Saturday, May 31, 2014

Paper Mario: Chapter 6 -- Dark Days in Flower Fields -- Part 2

Mario has obtained a Magical Bean, as well as Fertile Soil and some Miracle Water to help it grow. It still needs sunlight. Heal if you need to and go northwest of Wise Wisterwood and you'll see many thorns ahead. Nearby is a blue plant blowing bubbles. It's called the Bubble Plant. Give it a Bubble Berry and it will blow a large bubble. Jump into the bubble and it will take you across the pit of thorns. On the other side of pit are more Spinies. Sometimes, you'll find a Green Magikoopa. They have 11 HP and 3 attack power. They can increase the defense of their allies and run away. Go up the stairs, and walk through the log (it opens up) to reach a Star Piece. Go through a different log and go west.

There are more Lakitu and Spinies here. Go up the stairs and have Bombette break the rock at the top. Drop down where the rock was to reach the Mega Smash badge. Go west and the music changes. There's a tall tower in the area. Walk around on the ground and you'll find a doorway. Go inside and use Bombette to blow up the rock. This will make part of the tower lower so you can reach a doorway higher in the tower. Go up the stairs to the top of the tower. The sun is at the top. It says it was the sun. The clouds in the sky prevent it from climbing into the sky. It says it's failing as a sun with all the plants and flowers suffering. It tells Mario that the Puff Puff Machine is likely to the east, as that is where the clouds seem to be coming from. It then tells Mario to just go home and give up.

Go back east and a voice says to stop. It's a Lakitu wearing sunglasses. He says his name is Lakilester, then changes it to Michael, then Spike. He has no personal problem with Mario, but has orders from Huff N. Puff to deliver a beat down. He then wonders to himself if he sounded cool. It's time to battle. He appears under the name of "Spike?". He has 50 HP and 4 attack power. He throws Spiny Eggs like other Lakitu. Bow's Fan Smack and Power Bounce work well. Defeat him and you'll get 12 SP. At the end of the battle, even his cloud is frowning. He gives up, saying Mario is tough as nails. He then tells Mario to do his worst, whatever he does to those he defeats, be it a Fire Flower in the eye or a POW Block.

Someone else says to wait. It's another Lakitu, one with a ponytail. Her name is Lakilulu. She asks for mercy on Lakilester. He says she's embarrassing him, but this makes him like her even more. He then says to forget he said that. He lost a challenge and he and Mario must settle it. Lakilulu asks Mario to forgive him. Forgive him and he says he joined Huff N. Puff to be part of something big. Unfortunately, all he's been doing is picking pointless fights. He asks Mario what he's fighting for. He decides to join Mario. Lakilulu wants to go with him, but he wants her to stay. He's going to return to her after he becomes a man. She agrees to wait, but tells them not to make her worry. He joins the party, revealing that his name is really Lakilester. His starting attacks are Spiny Flip and Spiny Surge. He can also carry Mario over spikes and lava.

Return to Wise Wisterwood, then go northeast. There's a platform puzzle here. There are colorful platforms over thorns. If you ground pound the platform, all of the platforms of the same color will move in the direction that the arrows on them indicate. There are three green platforms, two red ones, and two purple ones. Keep Lakilester out, as you'll need him to carry you over the thorns as you manipulate the platforms. The way to solve the puzzle is to pound the platforms in the following order: right green, left purple, left red, left green, right green, then right purple. This will take you to the ledge on the other side of the pit of thorns. You may find a Yellow Magikoopa battling alongside other enemies. According to Goombario's Tattle, yellow's the new black. They have 11 HP and 3 attack. They can electrify allies, so do not attack them directly. They can also run away. They give 2 SP. Use the spring under the back ledge to reach a Super Block. I upgraded Lakilester.

Go east and you'll find a few logs over the thorns. You can use them or Lakilester to cross the thorns. You'll find a letter in the flowers here addressed to Minh T. I delivered the letter when I returned to Toad Town to heal. She'll give you a Star Piece. Go east of here and you'll here some mechanical sounds. To the right are some Lakitu and a Yellow Magikoopa, and the Puff Puff Machine. Hit it on both sides with the hammer and it will start falling apart. The Lakitu will tell you not to hit the machine. Once it's destroyed, all four will battle Mario at once. Defeat them and they'll retreat. The sky clears and the sun once again rises into the sky. The plants of Flower Fields are thankful. Lakilester says helping people feels good, so he'll follow Mario around.

Return to Wise Wisterwood and he'll say to plant the Magical Bean in the nearby soil patch. The order is soil, bean, then water. The bean sprouts and the stalk spirals up to the clouds. Jump on the cloud to reach Cloudy Climb. Ride the cloud towards the back to reach a cloud with the Super Jump Charge badge. When you're fully healed and ready, go east. Go up the cloudy stairs and you'll see a lump in the clouds. It shakes and asks if Mario is who he thinks he is and if he broke a Puff Puff Machine. Mario ruined his plan to cover Flower Fields in clouds to make a paradise. He can't expect Mario to understand. If Lakilester is out, he'll notice him and says Lakilester has betrayed him and he will be punished. He has a Star Spirit that he refuses to give up. Huff N. Puff says that Mario will pay dearly. The battle starts.

Huff N. Puff has 60 HP and 5 attack power. His thunder attack does massive damage, but he has to charge it up. Use Outta Sight when you see him charge up. Each time he takes damage, Tuff Puffs appear from him, representing the amount of damage done. They ask permission to attack Mario and it is granted. They'll crowd Mario, doing damage until he can fill the meter by repeatedly pressing (A). He can also inhale them, effectively negating any damage you did, so don't leave them on the field for long. Use attacks that hit all enemies, like Spiny Surge, to clear them out, which is especially effective after using a move like Power Bounce. Some more Tuff Puffs will appear because you hit Huff N. Puff, but he can't heal as much. Huff N. Puff also has a wind attack. Press (A) repeatedly to fill the meter as much as you can so you only take 2 or 3 HP worth of damage. Keep attacking and you'll eventually defeat him. You'll get 31 SP. Huff N. Puff says he can't lose before exploding into smaller clouds. The Star Spirit's card appears.

End of Chapter
So it is that Mario and party defeat cruel cloud Huff N. Puff and set free the sixth Star Spirit. The thick clouds that once cast dark shadows have gone, and Flower Fields is bathed in sunshine again. A single Star Spirit waits to be rescued, waits to take its place in the Star Sanctuary. Perhaps you will see Princess Peach soon... Perhaps... Just wait and see. Kammy Koopa, who watches impatiently from Bowser's Castle, is waiting, too... for you to try to save them...

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