Super Paper Mario -- Chapter 5-4: The Menace of King Croacus

"You want REAL danger? How about my duel with the foul Rainbowzilla?!" As the heroes descended into the Floro Caverns, Flint Cragley entertained them all. "Boss. BOSS! Cragnons heard that story 255 times, brah... You making my Crag hurt. Brah, if you count time we weren't tied up, then it be 256 times." Mario and Co. glanced over at the weary faces of Flint's crew as they delved deeper. But a light grew... Was it a ray of hope from the Pure Heart, or an evil illusion?

Flint Cragley tells the viewers at home that they traipsed over beasts, but found a sight too horrible to believe. Hornfels says nothing has happened yet. Flint says the sight is up ahead and they're going to look for it now. They leave. Drop down and you'll find a white door in the cavern. It leads to a scanner, with an ornate door on the other side. Unfortunately, the heroes can't get past the scanner. Drop down to the left and you'll find a tiny pipe, then a normal pipe. Go through the normal pipe and you'll see a Cragnon leave through a white door. The white door leads to the Processing Center, but a key card is required for access. Go back through the white door and drop down to the right. There are Pal Pills in the item block, but you may want to avoid getting them so they do not attack the Cragnons and cost you points. Flip and drop down and you'll find a red switch. Pick up the two Cragnons down there and throw them onto the switch to make a pipe appear.

The pipe leads to a part of the cavern where there's a skull drawn on the wall. Use Fleep on the skull to make a Cave Key appear. Beyond the door is a maze to a sign telling you to use Fleep on the skull, so you can ignore it and go back. Flip into 3D to find a ladder out of that area. Unlock the door to the right and you'll find a normal Cragnon named Gabbro and a Pixl. The Cragnon thought this was a good hiding spot since the key was lost. The Pixl calls this situation unexpected, like a storm of rain. It says there are no absolutes. The Cragnon asks what they should do. The Pixl says Grabbro must calm himself and meditate. The Cragnon surrenders, asking the heroes not to hurt the Pixl. The Pixl protests, but Gabbro says the Pixl kept him company and helped him hide. Gabbro owes the Pixl and wants the Pixl to live free. The Pixl notices that the heroes are not Floro Sapiens and Gabbro asks if they're here to save him. Tippi says Gabbro managed to avoid falling under the Floro Sapiens' control, just like Flint. Gabbro's a huge Flint Cragley fan and the Pixl says to find him. The Pixl says that humans, Cragnons, and Pixls shouldn't linger long together, as only heroes travel with them. It tells Gabbro to let his aura shrink so he can return to the village. It shrinks Gabbro, who thanks the Pixl and leaves through a tiny red door. Now it's time to get funky again. The Pixl bids Gabbro farewell. It says it hears the tears of souls. The hero must take her to the deep, dark underbelly of the earth. Her name is Dottie and she allows the heroes to shrink to enter small spaces and avoid detection. Use her power to go through the tiny red door.

Go through the door to the Processing Center, then run through the low gap to the left. You'll find the Card Key here. Use it to unlock the door. Go through the pipe, which takes you to an area with caged Cragnons. Pound the switch with Thudley and the alarm sounds. The Cragnons are released. Hop over the blocks to avoid them and go through the pipe on the right. Dimentio says they've finally come to play like long-sleeping toddlers. O'Chunks is with him. Dimentio asks if they tire of collecting the Pure Hearts. He says he's not violent by nature and wants to settle things peacefully. He offers to return them to their own world. The heroes won't sit by idly wand watch worlds die. Dimentio transports them to Dimension D. Tippi says this battle will end the same way as before. Dimentio changes things up a little by giving O'Chunks a sprout. He starts saying the names of vegetables. Dimentio calls O'Chunks dim and says he's livened him up with a sprout. He can now be called O'Cabbage. O'Chunks attacks. His attacks are largely the same, but he's faster. Throw him with Thoreau, then stomp. Once you defeat him, the sprout falls off. The mind control ceases and he asks what he's doing here. He thinks the heroes want to challenge him, but they'll get ruined. His stomach growls. According to him, warrior rule #1 is never fight on an empty stomach. The heroes are done the next time they meet and he lifts off. Tippi notices that the sprout that fell off is the same as the one on the Cragnons, but this one is nearly dead. Wear the sprout and the heroes suffer no ill effects.

Elsewhere, Dimentio laughs. He says if the heroes beat that model of O'Chunks, they're coming alone nicely. They are perhaps the ones he's waited for all this time, so he should prepare himself. Go up and through the pipe to return to the entrance to the Processing Center. Leave and go through the tiny pipe to the right for many item blocks. Most of them have coins, but there are Pal Pills and a Super Shroom here. Go through the white door on the far right, the one with an ornate door on the other side. The scanner will let the heroes pass through with the sprout.

The door leads to King Croacus's lavish castle. There are many valuable objects and paintings of former rulers. Read the captions to find out more about the rulers' histories if you like. You'll find out that King Croacus IV, the current ruler, was not born into royalty, but was acknowledged after many years of service to a young king who died early. Flip and you'll find that the floor is cracked underneath each painting. Use Boomer to blow up the cracks. In 3D, drop down and you'll see a colorful switch. Hit the switch with Thoreau so it matches the background of the painting above. You do not have to hit the switch under the blue painting, as the switch is already the correct color. There are Cragnons at the bottom, so beware. Under the far right painting is a Save Block. Once all of the switches are the correct color, a curtain appears and an door is revealed.

Go through the door and someone asks where the pretties are. They want more pretties. It's King Croacus IV, who calls the heroes hideous and clashing intruders. He won't forgive the trashing of his beautiful kingdom. The heroes order him to release the Cragnons. Croacus refuses, saying their sturdy bodies make them fine workers to dig up more gems for his bejeweled palace. He says the world is made for beauty and shows them the Pure Heart. He knows the heroes want the Pure Heart badly, and think it's because all seek beauty. Their blabber hurts his ears and their smell is wilting them. He rarely stoops to such things, but they should consider it an honor that he'll destroy them himself. He becomes a planted flower with three heads attached to flexible, spiny stalks. His head becomes more like a rose and he can cover his face with his petals. He has 50 HP and 2 attack. Croacus attacks with his heads, but does not take damage when his face is closed off. Grab stuff with Thoreau and throw it or jump onto him. Pick up a head with Thoreau and stand on another to get a better angle. After he takes a few hits, the heads disappear and Croacus floats freely. He'll shoot off flying petals that are like sharp fan blades. Pick those up and toss them at Croacus, or pick Croacus up and toss him at the petals.

When he is defeated, he says even as he wilts, he is beautiful. He turns grayer. Floro Sapiens rush in, asking what the heroes did. Tippi says they defeated Croacus and they want the Cragnons released. The Floro Sapiens say they don't get it. King Croacus IV was awesome and thought of his people first. The Cragnons were polluting the water by throwing trash into the river, which the Floro Sapiens then drank from. Drinking the polluted water drove Croacus crazy. Flint says he knew it all along. He has an emergency special report from the front lines, saying that pollution drives the Floro Sapiens mad. He tried to tell the Cragnons earlier, but his thoughts were too advanced for them. Hornfels says this segment is playing well with the green Cragnon crowd and that ratings are exploding. Monzo says it's like Crags on Ice meets Baron von Craggington. Flint says once the Cragnons see the report, they'll realize the error of their ways. The Floro Sapiens say that water is the most precious treasure. If the Cragnons stop dirtying the water, they'll chill out, be cool, and take off the sprouts. Tippi calls this an unexpected turn. Aside from whaling on their king, they are heroes and give them the Pure Heart. The earliest Floro Sapien kings were given it to safeguard for 1,500 years. King Croacus IV would be happy that the duty got done. The Pixls dance.

End of Chapter
"Men of true grit witness live what others can only see through Crag-vision. That is what moves me to travel into the belly of the beast week after week. Thanks again for watching, and until next the next time... CRAAAAGLEY HO!" Having wrapped their latest shoot, Flint and crew went back to Downtown of Crag. Mario and friends clutched the sixth Pure Heart as they walked back toward Flipside. Our heroes had taken a new step toward overturning the prophecy of destruction.

Super Paper Mario -- Chapter 5-3 -- A Crag in the Dark

After repelling O'Chunks, Mario and Co. followed the Floro Sapiens underground. Was the hideout of the Floro Sapiens just up ahead? "Wow, it's dark! And narrow!" "Hey, who just kicked me?!" "Sorry. All me." Our heroes followed the long, dark corridor, listening to echoes of their own voices. As they groped their way along, the light at the end of the tunnel grew brighter... They had finally arrived at the inner sanctum of the Floro Sapiens... The Cragnons kidnapped from Downtown of Crag had to be around somewhere...

This is the Floro Caverns, caves filled with minerals. Climb up the blocks and you'll find an item block with a Mushroom. Go to the right and someone announces that they're coming in live from the Floro Sapien home. It's a Cragnon with arms, wearing a khaki shirt and pith helmet. He says no one has set foot in here and come out alive. He says some make history with sheer gall and willpower, like Flint Cragley. He's a Cragtrotter, an adventurer. He tries out a few titles for his show: "Into the Floro Sapien Cave of Doom!" "Taste Danger! Flint Cragley Vs. a Recragginated Mummy in Floro Sapien Central!" Tippi speaks up and Cragley notices them, wondering it they'll eat him after the next commercial break. Afterwards, he says, "Cut, print, and wrap it." He asks what they're doing here and they explain their quest for the Pure Heart. Flint is happy to meet fellow adventurers and introduces himself as the best Cragtrotter. He has a weekly show on crag-vision. Flint pretended to be kidnapped so he could film an epic show, but his crew wandered off. They have the key that will get him deeper into the abyss that is the caverns. He tells them to find his crew and tell them he's waiting and stomping impatiently.

Go through the pipe and you'll find a locked door when you drop down. Go to the right to a Save Block and drop down. There are Spike Tops here. If you flip in the area, you'll find a Cragnon wandering around with a sprout on its head. It's been brainwashed by the sprout and has 10 HP and 1 attack. Avoid contact with them, or you'll lose points if you defeat them. They are looking for gems for King Croacus and will attack any intruders. Go through the lower pipe. You'll find some item blocks. The middle one has Pal Pills. You'll find Spania here. They move quickly. Defeat them without jumping on them, unless you're using Carrie's power. A nearby brick block has a Fast Flower. In the next cluster of item blocks, hit the brick block over the middle block for a ladder. It leads to a moving yellow platform that will take you past many coins. At the end of the ride, you'll drop back down. Go back left and you'll find a door.

The door leads to a mine cart. Stand in the mine cart and take it for a ride. Flip into 3D and it will take a hidden path to the left. The tracks dead-end at a door. Go through the door and float across the gap, then drop down. You'll find Flint Cragley's sound guy, Hornfels. He asks who they are and once they explain that Flint's looking for them, he says he'll go back. He explains that the Floro Sapiens are using sprouts to mind-control the captured Cragnons. He leaves, saying not to let their guard down. Go left and hit the brick block for a ladder. Go back through the door and ride the mine cart back. If you ride the mine cart in 2D, you'll end up in an empty room, except for a Cragnon in 3D.

Go to the right and blow up a rock to access a door. Flip and you'll find many coins here. Leave and go to the right. You'll come across a spring near a wall of blocks. Flip to go through the blocks. There's something at the end of the hallway. It's a giant yellow block, camouflaged to look like the cavern walls. Break it with Cudge and you'll find another mine cart. This one has several loop-de-loops. Go through door at the end, then up and right to find the cameraman, Monzo. He asks if the heroes are not mind-controlled. He escaped the "Processing Center", but says he may take the director, Flint, there to mellow out. The heroes tell him that Flint is looking for him. He heads back. Drop down and left, then flip to find a chest with a Spania card. The item block has a Zombie Shroom.

Go back using the mine cart, and go through the pipe near the door with coins. There's a camouflaged giant yellow block. You'll find a chest with a Shroom Shake. Return to Flint, who says he has been miraculously reunited with his crew. They need to aid the kidnapped Cragnons. He says they will use the key to the last unopened door in the caverns. The crew announces that they don't have the key. Monzo had it originally, but Flint took it back and should have it now. Flint says he doesn't, but finds it when he checks his pockets. He says the key miraculously returned to his pocket. He also says that beyond the door, there may be a trap on the other side. The heroes say they'll open the door no matter what and he calls them brave. He's not afraid, just yielding to their lead. He gives them the Cave Key. Go through the pipe and unlock the door. It leads to a mine cart with loops. Go through the door. There are large crystals here. There's a large shadow between and under the brick blocks. It's a giant yellow block in disguise. Hit a brick block for a Mega Star. When it runs out, look for a similar shadow towards the middle of the area. Hit it to reveal a door to the star.