously, it was the middle of the day and it still felt like I was out past midnight being in this place. They've already got the lighting so dim, and then you have all this dark brown wood all over the place. Way too much of the light in here comes from the TVs and neon signage they've got hanging above the bar. Haven't they ever heard of buying brighter lightbulbs, or, I don't know, pulling open the shades? I guess the moodiness could be nice if it wasn't for the shady clientele...
Look at me, I've become Shmaluigi, interior decorator.
I looked around the place and just saw everyone doing what they would normally do. Some of the patrons had set up a poker game, others were having a meal or a beverage, and some were just sitting on barstools watching the TVs. And plenty of them looked more than a little bit shifty. Still, I managed to spy a familiar face, the Hammer Bro. tending the bar and stoically cleaning out a glass. When in doubt, always talk to the bartender.
"Oh, it's you again," he said as he saw me approach.
"What, is that how you greet all your customers?" I asked.
"Not the new ones," he replied with a smirk.
Now, I wasn't sure exactly what I was aiming to accomplish here. Brando's higher level associates aren't going to be running their mouths in pubs, at least not if they want to remain associates for long. Or among the living, for that matter. The best I could hope for was that Spiky Don or the Bone Crusher had been here, or that someone had seen them. More likely Spiky Don. The Bone Crusher didn't seem the type to frequent eateries of any sort, really.
But I'd been here enough times to know how this worked. I pulled some coins from my wallet and slid them across to the bartender.
"Have you seen either a Koopatrol or a big Dry Bones skull come in here since last night? Or perhaps both at the same time?" I asked. Not exactly the most identifying description, but the chances of getting it wrong seemed pretty low, thankfully. You don't see too many Koopatrols out and about outside of Koopa territory, and, well, most Dry Bones tend to have the rest of their skeleton with them. Except that one guy in the magic shows I keep seeing advertisements for.
"Doesn't ring a bell, sorry."
"Oh. Well, in that case, could Shmaluigi get a discount on the information?"
"Naaaah."
That's the problem with these sorts of business arrangements.
I tried asking around, but all I came away with was "nope, haven't seen them" at worst and "no, but I did see this, is that what you mean" at best. No, it was never what I meant. I suppose I shouldn't be too shocked. A mafia prison break isn't the sort of thing you'd want any witnesses for, and I figured those two were too wrapped up in some high importance business since they got busted loose to go gallivanting around the city. Despair Pub clearly wasn't going to be a good source of information for the time being, so I decided to go back home and regroup.
I must have taken two, maybe three steps out of the establishment and back out into the cold air when my cellphone rang. I didn't recognize the number, but I usually didn't, so it didn't seem too odd for me. I picked up and answered in the usual way. "Shmaluigi, private investigator."
A garbled voice came over the other end of the phone. "Listen carefully, because I'm only going to tell you this once."
"What? Who is this?"
"I can't tell you that, you never know who's listening," they replied. "Let's just say I'm a friend."
"Um... Okay, what is it?"
"The big man's planning something. You should know who he is well. Keep an eye out. I'll call you again when I know more."
Before I could say anything, the mysterious person hung up. Assuming this wasn't just someone messing with me for kicks, this more-or-less confirmed what I was already suspecting. Obviously, the "big man" was Brando.
I had a feeling things were about to get really interesting...
To be continued...
Been a while, hasn't it? My hiatus was a little longer than I initially planned, but it's good to be back! Thanks for reading and I'll see you next month!
Sport Report: The Movie
Written by: ClawgripFan9001 (talk)
World 3: The Pipe Menace - Part 1
Meanwhile, back at General Zellon's castle, General Zellon was laughing up another storm as he stood in front of Mario and Luigi's cage. "Oh, I cannot begin to imagine all the publicity that the Zellon Games will be receiving today now that the Mushroom World Games are as good as ruined! Most likely publicity beyond the insignificant dreams of any mortal being! Not beyond mine!" General Zellon laughed once more.
Mario rolled with his eyes. "This guy sure loves hearing his own lips flap, don't you think, li'l bro?" The red-clad plumber asked his little brother as he folded his arms in front of his chest.
Luigi nervously nodded his agreement. "He sure does, big bro. I hope that whoever's rescuing the rest of the heroes will soon be here to rescue us, because I don't know how much more of this guy's narcissistic tendencies I can take." The green-clad plumber replied to his big brother.
General Zellon proceeded to overhear the plumbers' conversation and scowled at them. "Silence, you tubby twits! I have had it with your whining and bumbling!" He scoffed at the plumbers as Mario rolled his eyes once more, with Luigi being unsure what to make of the situation.
Suddenly, Johann came running into the room again. "Father, something terrible has happened!" He told General Zellon as he informed him of Wilhelm's defeat at the hands of ClawgripFan9001 and Company and how they were progressing even further into the Dark Lands.
"Those horrific heroes did WHAT?!" General Zellon asked Johann, being furious about another one of his children having been defeated by ClawgripFan9001 and Company.
"They did! And now they are making their way towards the land filled with pipes! If we do not make haste, they will rescue the heroes we have captured there as well!" Johann informed his father once more.
"The land filled with pipes? That would be Pipe Skyway." General Zellon replied to him.
"How will we successfully stall the progress of the heroes where Phillip and Wilhelm failed to do so, father?" Johann asked his father with a look of concern once again resting on his face.
"That should be an easy enough problem to take care of, Johann. It is time for us to make the quest much more difficult for the heroes by sending your third youngest sibling and her troops after them!" General Zellon assured him before activating his communication device once more. "Lilian, could you come in for a minute, darling?" He spoke through the communication device before putting it away again.
Shortly afterward, one of General Zellon's daughters, Lilian Day Zellon came flying into the room. Like her father and brothers, Lilian was a hippopotamus/pterosaur hybrid, having a black curly afro for a hairstyle along with light brown eyes while wearing a commander uniform like her brothers.
"You called for me, father?" Lilian asked her father with a kind smile.
"Yes, I did, darling. You see, there is a posse of heroes going through our Dark Lands, freeing the heroes of the Mushroom Kingdom we had captured. They are currently on their way to Pipe Skyway. Could you perhaps head on down there with your troops and put those heroes out to pasture?" General Zellon asked Lilian with an equally kind smile.
Lilian smiled and nodded in understanding of what her father asked her to do. "Of course, father. I will make sure those heroes will refrain from freeing any more heroes." She assured her father before flying off again.
"Boy, Lilian might be my younger sister, but I will not lie that she is the most spine-chilling of my siblings…" Johann admitted as he quivered in fear from his younger sister's presence.
"She is a most excellent commanding officer, Johann. She is the perfect example of the sweetest rose hiding the cruelest thorn, so to speak." General Zellon spoke with a grin.
Meanwhile, ClawgripFan9001 and Company were currently making their way to Pipe Skyway in a walker mech that they had managed to hijack from the Zellon Armed Forces. Iggy was driving the mech, ClawgripFan9001 was in the passenger seat, and the rest of the heroes were in the back.
The Lakitu cameraman was once again filming ClawgripFan9001 as he was reporting live to the viewers watching from television once more. "Ahoy, mateys! Welcome back ta 'nother update on the Annual Mushroom World Games! So far, me an' the rest o' me party 'ave managed ta defeat two o' General Zellon's commandin' officers an' free two groups o' heroes from their clutches! An' now, we be on our way ta the next o' General Zellon's strongholds ta free more o' the heroes bein' 'eld captive there! Be sure ta stay tuned, fer we be 'avin' more on the story o' the Annual Mushroom World Games as it develops!" ClawgripFan9001 spoke into the camera before turning his attention back towards the road, seeing a whole bunch of tall Warp Pipes in front of him.
"Yar, pluck me pirate flags, what's this?" ClawgripFan9001 asked in confusion as he looked up, seeing the huge pipes in front of him.
"Whoa! It looks like a Pipe Skyway!" Iggy exclaimed in awe as he also looked up at the pipes.
"Surely, there must be a way to get up there?" Ludwig remarked as he also looked up.
Winston scanned his eyes across the bottom of the pipes before pointing at a pipe that led up to the rest of the pipes. "Look, over there! We should be able to get up there by taking this pipe over there!" The White Shy Guy pointed out.
"Yar, ye got a good eye, Winston, me boy! Iggy, steer 'er in there!" ClawgripFan9001 told his party members, with Iggy nodding in acknowledgement as he began to steer the walker mech into the pipe before they ended on top of the tall Warp Pipes.
"Whoa, it's pretty high up here…" Lemmy remarked as he looked down from the walker mech. Needless to say, he was getting a bit scared from this.
"What, are you scared of heights or something? Tsk! Just stare straight ahead and you'll be fine!" Donkey Kong told Lemmy with a grin, with Lemmy reluctantly nodding in agreement and doing as he was instructed.
"That's perhaps for the best, yeah…" Lemmy replied back to Donkey Kong before Iggy continued to steer the walker mech across the Pipe Skyway. Soon, the heroes came across an intersection with a Warp Pipe on each side.
"Looks like the path splits here, guys. I don't know which path is the safest, so it's up to ClawgripFan to make the call which way we'll be going." Iggy spoke, turning to the rest of the heroes.
ClawgripFan9001 let out an inquisitive hum as he placed his right pincher to his chin, thinking it over before making his decision. "Let's take the left pipe. Me gut's sayin' that path be the safest route ta take 'ere." He told Iggy, who nodded as he began to steer the walker mech into the left Warp Pipe as he was told.
Going through the pipe, the heroes soon found themselves face to face with a pair of armored Zellon Troopers wielding swords; Zellon Swordsmen. Hearing the walker mech approach, the Zellon Swordsmen turned to the heroes, pointing their swords at them.
"Stay right where you are, heroes. Commander Lilian Day Zellon has ordered us to keep your heroic hides out of the Pipe Skyway, so it's the end of the line for you." One of the Zellon Swordsmen informed the heroes.
"I don't believe you're in any position to tell us what to do, you warmongering vermin. How about we decide on what to do in a sporting event?" Ludwig then told the Zellon Swordsmen, who proceeded to look at each other before looking back at the heroes, nodding as they accepted Ludwig's offer.
"Very well. We shall settle this in a Fencing match. If you manage to defeat us both in two consecutive rounds, we shall let you pass. But should you lose, we shall confiscate your walker mech and send you back to the Mushroom Kingdom. Now let's begin!" The Zellon Swordsman from before spoke as him, his colleague and the heroes were all beamed away to the Fencing stadium to get the show on the road.
Ludwig and the two Zellon Swordsmen were all armed with a fencing lance, with a Zellon Trooper once again overseeing the match. "En garde!" The Zellon Trooper exclaimed as everyone proceeded to take their fighting stances. "Allez!" The Zellon Trooper then declared as Ludwig fought tooth and nail against the Zellon Swordsmen to gain access to the rest of the Pipe Skyway.
Eventually though, Ludwig managed to defeat the first Zellon Swordsmen, who proceeded to disappear into a puff of smoke as he did so. "Halte!" The Zellon Trooper referee exclaimed as the second Zellon Swordsmen walked up to the mat to take on Ludwig. "En garde!" The referee spoke once more as Ludwig and his opponent once again took their stances. "Allez!" The referee declared once more as Ludwig duked it out against his opponent a second time.
The rest of the heroes were watching from the sidelines in the meantime, admiring Ludwig's skill. "Whoa, who knew that Ludwig was so good at Fencing?" Winston exclaimed in awe.
"I agree, that's definitely something I didn't expect from him." The Lakitu cameraman chimed his agreement as he was filming the whole ordeal.
"Well, given that Ludwig was the second in-command of the Koopa Troop before Bowser Jr. came along, our father wanted him to have the necessary combat experience for such a position, so when Ludwig was around 11 years old, he hired an instructor who taught Ludwig in the art of Fencing." Wendy explained to the rest of the heroes, who nodded, satisfied with this explanation.
"That Fencing instructor musta been a great teacher then, because he's really good at it!" Funky Kong chimed in his thoughts with a grin resting on his face.
"That instructor certainly was a great teacher, and he considered Ludwig to be one of his best students." Wendy replied to Funky Kong with a smile as the heroes continued to watch Ludwig show off his Fencing skill on the mat, eventually managing to defeat the remaining Zellon Swordsman as he did so, causing said Zellon Swordsman to disappear into a puff of smoke like his comrade before him.
"Halte!" The Zellon Trooper referee exclaimed as Ludwig smiled with his eyes closed while clapping for his wonderful performance, after which the heroes were beamed back to the Pipe Skyway, sitting in their walker mech.
"Yar, nice goin', Ludwig! Ye really fileted that vermin!" ClawgripFan9001 complimented Ludwig with a grin, giving the oldest Koopaling a thumbs up as he did so.
Ludwig let out an amused chuckle. "What can I say? All those years of King Dad having a Fencing instructor teaching me really paid off. Now let's continue on our way, shall we?" He suggested with a smile, after which the rest of the heroes nodded as Iggy began steering the walker mech across the pipes once more.
And that's the first part of the third chapter of Sport Report: The Movie taken care of! I'm glad to finally be getting back into the swing of things after a four month hiatus caused by severe creative burnout, and in order to slowly but surely get back into the swing of things with my 'Shroom sections, Sport Report: The Movie will be going onto a bi-monthly schedule starting with this month! So while I will be publishing this section less often, you're guaranteed to get plenty of action from my Mariosona and Company in the future! So with that said, Happy Holidays, and Sport Report: The Movie will be back in 2025!
| The 'Shroom: Issue 212 | |
|---|---|
| Staff sections | Staff Notes • The 'Shroom Spotlight • Poochy's Picks • Awards Director Election • Credits |
| Features | Fake News • Fun Stuff • Palette Swap • Pipe Plaza • Critic Corner • Strategy Wing |
| Specials | Mario And Luigi Brothership Custom Instruction Manual |
