Part 33: Update Thirty Two: No Autographs, Please.

Thank you, sir. I'll try and keep up the good work.



So, last time, we stopped off here after defeating a boss that gives me the heebie-jeebies. This time, we'll be polishing off Nimbus Land. So, let's get this show on the road.



There was a Blue Bird here, but it's gone now.



Like I said, there's a gauntlet coming up.





Or not. When life hands you lemons, am I right?



There's probably actually six or seven Blue Birds around here.



And Dodo. Without this star, you'd have to fight him. I have no idea what that fight is like, as I've never actually done it.





This is it. We're going to go confront the false Queen, and rescue the true King and Queen.



I'm certain there's a way to get those chests, but, for the life of me, I cannot remember it. My internet searches, while rather shallow and uninvolved, have yielded no results, either. I'm sure someone in this thread will inform me and make me feel like a fool.



We...Land outside of the hot springs? Did we just fall off the royal diving board?





We've got to get back up to Nimbus Land. Thankfully, it's just two trampolines up.





I'm almost willing to bet Garro put all of these guys up to this. He seems crafty enough to come up with something like this.



It's just too convenient to have just happened. Or maybe I'm thinking too much about a Mario RPG.



Bwahahahaha! That guy's my favorite.





See, they're gossiping now.



I would have thought that Valentina would be down for this shit.





right?





Bitch, please. Anyone in a 10 mile radius could have found you.



I really wonder why she keeps Dodo around. He doesn't seem very useful.





Though, I do have to admit, I find it amusing that seems be trying to keep up appearances.



And we're thrust into battle with Valentina. I don't know why she can hover now.







...Dodo, what the hell are you doing?



Dodo, you son of a bitch!



Toadstool here has to fight a solo battle with Dodo.



From what I can tell here, Dodo has 1000 HP. His Attack and Defense, as fitting for a boss, are pretty high. He's weak to Fire, which doesn't help Toadstool, but she's about two and a half times faster than he is.



Usually, from what I can tell, people like to bring Bowser to this fight. Dodo's got nothing but physicals, including one that can mute a character. Even so, if one did bring Bowser, that doesn't really affect him. This is why I made sure Toadstool was in the center.



That, and I had a feeling Toadstool wasn't feeling up for any of this bullshit.



This is one of Dodo's special attacks. It's also the only one he used, as he apparently didn't want to cooperate with me.



Toadstool's low Defense is shown off here. She takes quite a bit of damage from Dodo's attacks. If not for her high speed or level, I honestly would have been a little scared for her here.



Since her HP is pretty high, I don't have to worry too much.



Had she been a level or two lower, this fight would have been terrifying for me. Levels are important here, yeah, but gear matters a lot more than levels. There's a Youtube video out of there of a level six party, with the best gear, kicking Culex's ass and not dying once.



You've got to take about half of his HP away before he decides this shit ain't worth it.



He flees, terrified of the Princess and her massive war fan.



However, Toadstool is having none of that.



Back here, we've got two people to fight Valentina with. You may notice her massive rack. She also has 2000 HP, 120 Attack and 80 Magick Attack. Her other stats aren't noteworthy, except for her Speed. It's 200. She also has a ton of magic. Oh, and about those boobs?



And in case you didn't...

(Explosionface is a wonderful man and you all should give him $5 if you ever meet him. And high fives. I'm sure he'll appreciate it.)



With that out of the way, since I knew some folks would be disappointed were that not to have been shown off, this is Valentina's generic physical. She like, Force Slaps a character for pitiful amount of damage.







Hey, if I'd brought Bowser, that fight would have lasted two turns, I bet. He probably would have taken less than five damage, too.





And here comes Toadstool. Let's get this battle started.



This is the boss fight proper; Dodo here only has 500 or 600 HP, with all of his attacks from before. I'd recommend taking him out first, as that's less damage overall. Plus, he's got less HP than Valentina.



Valentina, like I said, has a ton of magic at her disposal. She also has Solidify, Blizzard, Water Blast, Diamond Saw, and Crystal.



That high Magic Attack is put to good use, but we're in no danger with Toadstool around. That Safety Ring of hers is extremely useful.



I'd like to say more about Dodo, but it only took about a round to finish him off. He's a distraction, at best, in this fight.



She's got 707 HP left at this point.



Please tell me you're talking about Dodo's battle prowess.



Star Rain, for whatever reason, is just about my favorite special of Mallow's.



A bigass star just flops out of the sky.



When it squishes down, hit "Y" to make it bounce. OFS has the theory 16 is the cap, but I've never tested it.



Valentina also has this.



It does a fair amount of damage and if I hadn't brought Toadstool, this could have been really shitty.



I'm going to say it; Toadstool is broken. Group Hug restores a fuckload of HP and heals all status effects. Her Magic Defense is pretty good, but her Defense is abysmal, but with proper timing, even that's not a big issue. For what she is, Toadstool also has pretty good attack and her ultimate weapon is one of the best in the game. Toadstool is fucking terrifying and she is one of the best party members, if not the best.





Mallow lands the final blow.





Maybe it's just me, but I just love it so much when a battle lines up with the story like this. Anyone could have finished this fight, but it seems the most appropriate to have Mallow finish this fight.





Dodo latches onto Valentina's skull and flutters off with her.



She blows us a kiss and off she goes.



Not bad for a day's work. I wouldn't mind if those numbers got switched, though.



Mario just watches them fly off.







There's not a lot I could add to this.



Key in hand, Mallow dashes inside.



Mario lowers his head, contemplatively.



We all know what's coming next.



I think it's a sweet moment. Mallow promised he wouldn't cry anymore, but as soon as he meets his birth parents...





Hey, Mallow. How goes it?



I'd comment we're going to meet royalty, but we're traveling with a Princess.



It's kind of worn off by now.





Mallow's parents are remarkably chill about all of this.







Well, the Queen is. King Nimbus is just delightful.





Were I Mario, I'd probably be flexing like an idiot at that.



Yeah, I kind of roped your son into a dangerous, world-spanning adventure where there were some very real chances we'd all die horribly.



Thankfully, King Nimbus can't read my commentary.





Oh, that Queen just thinks she married such a rascal.



Well, I suppose I could indulge that.



Oh, Mario. This is why we love you.







Throughout all of this, the King of Nimbus is just this starstruck fool, amazed he gets to meet all of these famous figures, when really, it should be the opposite. It's wonderful to me.





He's so ecstatic about meeting famous figures, he doesn't even give two shits that Bowser, of all people, is standing in his throne room.





I love the damn King. I really do.





Huh, Geno isn't even close to being famous or well-known. But, he's the most important figure here. He's the one the King should be most excited about meeting, being an emissary from the stars and all that.



And no respect for Geno.





...Oh, Goddammit. I knew we'd have to go into that volcano.



getting a star out of there!

All I heard there was that we get to slay a dragon. I think that covers the important thing here.



Actually, it'll only take three of us. But which three? BOLD a vote, folks!



Y'know, I wouldn't mind taking one of these guys along. Judging by Mallow's magical ability, his parents can't be half-bad themselves.



Wow, that dude lives in the Volcano? Holy hell, that's metal.



She's known her kid for ten minutes and she's already this motherly.



I like how he says, "Probably." This whole thing is just very to me.



Can do, ma'am.



There's a story there, and I'll be back for it, Your Highness.



There's a few Flowers around here, such as one hidden back where the Star was, and one on a sidepath I didn't show. This room, though, is nice.



Before we get too far, there's something over here. If you don't see a path, don't worry about it.



I can't see it, either.



You're not very good at this whole running away thing, huh?



I'll take it, sure. This Fertilizer will be important soon enough.



If you'll remember, this is the path to the hot springs.



We've got some royalty with us now. Since I guess Toadstool doesn't count.



Must only be Sky-Royalty. Ground-Royalty just ain't accepted 'round these parts.



Mallow didn't even show up earlier. It was just Mario, so I'm okay with you guys. You were just doing your job.







There are some perks to being with royalty. Excuse me, gentlemen.



Sure, it's just a glorified full-heal spot, but c'mon, it's a hot springs! The novelty alone is enough for me.



Huh, look at that. They even have an observation path.



Hey, look, a volcano!



FFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU



Well, I guess we're here now. Let's take a break and hope we're not lit on fire by being those close to the lava.

Next time, we're going through a volcano! Stay tuned!