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Description
Chapter 6:

A Hostel Takeover

––

Palmy Balmy Beach
4:00 pm

"Mario Mario Mario! Wake up wake up wake up!"

"Zzzz… huh-wha?" Mario muttered, blinking his eyes open and then yelping as the van suddenly jerked to a stop, sending him lurching forward. It took him a moment to realize Stubba had just shaken him awake.

"We're here, Mario! Look!" the little Clubba cheered, pointing out the window.

"We sure are, little dude!" Brody chuckled from the driver's seat. "Last stop, Palmy Balmy Beach, dudes! All those who are disembarking, do so now, man!"

"All right, we finally made it!" said Hanner, throwing the door open and jumping out. Everybody else piled out after her and Mario finally got a good look around.

Palmy Balmy Beach was very wide, and very, very long. For as far as Mario could see, the pure white sandy coastline stretched along the ocean shore. The beach was absolutely flooded with people, whether they were swimming, lounging on the sand or running and playing. The ocean was a beautiful bluish-green hue with white-capped waves that continuously crashed onto the shore. The air was filled with not only excited voices, but strains of Caribbean music as well.

"Oh, wow! This place looks like so much fun!" Dulia laughed eagerly, racing off a little ways to get a good look at the place. "I sure wish Benny and Gen were here for this…"

"You're telling me! A sunset beach and a fancy hotel? Why couldn't all the Sun Souls get hidden in places like this?" Hanner agreed, looking around right along with her. Mario had to agree as well. This place looked fantastic, especially considering the last place they'd had to go.

"Well, we'll catch you later, dudes," said Sheila, waving Mario's party off along with the other Bumpty Boarders. "We've got some major surfage to catch up on, but we totally hope to see you dudes around!"

"What? Now hang on, I'm pretty sure yer van's illegally parked," said Snatchel, pointing at it. Everyone looked at him. "What? Just doin' my job."

Mario rolled his eyes and smiled. "I think it'll be fine, Snatchel. This place looks pretty laid-back," he said, quickly ducking as he was nearly hit in the head with a frisbee.

"That it is, bro! Well, we'll see you dudes! Enjoy your stay!" said Nico, and the Bumpties all took off as Mario's team waved goodbye.

"All right. Well, first things first… let's look for the hotel, huh?" said Mario once they were gone.

"Yeah? Which one is it? There's tons of 'em," Goomblaine griped. Mario's spirits fell as he realized the Goomba was right; just as the beach lined the ocean, so was there an entire row of fancy-looking hotels lining the back end of the beach, though in front of them was a row of palm trees strung with Christmas lights. Mario had no idea what the Seashell Hotel looked like; it could be any of them.

"…Well, this might be a problem. We probably should've asked those guys for directions."

The Goomba snorted. "Ya think?"

"Well, I imagine we're probably looking for the biggest and fanciest one of all. Isn't that how Rodolfo described it?" Maizee said helpfully.

"Yeah, I suppose he did… well, we won't find it just standing here. Let's head out."

At this time and place, the sun was hanging low in the sky and casting long shadows on the beach, but none of the vacationers seemed to mind. It was still the perfect beach temperature, enough so that Mario had to wipe away the sweat from his forehead before too long. As he walked along, his partners, particularly the younger ones, were racing off in every direction, leaving erratic trails of footprints in the sand as they eagerly explored their latest destination. Except Goomblaine, of course. Even in a place like this, he still found a way to be as grouchy as ever.

"I can see why Peach was so excited about coming here," Mario said a little while later as Hanner, Stubba and Dulia were all crowded inside a cabana and buying ice cream cones.

"Yeah, it sure is crowded, though," Snatchel remarked, fanning himself with his hat. "I don't reckon we'll be gettin' a lotta privacy."

He was right, of course. Not only was the beach jam-packed with people, the ocean was filled with surfers performing all sorts of miraculous stunts… but there was only one who caught Mario's attention.

"Is that… hey, it is!" he realized. He raced up to the shoreline and waved his arms over his head. "Ferdinand! Hey, over here!"

Sure enough, riding through a huge barrel at that very moment was unmistakably the leader of the Bumpty Boarders himself. He immediately caught sight of Mario and the others on the shore, and with a delighted look he turned on a dime and rode right over to them, sending up a spray as he did.

"Woooooah! Look who it is!" he cheered as he hopped off his board. "Mario-dude! And other dudes! I can't believe I'm catching you here, man!"

"Yeah, we missed you too. It's been a while, hasn't it?" Mario said with a smile while Hanner and Stubba eagerly crowded around to say hi to him too. Dulia, Snatchel and Maizee, who'd never met this Bumpty, just stood back and looked confused.

"Heh, I'll say it has! What brings you dudes over here?"

"Well, actually, your friends actually just gave us a ride here. Hope that's all right."

"How've you been, Ferdie? Did you guys open up that surf shop yet?" asked Hanner.

"Aw, 'fraid not, dudes," Ferdinand sighed. "The entrepreneuring business can be most un-tubular at times… but hey, we can talk later, dudes! You're on the most epic beach in the whole world right now! Why don't you all join me on a most awesome boarding excursion?"

Maizee gave a light smile and shook her head. "I'm sorry, honey, but this isn't a vacation. We're here strictly on business."

"Oh, I get it. Still doing the world-saving thing, huh dudes? Right on, right on. Hey, man, did you ever make it to Golden Spur Ranch all right?"

Mario blinked. "Oh… yeah, we sure did."

"Dude, I still can't figure out why you'd ever wanna go there," said Ferdinand, shaking his head. "Like I said, man. It's all sand, and no surf!"

Snatchel didn't look happy to hear that. "Excuse me there, partner," he said, stepping forward and prodding Ferdinand in the chest, "but I happen to be the sheriff of Golden Spur Ranch! Show a little respect!"

Ferdinand blinked. "Woah, seriously? My condolences, dude. You ever consider a different vocation?"

Maizee and Hanner quickly grabbed Snatchel by either arm before he could do anything rash while Mario hastily took back the rein of the conversation. "Well anyway, Ferdinand… now that you're here, maybe you can help us out. See, we're actually headed over to the Seashell Hotel. Do you think you could give us directions?"

"Why, it would be my pleasure, most noblest of dudes!" the Bumpty agreed enthusiastically. "The Seashell Hotel is way down at the other end of the beach. Just keep going this way and you can't miss it, man! I should warn you, though… it's mondo exclusive over there. Not just any dudes can get in."

Mario frowned. "Oh man, that's right… I forgot all about that."

"Aw, but they have to let us in! We're saving the world!" Stubba said fervently.

"Unfortunately, I think most people are gonna be a little disinclined to believe something like that," Hanner sighed.

Ferdinand noticed how concerned they all looked, and that made him concerned. He obviously didn't know the details on why they had to get to the hotel so badly, but far be it from him to ignore a dude as all-around righteous as Mario when he was in need.

"Well, hey, dudes… if it's that important to you, you just tell 'em the Bumpty Boarders sent you!" he said importantly, puffing out his chest. "We hang at that place all the time. If the dudes in there know you're chill with us, they'll be totally down with you guys sticking around! Guaranteed, man!"

Mario quickly brightened up. "Really? You'd do that for us?"

"Chyeah! We're all brohams, right? Besides, you dudes'll be just in time for the grand re-opening!"

"Grand re-opening… oh yeah, the other guys mentioned that," the plumber mused for a moment. "So why was it closed in the first place?"

"Oh, you know, man. Renovations and all that!" the Bumpty said excitedly, making a vague hand gesture. "I mean, that place was cool enough already, but word is that after this it's gonna be the most bodacious joint you ever saw! Everybody's gonna be there!"

"Huh… you don't say…" Why was hearing this making Mario feel a little wary? "Uh… hang on just a minute."

He gestured for all his partners to gather in close so nobody could hear.

"Did you guys hear that? Sounds like this re-opening is a really big deal… you don't think that's got anything to do with the Darkstriders hiding the Sun Soul in there, do you?" he whispered.

Dulia just cocked her head like she always did when she was confused or thinking. "Why would that matter? All they're trying to do is keep it away from us, aren't they?"

"Yeah, but on the other hand… if they've added a bunch more stuff, it'll just make it harder for us to find our way around there," said Hanner. "Plus, there'll be a ton of people in there. They could get in our way."

Maizee frowned warily. "And if they've added on to this hotel… who says the Darkstriders haven't also added something to give us trouble?"

Mario finally just shook his head. "Well, we'll never know unless we head over there and see for ourselves. We've made it this far, after all. I believe in this team."

His partners all nodded in agreement, and that seemed to be the end of that. Satisfied with their decision, they broke out of their huddle.

"All right, we'll keep all that in mind. Thanks Ferdinand." Mario blinked in surprise as he saw the Bumpty was gone. "Ferdinand? …Where'd he go?"

"I think he's over there," said Dulia, pointing out at the ocean. Far off in the distance was an enormous, almost vertical whitecap, and they could just barely make out a Bumpty careening down it on his board.

"GNAAAAAAAAAAAARLYYYYYYYYYYYY!"

"That feller has no direction in life," Snatchel muttered.

––

Following Ferdinand's directions, the group continued off down the beach in search of the hotel, although they ran into several additional distractions such as a juice bar, a surfboard rental (Mario had to very firmly tell Stubba no), and a live band consisting of a group of Piantas playing the steel drums and saxophone. It was quite a while before they finally arrived at the very far end of the beach, and unsurprisingly, the sun was lower still in the sky at this point.

But all that was pushed out of Mario's mind the minute he laid eyes on the Seashell Hotel.

"Woah. I think I see it, Mario," Hanner said in awe.

"Yup, me too," Mario agreed, and they all raced over to it in excitement. There was only one building it could possibly be, by far the biggest one on the whole beach. It was dozens of stories high with a very sleek and modern-looking design, covered largely in blue-green colored glass windows. Through the windows they could see a fancy glass elevator positioned in the front center of the hotel and traveling up and down, giving its riders a view of the whole beach. There were all manner of palm trees and umbrellas surrounding the place.

Mario craned his head up to stare at it. "Wow… Peach wasn't lying. This place is even bigger than the castle! Probably fancier too!"

"Who the heck needs a dump this huge, anyway?" Goomblaine grumbled, not looking impressed.

"I gotta agree… this place is a little too fancy for my likin'," Snatchel admitted. "We're all pretty simple folks back at home, y'know?"

"Oh, c'mon guys, give it a chance. This'll be fun!" Hanner giggled. "And anyway, we won't be here for long. Just until we find the Sun Soul."

Mario nodded a little absentmindedly. Seeing the hotel like this was quite a thrill, but now he was actually starting to worry a little. He'd assumed the Sun Soul would be relatively easy to find, but the sheer size of this place was making him reconsider. There must have been an infinite number of places it could have been hidden.

Not only that, but they also had a Guardian to find, and this beach wasn't exactly low on people…

"Well, I guess we better head on in and get a look around, huh?" he finally said, deciding worrying wouldn't get them anywhere. With varying degrees of enthusiasm, his partners followed after him as he walked on over. There were already dozens of people gathered outside and forming a crowd, but Mario's team worked their way around them until they finally arrived at the huge, fancy front doors and pushed them open.

Seashell Hotel, Main Lobby
5:00 pm

"Wooooooooah," Stubba said the moment they were inside.

"'Woah' is right," Hanner agreed.

Mario was now almost positive that this was the fanciest building he'd ever been in. There were intricate crystal chandeliers hanging from the ceiling, an enormous and expensive-looking carpet covering the marble floor where they were standing, and potted plants in every corner of the room. In the middle of the floor was a solid gold fountain in the shape of a trio of Cheep-Cheeps. Mario also realized after a moment that there was a string quartet playing somewhere in the background.

Not only that, but it was extremely crowded. There was a ton of people standing around, all of them looking around and chatting in excitement.

"Hey, you guys got a reservation?" asked a bored-looking Noki receptionist sitting at the front desk.

"Huh?" Mario and the others noticed her. She was resting her head in her hand and seemed to be working on a piece of bubble gum. "Uh… well, actually, we're not staying here. We just wanted to get a look around."

"I'm sorry, but the Seashell Hotel is currently only open to those who have already made a reservation," the receptionist droned, sounding like she'd had to say it multiple times already today. "I'll have to ask you to wait outside."

"Uh… well, hang on. We just talked to Ferdinand, and he said if we just say his name we could – "

The large pink bubble that the receptionist had been blowing abruptly popped. "Ferdinand?" she squealed in delight. "You mean you guys are actually friends with that surfing studmuffin?"

Mario blinked slowly. "…Studmuffin…?"

"That changes everything! You guys can stay here as long as you want!" she swooned. "Oh, and next time you see him, tell him Lucille says hi, okay?"

"Uh… yeah, sure," said Mario, getting a little uncomfortable. "Uh, c'mon guys, let's wait over here," he muttered, quickly leading his partners away.

"Well, that was weird," said Hanner.

"No, I'd say it's pretty much par for the course at this point," Mario muttered. "Now, remember to be on your guard, guys. Do you see anything suspicious around here?"

They all glanced surreptitiously around the lobby, but there was nothing to be seen except the other vacationers standing around.

"Uh-uh… everything looks okay, Mario," Stubba finally said, shaking his head.

Mario sighed. "Well, there must be something… the Darkstriders wouldn't let us in this easily."

No one got to say anything else before another voice suddenly spoke up.

"Hello, hello, everyone! So glad you could all make it!"

Everyone in the crowd turned and saw a large, pompous-looking Bulky Bob-omb standing in front of the main desk. He had on a top hat that was much too small for him and was (somehow) holding onto a gold-handled cane.

"Now then! I am the manager of the Seashell Hotel, and I am pleased to welcome you all to the highly anticipated, highly exclusive re-opening of this grand establishment!"

Everyone in the crowd started clapping, and Mario's party quickly took it as a signal to do the same. As they clapped, Mario suddenly noticed all five Bumpty Boarders squeezing in through the front door and gathering around in the back of the crowd. The plumber gave them a wink, and they waved back.

"As I'm sure you know, the Seashell Hotel is among the largest and most famous in all of Chronoside," the manager went on. "At an amazing thirty stories tall, it includes such features as an indoor pool, multiple bars, a music lounge, and fine cuisine from all parts of the world!"

A bunch of "Oooh"s and "Aaah"s came from the audience. Goomblaine rolled his eyes.

"And of course, you lovely people all have the great honor of being the very first to stay at our newly improved and renovated hotel!" the manager concluded. "And so, it is my great honor to welcome each and every one of you to – "

"Stop right there," hissed a very familiar voice. "That was a wonderful little speech, but I'm afraid it ends now."

Mario's team instantly tensed up. "No…" Mario groaned as everyone else in the room suddenly crowded together in fear, looking for the source of the disembodied voice. Not Mario, though. He knew what was coming.

Suddenly a plume of choking black smoke came rising up from in front of the fountain, and out stepped Jaff, Pell and Nobb, looking more serious and dangerous than ever before. The vacationers gasped in fright.

"You!" Mario snarled at them, clenching his fists.

Maizee's eyes widened in recognition. "Them again?"

Well, Mario, why am I not surprised to see you here already?" Jaff sneered as he and the others strode forward, the vacationers fearfully edging out of their way. "You always did have the annoying habit of being one step ahead of us… but that ends now. The Dusk Soul will never be yours."

The manager stared at them, looking more confused than frightened. "Erm… wait a minute… who are all of you, exactly?"

"No one's allowed in here without a reservation," Lucille called over listlessly, earning several exasperated glares.

Jaff turned to glare at the manager. "All you need to know is that we are servants of King Shroude, ruler of Chronoside," he growled threateningly. "And I'm afraid your use has ended. This hotel is now under our management."

"Oh, get real!" Mario shouted, marching forward with his partners closely flanking him. All the vacationers stared at him, having no idea what was unfolding before them.

"How many times do we have to do this? We've beaten you three before and we'll do it again!"

But all Jaff did in response was turn to Mario with a wicked grin. "Why, Mario… what on earth makes you think it's just the three of us?"

Mario quickly grew pale. "Uh…"

Jaff threw back his head and shouted, "DARKSTRIDERS, ATTACK!"

And just like that, the entire lobby seemed to erupt in smoke. All the vacationers started screaming and running around in a panic as the black fumes completely enveloped them, shouting something about a bomb going off – but no, it wasn't a bomb, Mario realized with a horrible chill. It was Darkstriders, dozens of them, appearing out of thin air from every direction and scampering all over the lobby, claws bared, capturing the hapless vacationers before they could do a thing.

"HOLY COW!" Hanner cried while Dulia gave a yelp of surprise.

"What-what's going on?" Mario stammered as he backed into a corner, any possibility of a fight quickly removed from his mind. He hadn't even known there were this many Darkstriders. There was no way they could fight against a number like this.

"WHAT IS THE MEANING OF THIS?!" the manager shouted amid the total chaos, only for Pell and Nobb to grab him and drag him off. Lucille shrieked and ducked under the desk, but within moments she had been captured as well.

"DUDES! THIS IS TOTALLY NOT RIGHTEOUS!" Ferdinand cried as he and the other Bumpty Boarders tried to run out of the room, only for three Darkstriders to leap in their way.

Mario's partners were clearly the only ones who stood a chance. They valiantly tried to fight back against the army of Darkstriders bearing down on them and tearing up the lobby, but they were vastly outnumbered. There was nothing they could do.

"This is pointless! We're gonna lose!" Goomblaine snarled.

"Mario partner, I'm thinkin' we better skedaddle!" Snatchel said in a panic.

"I know, I know!" Mario shouted. He quickly ducked down and plowed through the mass of blue and black, swinging his hammer and knocking away all the Darkstriders in his path. All his partners managed to break off from the fight and follow after him, and everyone raced toward the entrance as fast as they possibly could (Hanner was screaming and flailing her arms, which wasn't helping much).

Finally they came bursting out of the front doors and scrambled back onto the beach, only slowing to a stop when they were a very safe distance away from the hotel and they realized nobody was chasing after them.

"Is everybody here?" Mario asked worriedly once he'd caught his breath. He quickly did a head count of his partners, then sighed in relief.

"Thank goodness… we all made it."

"We all made it… but what about everybody else?" cried Dulia. The others turned around and quickly realized what she meant. Inside the hotel it had fallen eerily silent, and no one else had come outside. They were standing alone on the beach.

"Mario, sweetheart, I think we're the only ones who made it out safely," Maizee said fretfully. "We have to go back in there and help the others!"

"What? Go back? Why the heck would we do something that stupid?" Goomblaine snapped at her.

He immediately got his answer. All of a sudden there came a loud crackle of static from the megaphones situated high up on the outer wall of the hotel, and a tinny-sounding but familiar voice came out of it.

"ATTENTION, PESKY PLUMBER!" it shouted. "The Darkstriders and I have taken over the Palmy Balmy Beach! The vacationers are now all permanent guests at one of my seven Seashell Hotels!"

Hanner raised an eyebrow. "What did he say?"

"Wait, no – what?" The voice sounded confused. "No! We only have one hotel, and it's this one! Mario! We're holding the vacationers prisoner at the very top floor of the hotel! If you want to save them, you'll have to make it all the way up here! And good luck trying to do that – just wait until you see what we've done with the place! HA HA HA HA HA HA!"

Description
Chapter 6:

A Hostel Takeover

––

Palmy Balmy Beach
4:00 pm

"Mario Mario Mario! Wake up wake up wake up!"

"Zzzz… huh-wha?" Mario muttered, blinking his eyes open and then yelping as the van suddenly jerked to a stop, sending him lurching forward. It took him a moment to realize Stubba had just shaken him awake.

"We're here, Mario! Look!" the little Clubba cheered, pointing out the window.

"We sure are, little dude!" Brody chuckled from the driver's seat. "Last stop, Palmy Balmy Beach, dudes! All those who are disembarking, do so now, man!"

"All right, we finally made it!" said Hanner, throwing the door open and jumping out. Everybody else piled out after her and Mario finally got a good look around.

Palmy Balmy Beach was very wide, and very, very long. For as far as Mario could see, the pure white sandy coastline stretched along the ocean shore. The beach was absolutely flooded with people, whether they were swimming, lounging on the sand or running and playing. The ocean was a beautiful bluish-green hue with white-capped waves that continuously crashed onto the shore. The air was filled with not only excited voices, but strains of Caribbean music as well.

"Oh, wow! This place looks like so much fun!" Dulia laughed eagerly, racing off a little ways to get a good look at the place. "I sure wish Benny and Gen were here for this…"

"You're telling me! A sunset beach and a fancy hotel? Why couldn't all the Sun Souls get hidden in places like this?" Hanner agreed, looking around right along with her. Mario had to agree as well. This place looked fantastic, especially considering the last place they'd had to go.

"Well, we'll catch you later, dudes," said Sheila, waving Mario's party off along with the other Bumpty Boarders. "We've got some major surfage to catch up on, but we totally hope to see you dudes around!"

"What? Now hang on, I'm pretty sure yer van's illegally parked," said Snatchel, pointing at it. Everyone looked at him. "What? Just doin' my job."

Mario rolled his eyes and smiled. "I think it'll be fine, Snatchel. This place looks pretty laid-back," he said, quickly ducking as he was nearly hit in the head with a frisbee.

"That it is, bro! Well, we'll see you dudes! Enjoy your stay!" said Nico, and the Bumpties all took off as Mario's team waved goodbye.

"All right. Well, first things first… let's look for the hotel, huh?" said Mario once they were gone.

"Yeah? Which one is it? There's tons of 'em," Goomblaine griped. Mario's spirits fell as he realized the Goomba was right; just as the beach lined the ocean, so was there an entire row of fancy-looking hotels lining the back end of the beach, though in front of them was a row of palm trees strung with Christmas lights. Mario had no idea what the Seashell Hotel looked like; it could be any of them.

"…Well, this might be a problem. We probably should've asked those guys for directions."

The Goomba snorted. "Ya think?"

"Well, I imagine we're probably looking for the biggest and fanciest one of all. Isn't that how Rodolfo described it?" Maizee said helpfully.

"Yeah, I suppose he did… well, we won't find it just standing here. Let's head out."

At this time and place, the sun was hanging low in the sky and casting long shadows on the beach, but none of the vacationers seemed to mind. It was still the perfect beach temperature, enough so that Mario had to wipe away the sweat from his forehead before too long. As he walked along, his partners, particularly the younger ones, were racing off in every direction, leaving erratic trails of footprints in the sand as they eagerly explored their latest destination. Except Goomblaine, of course. Even in a place like this, he still found a way to be as grouchy as ever.

"I can see why Peach was so excited about coming here," Mario said a little while later as Hanner, Stubba and Dulia were all crowded inside a cabana and buying ice cream cones.

"Yeah, it sure is crowded, though," Snatchel remarked, fanning himself with his hat. "I don't reckon we'll be gettin' a lotta privacy."

He was right, of course. Not only was the beach jam-packed with people, the ocean was filled with surfers performing all sorts of miraculous stunts… but there was only one who caught Mario's attention.

"Is that… hey, it is!" he realized. He raced up to the shoreline and waved his arms over his head. "Ferdinand! Hey, over here!"

Sure enough, riding through a huge barrel at that very moment was unmistakably the leader of the Bumpty Boarders himself. He immediately caught sight of Mario and the others on the shore, and with a delighted look he turned on a dime and rode right over to them, sending up a spray as he did.

"Woooooah! Look who it is!" he cheered as he hopped off his board. "Mario-dude! And other dudes! I can't believe I'm catching you here, man!"

"Yeah, we missed you too. It's been a while, hasn't it?" Mario said with a smile while Hanner and Stubba eagerly crowded around to say hi to him too. Dulia, Snatchel and Maizee, who'd never met this Bumpty, just stood back and looked confused.

"Heh, I'll say it has! What brings you dudes over here?"

"Well, actually, your friends actually just gave us a ride here. Hope that's all right."

"How've you been, Ferdie? Did you guys open up that surf shop yet?" asked Hanner.

"Aw, 'fraid not, dudes," Ferdinand sighed. "The entrepreneuring business can be most un-tubular at times… but hey, we can talk later, dudes! You're on the most epic beach in the whole world right now! Why don't you all join me on a most awesome boarding excursion?"

Maizee gave a light smile and shook her head. "I'm sorry, honey, but this isn't a vacation. We're here strictly on business."

"Oh, I get it. Still doing the world-saving thing, huh dudes? Right on, right on. Hey, man, did you ever make it to Golden Spur Ranch all right?"

Mario blinked. "Oh… yeah, we sure did."

"Dude, I still can't figure out why you'd ever wanna go there," said Ferdinand, shaking his head. "Like I said, man. It's all sand, and no surf!"

Snatchel didn't look happy to hear that. "Excuse me there, partner," he said, stepping forward and prodding Ferdinand in the chest, "but I happen to be the sheriff of Golden Spur Ranch! Show a little respect!"

Ferdinand blinked. "Woah, seriously? My condolences, dude. You ever consider a different vocation?"

Maizee and Hanner quickly grabbed Snatchel by either arm before he could do anything rash while Mario hastily took back the rein of the conversation. "Well anyway, Ferdinand… now that you're here, maybe you can help us out. See, we're actually headed over to the Seashell Hotel. Do you think you could give us directions?"

"Why, it would be my pleasure, most noblest of dudes!" the Bumpty agreed enthusiastically. "The Seashell Hotel is way down at the other end of the beach. Just keep going this way and you can't miss it, man! I should warn you, though… it's mondo exclusive over there. Not just any dudes can get in."

Mario frowned. "Oh man, that's right… I forgot all about that."

"Aw, but they have to let us in! We're saving the world!" Stubba said fervently.

"Unfortunately, I think most people are gonna be a little disinclined to believe something like that," Hanner sighed.

Ferdinand noticed how concerned they all looked, and that made him concerned. He obviously didn't know the details on why they had to get to the hotel so badly, but far be it from him to ignore a dude as all-around righteous as Mario when he was in need.

"Well, hey, dudes… if it's that important to you, you just tell 'em the Bumpty Boarders sent you!" he said importantly, puffing out his chest. "We hang at that place all the time. If the dudes in there know you're chill with us, they'll be totally down with you guys sticking around! Guaranteed, man!"

Mario quickly brightened up. "Really? You'd do that for us?"

"Chyeah! We're all brohams, right? Besides, you dudes'll be just in time for the grand re-opening!"

"Grand re-opening… oh yeah, the other guys mentioned that," the plumber mused for a moment. "So why was it closed in the first place?"

"Oh, you know, man. Renovations and all that!" the Bumpty said excitedly, making a vague hand gesture. "I mean, that place was cool enough already, but word is that after this it's gonna be the most bodacious joint you ever saw! Everybody's gonna be there!"

"Huh… you don't say…" Why was hearing this making Mario feel a little wary? "Uh… hang on just a minute."

He gestured for all his partners to gather in close so nobody could hear.

"Did you guys hear that? Sounds like this re-opening is a really big deal… you don't think that's got anything to do with the Darkstriders hiding the Sun Soul in there, do you?" he whispered.

Dulia just cocked her head like she always did when she was confused or thinking. "Why would that matter? All they're trying to do is keep it away from us, aren't they?"

"Yeah, but on the other hand… if they've added a bunch more stuff, it'll just make it harder for us to find our way around there," said Hanner. "Plus, there'll be a ton of people in there. They could get in our way."

Maizee frowned warily. "And if they've added on to this hotel… who says the Darkstriders haven't also added something to give us trouble?"

Mario finally just shook his head. "Well, we'll never know unless we head over there and see for ourselves. We've made it this far, after all. I believe in this team."

His partners all nodded in agreement, and that seemed to be the end of that. Satisfied with their decision, they broke out of their huddle.

"All right, we'll keep all that in mind. Thanks Ferdinand." Mario blinked in surprise as he saw the Bumpty was gone. "Ferdinand? …Where'd he go?"

"I think he's over there," said Dulia, pointing out at the ocean. Far off in the distance was an enormous, almost vertical whitecap, and they could just barely make out a Bumpty careening down it on his board.

"GNAAAAAAAAAAAARLYYYYYYYYYYYY!"

"That feller has no direction in life," Snatchel muttered.

––

Following Ferdinand's directions, the group continued off down the beach in search of the hotel, although they ran into several additional distractions such as a juice bar, a surfboard rental (Mario had to very firmly tell Stubba no), and a live band consisting of a group of Piantas playing the steel drums and saxophone. It was quite a while before they finally arrived at the very far end of the beach, and unsurprisingly, the sun was lower still in the sky at this point.

But all that was pushed out of Mario's mind the minute he laid eyes on the Seashell Hotel.

"Woah. I think I see it, Mario," Hanner said in awe.

"Yup, me too," Mario agreed, and they all raced over to it in excitement. There was only one building it could possibly be, by far the biggest one on the whole beach. It was dozens of stories high with a very sleek and modern-looking design, covered largely in blue-green colored glass windows. Through the windows they could see a fancy glass elevator positioned in the front center of the hotel and traveling up and down, giving its riders a view of the whole beach. There were all manner of palm trees and umbrellas surrounding the place.

Mario craned his head up to stare at it. "Wow… Peach wasn't lying. This place is even bigger than the castle! Probably fancier too!"

"Who the heck needs a dump this huge, anyway?" Goomblaine grumbled, not looking impressed.

"I gotta agree… this place is a little too fancy for my likin'," Snatchel admitted. "We're all pretty simple folks back at home, y'know?"

"Oh, c'mon guys, give it a chance. This'll be fun!" Hanner giggled. "And anyway, we won't be here for long. Just until we find the Sun Soul."

Mario nodded a little absentmindedly. Seeing the hotel like this was quite a thrill, but now he was actually starting to worry a little. He'd assumed the Sun Soul would be relatively easy to find, but the sheer size of this place was making him reconsider. There must have been an infinite number of places it could have been hidden.

Not only that, but they also had a Guardian to find, and this beach wasn't exactly low on people…

"Well, I guess we better head on in and get a look around, huh?" he finally said, deciding worrying wouldn't get them anywhere. With varying degrees of enthusiasm, his partners followed after him as he walked on over. There were already dozens of people gathered outside and forming a crowd, but Mario's team worked their way around them until they finally arrived at the huge, fancy front doors and pushed them open.

Seashell Hotel, Main Lobby
5:00 pm

"Wooooooooah," Stubba said the moment they were inside.

"'Woah' is right," Hanner agreed.

Mario was now almost positive that this was the fanciest building he'd ever been in. There were intricate crystal chandeliers hanging from the ceiling, an enormous and expensive-looking carpet covering the marble floor where they were standing, and potted plants in every corner of the room. In the middle of the floor was a solid gold fountain in the shape of a trio of Cheep-Cheeps. Mario also realized after a moment that there was a string quartet playing somewhere in the background.

Not only that, but it was extremely crowded. There was a ton of people standing around, all of them looking around and chatting in excitement.

"Hey, you guys got a reservation?" asked a bored-looking Noki receptionist sitting at the front desk.

"Huh?" Mario and the others noticed her. She was resting her head in her hand and seemed to be working on a piece of bubble gum. "Uh… well, actually, we're not staying here. We just wanted to get a look around."

"I'm sorry, but the Seashell Hotel is currently only open to those who have already made a reservation," the receptionist droned, sounding like she'd had to say it multiple times already today. "I'll have to ask you to wait outside."

"Uh… well, hang on. We just talked to Ferdinand, and he said if we just say his name we could – "

The large pink bubble that the receptionist had been blowing abruptly popped. "Ferdinand?" she squealed in delight. "You mean you guys are actually friends with that surfing studmuffin?"

Mario blinked slowly. "…Studmuffin…?"

"That changes everything! You guys can stay here as long as you want!" she swooned. "Oh, and next time you see him, tell him Lucille says hi, okay?"

"Uh… yeah, sure," said Mario, getting a little uncomfortable. "Uh, c'mon guys, let's wait over here," he muttered, quickly leading his partners away.

"Well, that was weird," said Hanner.

"No, I'd say it's pretty much par for the course at this point," Mario muttered. "Now, remember to be on your guard, guys. Do you see anything suspicious around here?"

They all glanced surreptitiously around the lobby, but there was nothing to be seen except the other vacationers standing around.

"Uh-uh… everything looks okay, Mario," Stubba finally said, shaking his head.

Mario sighed. "Well, there must be something… the Darkstriders wouldn't let us in this easily."

No one got to say anything else before another voice suddenly spoke up.

"Hello, hello, everyone! So glad you could all make it!"

Everyone in the crowd turned and saw a large, pompous-looking Bulky Bob-omb standing in front of the main desk. He had on a top hat that was much too small for him and was (somehow) holding onto a gold-handled cane.

"Now then! I am the manager of the Seashell Hotel, and I am pleased to welcome you all to the highly anticipated, highly exclusive re-opening of this grand establishment!"

Everyone in the crowd started clapping, and Mario's party quickly took it as a signal to do the same. As they clapped, Mario suddenly noticed all five Bumpty Boarders squeezing in through the front door and gathering around in the back of the crowd. The plumber gave them a wink, and they waved back.

"As I'm sure you know, the Seashell Hotel is among the largest and most famous in all of Chronoside," the manager went on. "At an amazing thirty stories tall, it includes such features as an indoor pool, multiple bars, a music lounge, and fine cuisine from all parts of the world!"

A bunch of "Oooh"s and "Aaah"s came from the audience. Goomblaine rolled his eyes.

"And of course, you lovely people all have the great honor of being the very first to stay at our newly improved and renovated hotel!" the manager concluded. "And so, it is my great honor to welcome each and every one of you to – "

"Stop right there," hissed a very familiar voice. "That was a wonderful little speech, but I'm afraid it ends now."

Mario's team instantly tensed up. "No…" Mario groaned as everyone else in the room suddenly crowded together in fear, looking for the source of the disembodied voice. Not Mario, though. He knew what was coming.

Suddenly a plume of choking black smoke came rising up from in front of the fountain, and out stepped Jaff, Pell and Nobb, looking more serious and dangerous than ever before. The vacationers gasped in fright.

"You!" Mario snarled at them, clenching his fists.

Maizee's eyes widened in recognition. "Them again?"

Well, Mario, why am I not surprised to see you here already?" Jaff sneered as he and the others strode forward, the vacationers fearfully edging out of their way. "You always did have the annoying habit of being one step ahead of us… but that ends now. The Dusk Soul will never be yours."

The manager stared at them, looking more confused than frightened. "Erm… wait a minute… who are all of you, exactly?"

"No one's allowed in here without a reservation," Lucille called over listlessly, earning several exasperated glares.

Jaff turned to glare at the manager. "All you need to know is that we are servants of King Shroude, ruler of Chronoside," he growled threateningly. "And I'm afraid your use has ended. This hotel is now under our management."

"Oh, get real!" Mario shouted, marching forward with his partners closely flanking him. All the vacationers stared at him, having no idea what was unfolding before them.

"How many times do we have to do this? We've beaten you three before and we'll do it again!"

But all Jaff did in response was turn to Mario with a wicked grin. "Why, Mario… what on earth makes you think it's just the three of us?"

Mario quickly grew pale. "Uh…"

Jaff threw back his head and shouted, "DARKSTRIDERS, ATTACK!"

And just like that, the entire lobby seemed to erupt in smoke. All the vacationers started screaming and running around in a panic as the black fumes completely enveloped them, shouting something about a bomb going off – but no, it wasn't a bomb, Mario realized with a horrible chill. It was Darkstriders, dozens of them, appearing out of thin air from every direction and scampering all over the lobby, claws bared, capturing the hapless vacationers before they could do a thing.

"HOLY COW!" Hanner cried while Dulia gave a yelp of surprise.

"What-what's going on?" Mario stammered as he backed into a corner, any possibility of a fight quickly removed from his mind. He hadn't even known there were this many Darkstriders. There was no way they could fight against a number like this.

"WHAT IS THE MEANING OF THIS?!" the manager shouted amid the total chaos, only for Pell and Nobb to grab him and drag him off. Lucille shrieked and ducked under the desk, but within moments she had been captured as well.

"DUDES! THIS IS TOTALLY NOT RIGHTEOUS!" Ferdinand cried as he and the other Bumpty Boarders tried to run out of the room, only for three Darkstriders to leap in their way.

Mario's partners were clearly the only ones who stood a chance. They valiantly tried to fight back against the army of Darkstriders bearing down on them and tearing up the lobby, but they were vastly outnumbered. There was nothing they could do.

"This is pointless! We're gonna lose!" Goomblaine snarled.

"Mario partner, I'm thinkin' we better skedaddle!" Snatchel said in a panic.

"I know, I know!" Mario shouted. He quickly ducked down and plowed through the mass of blue and black, swinging his hammer and knocking away all the Darkstriders in his path. All his partners managed to break off from the fight and follow after him, and everyone raced toward the entrance as fast as they possibly could (Hanner was screaming and flailing her arms, which wasn't helping much).

Finally they came bursting out of the front doors and scrambled back onto the beach, only slowing to a stop when they were a very safe distance away from the hotel and they realized nobody was chasing after them.

"Is everybody here?" Mario asked worriedly once he'd caught his breath. He quickly did a head count of his partners, then sighed in relief.

"Thank goodness… we all made it."

"We all made it… but what about everybody else?" cried Dulia. The others turned around and quickly realized what she meant. Inside the hotel it had fallen eerily silent, and no one else had come outside. They were standing alone on the beach.

"Mario, sweetheart, I think we're the only ones who made it out safely," Maizee said fretfully. "We have to go back in there and help the others!"

"What? Go back? Why the heck would we do something that stupid?" Goomblaine snapped at her.

He immediately got his answer. All of a sudden there came a loud crackle of static from the megaphones situated high up on the outer wall of the hotel, and a tinny-sounding but familiar voice came out of it.

"ATTENTION, PESKY PLUMBER!" it shouted. "The Darkstriders and I have taken over the Palmy Balmy Beach! The vacationers are now all permanent guests at one of my seven Seashell Hotels!"

Hanner raised an eyebrow. "What did he say?"

"Wait, no – what?" The voice sounded confused. "No! We only have one hotel, and it's this one! Mario! We're holding the vacationers prisoner at the very top floor of the hotel! If you want to save them, you'll have to make it all the way up here! And good luck trying to do that – just wait until you see what we've done with the place! HA HA HA HA HA HA!"