Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door -- Interlude After Chapter 8

After defeating the Shadow Queen, everyone is gathered on the dock at Rogueport's port. Professor Frankly says it's too bad that Mario's leaving, as he did wonders for his research. Goombella says she'll be his research assistant next term. Frankly wishes them the best and says not to forget them. All of Mario's allies thank him for taking them on the journey and saving the world. Flurrie says she'll return to the stage and Koops is closer to his father. Yoshi calls Mario by his actual name, saying he's still Gonzales to him. Vivian mentions growing to lo--, but says never mind. Vivian says that Peach and Mario make a nice couple. Bobbery liked meeting Mario, because, otherwise, Scarlette would still gaze down on a broken Bob-omb. He'll be off to sea again. Ms. Mowz says she won't say farewell, but Mario is welcome anytime. Punio and Petuni rush in to give Mario and Peach some fresh Mushrooms for the boat ride home, leaving out Toadsworth. Peach tells the allies that if it weren't for them, the world would be in darkness and the world is in their debt. Frankly disagrees, saying that if she hadn't come, they'd be the Shadow Queen's puppets. The boat arrives and they leave.

On the boat, Peach says that they're lovely people. She says Rogueport's a vibrant town with a love for life. She was frightened when she was kidnapped, but TEC was there for her and she knew Mario would come. She thanks him and considers acting more like a princess, like Toadsworth wants. The sun comes out and bathes Rogueport in a golden light. Peach thinks the town is shining.

Back in Mario's house, Luigi says Mario had a pretty rough time, but Peach is safe and everything's okay. He thinks it's amazing that Mario saved the world again. It's been a while since Mario left Rogueport and he wonders if Mario's ready for a new adventure. He also wonders what Mario's allies are up to. Mario gets an email from Goombella. She's still working as Professor Frankly's assistant, researching tons of Rogueport lore that isn't understood. They gained a lot of leads while she was traveling with Mario. The contents of the chest Frankly found in the Palace of Shadow are a secret only to be revealed if Mario comes to visit. While researching the myths, she went back to places they visited on their travels and saw everyone. Koops is living peacefully with his dad and Koopie Koo, who has him wrapped around her little finger. He also aspires to be mayor of Petalburg. Flurrie's back on stage and the crowd loves it. She's currently performing in "Paper Mario", the story of their adventure and Doopliss in an actor in the troupe. His transforming skills are good, but Goombella finds them creepy. Yoshi is fighting solo in the Glitz Pit as the Great Gonzales Jr. and is close to a title match. He'll take on Mario in the ring anytime. Vivian is hanging around with Marilyn and Beldam, who isn't into evil anymore, since the Shadow Queen was defeated. She promises she'll never be mean to Vivian again. Bobbery is sailing with Cortez and his soul has healed. He's very happy and Scarlette is probably smiling. Everyone on Keelhaul Key says hello. Ms. Mowz still runs the badge shop in Rogueport and recently visited Frankly, saying she found a super-rare badge. Grodus and Lord Crump are still alive and living in Poshley Heights. The X-Nauts are still loyal to Grodus, who has mellowed out and no longer troublesome, since he's just a head. TEC is still functional on the moon and wants to see Mario and Peach again. Goombella is grateful for their time together, but there's something on her mind that she'll keep secret.

There's a knock on the door. It's Peach and Toadsworth. Toadsworth was cleaning out a storeroom in the castle when he stumbled upon a treasure map. Peach is sure this map leads to actual treasure. She says the boat is waiting to take them. Mario is stunned.

Roll Credits!

After the credits roll, they arrive in Rogueport. The boat captain says it's strange that anyone returns to Rogueport, but he'd consider it if there was a cute Goomba waiting for him. Goombella is glad to see Mario again and that everyone is here and ready to go wherever. Go to Frankly's  and he'll say that the chest in the Palace of Shadow contained a Dried Shroom, which is not disappointing because they now know for certain that people ate mushrooms 1000 years ago. This is a ground-breaking anthropological discovery.
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In the inn, you'll find Luigi catching a breather. He's been interviewed about his travels during his breaks at the inn, resulting in best-selling novels, at least in Rogueport. It set the record of consecutive weeks at #1 on the best-sellers list. He's happy for himself. The books are an encyclopedia account in multiple volumes titled "Super Luigi" and are sold in the shop in the central square. If you read the final volume, you'll find out why the detail dropped out during the battle against the Chestnut King: Princess Éclair explained that the Chestnut King was her true love and that Crepe, the one who sent Luigi the letter in the first place, made him that way in a bid for the throne to restore the Luff Empire. Luigi gained the ability to see into the future with the compass piece in Éclair's tiara and was able to defeat Crepe. Afterwards, he and his allies parted ways and Luigi went home, with a heaviness in his heart.

If you return to the X-Naut Fortress, TEC is happy to see Mario again. It used explosives to ensure the base would never be used for evil, but was caught in the blast and destroyed in the process. It suddenly regained consciousness and everything was as it once was, but TEC doesn't know why. It saw a light and thought it heard Peach. If Peach is happy, TEC is happy and it hopes for the continued happiness of Peach, Mario, and all others.

There are three more troubles at the Trouble Center.

Doe T. wants to see the Great Tree in Boggly Woods, but there are many enemies blocking his path. He's just west of the Great Tree, but can't deal with the enemies. Equip the Bump Attack badge and run into the enemies to get rid of them quickly. Doe T. is in Mario's debt and gives him 20 coins as a reward.

Bub got in a fight with his mother, Sylvia and wants help making it up to her. Make a Shroom Cake by cooking a Cake Mix and a Mushroom and meet him by Poshley Sanctum. He says he wrote a letter and wants to give her a present. His suggestions are a Shroom Cake, Keel Mango, and a Fright Mask. Suggest a Shroom Cake and hand it over. He'll bundle it into a present, then give it to you to give to his mother. Go northwest twice to the trains station and give it to her. She reads the letter, in which Bub apologizes for not doing his homework. She leaves to cry, then explains that she wasn't angry at Bub, just stern because she loves him and cares about his future. She never meant to hurt his feelings and tells Mario to bring him back. Talk to Bub and he'll reward you with his entire fortune: 3 coins.

Swob is a Bob-omb in Fahr Outpost who wants some graffiti erased from the 50th floor of the Pit of 100 Trials. He's on the east side of Fahr Outpost, near the statue. He heard a rumor that if someone writes a wish on the wall of the 50th floor of the pit, it will come true. He found out it was a hoax and wants it erased. Be sure to heal before taking on this challenge, as you still retain the HP, FP, and Star Energy from your battle with the Shadow Queen. I have the same badges as the final battle. Once you get to the 50th floor, you'll see some writing on the left wall. It says: "Swob's Wish: I want to get married to Bobolink, my dear love, in a shocker wedding! I want us to have 22 kids so we can start a soccer team, SHA-BLOOIE!" The wish was scrawled in a fierce hand so it might never come off. Use Bobbery to remove it, then leave, unless you want to go farther into the pit. Return to Swob and he'll say he's grateful, but can't really confirm whether Mario really erased his wish. He decides to trust Mario and will reward him with a Snow Bunny, something Zess T. made when he told her he missed the snow. Swob will try to fulfill his own wish.

Return to the Trouble Center and you'll find that all of the troubles are solved, which is good for the world, but bad for the Trouble Center's business.

And that is the end of the game. It was a long, but fun journey and I enjoyed playing the game. I hope you enjoyed reading about it. Up next is Super Paper Mario, to finish off the Summer of Paper Mario.

Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door -- Chapter 8: The Thousand-Year Door -- Part 4

When you're ready to go forward, go through the east door. I recommend having some healing items in your inventory. I'm at level 32, with 35 HP, 35 FP, and 75 BP. The badges I have equipped are Return Postage, Zap Tap, Spike Shield, Pity Flower, Happy Flower, Happy Heart, Lucky Start, Lucky Day, Pretty Lucky, Close Call, Close Call P, 2 Damage Dodge, Damage Dodge P, 2 Power Plus, Power Plus P, 2 FP Plus, 2 HP Plus, Power Bounce, and Multibounce.

On the other side of the door, you'll find Peach, Grodus, many candles, and a coffin. Peach screams. Grodus tells Mario and his ally that they're too late. In the coffin behind Peach sleeps the legendary treasure, the soul of an ancient demon. It will possess Peach's body to bring life to the most powerful witch in millennia. Peach apologizes to Mario, saying all this trouble was caused because she sent him the map. Grodus says he will rule the world with the ancient demon's power. He tells the Shadow Queen to arise and uses magic. The candles are extinguished and are lit again with black flames. The coffin's lid shakes and falls off, revealing a dark vortex. Slowly, a hand appears and the Shadow Queen comes out. A shadow, then darkness covers Rogueport, Petalburg, the Great Tree, and Glitzville.

The Shadow Queen asks who calls her back and Grodus answers. She asks where the vessel is and Grodus shows her Peach. She bends over Peach and possesses her. The ground shakes and the sky flashes in Twilight Town, Keelhaul Key, and Poshley Heights. Pennington deduces that this is the end of the world. The mayor of Fahr Outpost says something terrible has happened. Professor Frankly, somewhere in the palace, notices the ground shaking and dust falling from above, and thinks that the dark power has awakened, something unthinkable.

Peach appears, wearing a purple dress in a different style and a cape. She is the Shadow Queen. She says to witness her rebirth, but her soul is not fully accustomed to her new vessel. She'll learn to control it soon. Grodus commands her to destroy the impudent fools before her: Mario and his allies. The Shadow Queen asks who commands her and what sort of being he is. Grodus thought she was bound to obey the one who woke her, so he orders her to defeat Mario or he'll send her back. She zaps away his body with magic, saying no one commands her. She zaps away his helmeted head, saying her powers are not fully restored, but will come in time. The Shadow Sirens appear, along with Doopliss. Beldam is glad the Shadow Queen has returned to them. The Shadow Queen says it's been ages and that Beldam is truly responsible for calling her back. Beldam searched for a pure maiden to serve as a vessel and spread a rumor of a great treasure. Afterwards, she led the fools who gathered the Crystal Stars here to open the seal. The Shadow Queen praises her for fulfilling her duties admirably and asks about Mario and his ally. She doesn't think they have power, but may be of use. She tells them they won't be harmed if they become her servants. Mario refuses and the Shadow Queen is amused. She says they'll learn the error of their ways.

The Shadow Queen calls them foolish to oppose her and such foolishness is punished. Mario's ally says they must defeat her or the world ends and not to think of the being before them as Peach, so they can attack with all their might. The Shadow Queen has 150 HP and 7 attack. She'll use lightning attacks, raise both her attack and defense powers, absorb HP, and drag them into darkness. Use attacks like Power Bounce to do a lot of damage. Lip Lock works well to keep your ally (Flurrie) healed and do more damage, especially when the Shadow Queen increases her defense. When she has about 80 HP left, she'll admit that Mario's neither useless nor weak. Peach's body is unfamiliar, so she assumes her true form, gaining a pair of hands that can attack as well. They can absorb HP, slap, or drag them into darkness. She says to taste her power and that their attacks are like that of a child. Now, all of your attacks will be useless, so guard and heal. She'll attack with gases that can confuse or poison. After a while, she'll call Mario a troublesome pest and drags away the audience to fully heal. She'll punish Mario and his ally for their resistance. Mario's ally thinks that this could be the end.

The Shadow Queen asks once again for Mario and his ally to serve her and she'll forgive them. Mario's ally says they can't betray everyone who believed in them. The Shadow Queen says they'll perish. A light shines and she asks what it is. It's the Crystal Stars, who leave and form the same image as when the Mario stands on the Thousand-Year Door's pedestal under the gallows of Rogueport. They fly up to the sky, then return to the towns of their former locations. The Diamond Star returns to Petalburg. Mayor Kroop wonders what it is and Koops's father recognizes it at the Crystal Star. Kroop thinks it may be related to the dark sky and they wonder if anything happened to Mario and Koops. Koopie Koo says Koops promised he'd return. The Emerald Star returns to the Great Tree and Punio asks why it's here. The elder calls the return mysterious. Petuni says Mario's in trouble and the Crystal Star is here to tell them that. Punio says that Mario's fighting to save the world and is in deep trouble. Petuni and the other Punies cheer Mario and Flurrie on, telling them to keep fighting. The Gold Star returns to Glitzville and Jolene knows that Mario is fighting for all of them. She's wishing for them. Rawk Hawk says anyone who beats him is not allowed to lose. The Armored Harriers say not to give in. A Koopa says they're sending their strength. The Ruby Star goes to Twilight Town, where the mayor says not to give up and believe in himself. A resident is worried about Vivian, who seemed so innocent. The mayor says Mario will stand true, as he easily beat the monster who cursed them. The Sapphire Star returns to Keelhaul Key, where Pa-patch leads the Toads in a rousing cheer. He tells Bobbery to show them what a real sea bomb is made of. The Garnet Star returns to Poshley Heights, where Toodles hopes everyone is okay. Pennington says that Luigi was his finest pupil and is sure he'll prevail. The Bob-omb family hopes for a brighter future and cheers on Mario, sometimes calling him Gonzales. Pennington wonders who Mario and Gonzales are, and wonders why no one's cheering for Luigi. In Fahr Outpost, the Bob-ombs have assembled and cheer for Mario, with the mayor leading the cheer.

Back in the palace, many cheers can be heard, including those from Luigi and Pennington. Other cheers are for Mario's allies. Mario's ally says the people are sending their wishes and positive energy. The Shadow Queen wonders what these vile voices are. A sparkling light appears and something shatters. Peach calls out to Mario. She appears, alarming the Shadow Queen, who calls her wretched for disobeying. Peach says to take the last of her power and fully heals Mario and his ally. Peach says she believes in them before the Shadow Queen takes back full control, calling her a cunning princess. The battle starts up again.

The Shadow Queen says she'll finish this and destroy them. Your attacks will do damage now. She asks how she can be hurt. Mario's ally says to prepare to pay. The Shadow Queen can charge up her attack, which is a burst of dark energy with 16 attack power. Dead Hands will periodically appear and drag Mario or his ally into the darkness. Guard repeatedly. I used Supernova and Shade Fist, keeping Vivian out so I can dodge her charged attack. At around 70 HP, she says Mario doesn't know what he's done. I ran out of FP and a Crayzee Dayzee made the crowd fall asleep for a while, so I couldn't restore Star Power. Regular attacks worked well, but slowly. Clear out the Dead Hands to reduce the number of times she can attack. Shade Fist may cause burns, so that can do a little extra damage. When Vivian started running low on health, I switched to Bobbery and used his Bomb attack. At around 36 HP, the Shadow Queen wonders how can it be that she's so low on health. When you win, she screams and you get 1 Star Point.

The ground shakes and she calls it impossible and unthinkable that she could be defeated by lesser beings. She was just reborn. Beldam calls out to her and the Shadow Queen disappears. The flames on the candles return to normal and Peach is released. Beldam says it's time to leave and Doopliss jumps away. Mario's ally checks on Peach, saying she's not even hurt. She wakes up, saying it's all over. She apologizes, wondering who knew all this would happen. The ally says not to apologize. She thanks them and Professor Frankly appears. He can't believe some brutes would come after him, but he still made it. He was so worried, but knows that they are the real thing. He found a chest on the way and thinks it must be treasure, so his theory was correct. It might contain something great, but wants to leave the palace. Peach says it's time to go home.

Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door -- Chapter 8: The Thousand-Year Door -- Part 1

When you're ready to start the final chapter, go to the Thousand-Year Door. There's an invisible panel with a Star Piece in front of the fallen column near the center of the room. There's also a Shine Sprite on the left airplane panel. I upgraded both Koops and Goombella, so the entire team is Ultra Rank.

Professor Frankly says that Peach and the suspicious figure are no longer in the area and probably found another way through the door. He says to hold aloft the last Crystal Star. Stand on the pedestal and all of them appear, then disappear. They reappear over the larger pedestal and the ground shakes. The stars on the Thousand-Year Door light up and the walls around the door crack. The Thousand-Year Door opens, revealing a dark void. This is the entrance to the Palace of Shadow. Frankly says Mario must stop the cataclysm and save the princess. He'll watch the door so he doesn't get in the way, but he doesn't sound very confident. Go through the door to start the final chapter.

The Palace of Shadow has a rich red décor, but Mario's ally calls it a nasty place. They have no choice but to be here if they want to save Peach. The music is a medley of dungeon themes. Go east and you'll find a Stopwatch at the base of the back stairs near the west exit. There are Swoopulas here. Go down the stairs, then go east. There's a Shooting Star in the item block and Dry Bones in the area. There are also Bombshell Bills, golden Bullet Bills. They have 3 HP, 6 attack, and 2 defense. At the end are Bombshell Bill Blasters, with 10 HP and 4 attack. They only fire Bombshell Bills, so defeat the blasters before the stage is flooded with them.

Go east and you'll enter a long hallway. There are spikes that appear from the floor, so you can't take a straight path through. The spikes are in the middle of the room, towards the front, and the back. There's also the All or Nothing badge in the room. If it lands on the spikes, have Koops get it. You'll have to avoid the spikes instead of trying to hide with Vivian. Go east and you'll find a narrow bridge with some fire bars. You can jump over them repeatedly and they'll spin faster. After a while, they'll disappear, producing coins. Ignore the double fire bar. There are Phantom Embers in the area. Drop down the stairs to see waves of flames approaching the stairs. Jump over the low ones, but hide with Vivian to dodge the high ones.

Go east to a large, mostly empty room. There's a Dark Bones, a blue Dry Bones in front of a locked door, slumped on the floor. Check out the bones and it says that none shall pass. Those that disturb her sleep fall into the depths of endless darkness. There's a rush of Dry Bones in the room. The Dark Bones wanders around, saying "May the intruder never find the key". Clear through the Dry Bones, which will keep coming back, and chase down the Dark Bones. Touch it to battle it, alongside four Dry Bones. The Dark Bones has 20 HP, 5 attack, and 2 defense. Fire and explosions will get rid of it permanently. Once you win, it will drop the Palace Key. Unlock the door and go east. There's an Ultra Shroom in the item box here, as well as more Bombshell Bills at the bottom of the stairs. Go east to a large room with a few Dry Bones and a Phantom Ember. On the back wall are item blocks with an Ultra Shroom and a Jammin' Jelly. Go east.

The next several rooms are a maze, with exits to the east and west on two floors. The correct path is marked by a lit torch on the east side of the room. For me, it was lower, lower, upper, upper, lower, upper, and lower. The last door leads to a quiet, open area, the Palace Garden. There's a flowing river and a central building. To the east is another door back into the palace. There are a couple of Chain Chomps. Battle them, then heal and save. There are a couple of Chain Chomp statues here. Have Bobbery blow up the Chomp part of the statues to reveal pipes to the background. Hit the switches to reveal boat panels under some statues. This will allow you to reach the central building.

Go east back into the palace. Go through the four long hallways with a few enemies. Save at the Save Block before going east. Someone asks who Mario is. It's a dark dragon, who hasn't been disturbed in eons. It asks who dares defile this sacred space. The ally is confused, thinking the dragon is Hooktail, who was defeated much earlier. The dragon is surprised, saying Mario destroyed its precious younger sister, who hadn't written recently. There's no telling how the letters were delivered. This is Gloomtail, who will avenge Hooktail by taking their lives and gnawing on their bones. Gloomtail has 80 HP, 8 attack, and 2 defense. It will bite and stomp, as well breathe poison breath. When Gloomtail's health gets low, it will use its Megabreath attack, which has 16 attack power. It will charge up for this attack, so hide with Vivian to dodge it. Use attacks like Power Bounce and Supernova, but keep yourself healed. Before Gloomtail starts using Megabreath, Flurrie's Lip Lock is a good attack. Keep attacking and eventually, Gloomtail will fall, wondering if it can expire. You'll get about 23 Star Points from the battle, double if Merlee decides to be generous, like she did for me. Gloomtail spits up a small chest with the Star Key in it. Pick it up, then have Bobbery blow up the east wall. This reveals a hidden tunnel that leads to a room with item blocks with an Ultra Shroom and a Jammin' Jelly. Leave the room and save, then head back to the garden.

Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door -- Interlude After Chapter 7

Bowser and Kammy Koopa are in Poshley Heights, looking for Poshley Sanctum's Crystal Star. Talk to Toodles and she'll say that Bowser's horns would make a great wall decoration. Bub will ask Bowser who he is. If you answer that he's Bowser, an evil king, he'll run away. Go up the Poshley Sanctum stairs and you'll find the door locked. Bowser stamps his feet and the lock falls off. He says rage really pays. Inside, he picks up the Crystal Star on the pedestal. Pennington appears, calling them common thieves. Bowser can introduce himself as a remorseless king, the Shadow Thief, or Koopa Koot. Either way, Pennington lets them keep it, as it's fake. Bowser drops it in shock and it breaks. Kammy says it must be real because of the posh, fancy display. They ask where the real one is. Pennington says he gave the real one to Luigi. Bowser says he has to be kidding as he can't believe Luigi beat him here. He calls the Mario Bros. annoying. Kammy calls their being outmaneuvered disturbing and wonders where the bros are heading. A Paragoomba breaks through a windonw and lands on Pennington's head. He reports that Mario has the seven Crystal Stars and that he's headed for the Thousand-Year Door. Kammy explains that there's a legendary treasure behind the door. Bowser is going there to ruin Mario. After they leave, Pennington congratulates Luigi, saying "Way not to fail!...yet."

In the X-Naut Fortress,  Mario's ally says they have the seven Crystal Stars, so they can open the Thousand-Year Door. They don't know where Peach is, but they should return to Rogueport and report back to Professor Frankly. Go west and take the elevator to sublevel 4. This is the level where Peach was held. Go east to TEC's room.

The lights flicker and TEC powers on. Its speech is hesitant as it asks if he's Mario. It says it's pleasant to meet him and that it is the main computer, TEC. It brought Mario here to tell him something about Peach. Unfortunately, most of its data was erased and its main power was shut down, so it's running on backup power with cached memory to stay operational. Mario already knows that Peach isn't here. TEC asks him to save her and says she's with Grodus in the Palace of Shadow. Its backup power is failing, TEC tells Mario to use the teleportation room to return to Rogueport. It will unlock the door, but Mario must hurry, as it barely has enough power to activate the teleporter. To do so, TEC will cease its AI functions and send power to the teleporter. This means TEC will cease to exist as an artificial consciousness, something it will gladly do for Peach. Until TEC met Peach, it knew nothing of love. Mario and his allies must not worry about it, as it is a machine. Mario must save her and tell her "Thank you" for it. It recalls a fading image of her in her room, then shuts off, reporting a system failure. It grows darker in the fortress, with only red lights to provide illumination.

Go to sublevel 2 and activate the teleporter. Leave, and TEC tells Peach good-bye. An explosion is seen on the moon. Mario's ally asks if he heard that. On the Rogueport side, the teleporter no longer works. In the underground ruins, Professor Frankly appears, saying Mario brought back the Crystal Star from the X-Naut Fortress on the moon. Mario's ally explains that Peach was there as well, but was taken to the Thousand-Year Door. Frankly says he smelled rank air, so he checked on the Thousand-Year Door and saw a suspicious person in a cape go through the door with Peach. Mario's ally says he told them the door wouldn't open without the seven Crystal Stars. Frankly knows this, but saw them go through the door. He has a bad feeling about this and thinks Peach is in danger. He'll go ahead to the Thousand-Year Door and Mario should head there as well without dawdling.

Well, I decided to dawdle. Luigi's in the inn on the top floor, with Blooey by his side, sporting a change in color. Luigi's done questing for now, saying he scaled Hatesong Tower and rescued Princess Éclair. He'll never forget this adventure, as it's too exciting. Hatesong Tower is on a jagged cliff that can't be climbed. The howling winds sounded like banshees singing songs of hate. This is the scariest place in the world and Luigi had to go there. He managed to reach the door, terrified, but the thought of Éclair gave him strength. His companions felt the same way and would be there until the bitter end. The door opened, revealing an inconceivable darkness. Luigi couldn't breathe to call out to Éclair. Even in the darkness, Luigi managed to see the most terrifying beast inside, the Chestnut King. He was monstrous and drooling puddles of toxic goo that melted the ground around them. Luigi was shaking, but faced the Chestnut King head-on. He dodged his fangs and jumped on his chest, whacking the Chestnut King with his hammer, which hit dead-center on his skull. Hope gave him power and he thought he could win if he risked it all on the next blow. The winds howled and Luigi advanced without mercy. Here's where the story becomes much less detailed. Luigi beat the Chestnut King, and the nightmare beast that came after it. He rescued Éclair and it was all over. He came back to Rogueport for a light lunch. Mario thinks there's more to the story, but Luigi says that's the end of that adventure, but his adventures will never cease. Blooey says the last battle was hairy and he was burned to a crisp, but he's relieved. He says to ask Luigi for the whole story.

There are a few more troubles at the Trouble Center.

Goldbub has something he wants delivered to General White. Get this one out of the way early, as it's a wild goose chase like before. Pick up the package from Goldbub in front of the blue house in Poshley Heights, then go to General White's house in Fahr Outpost. He's not there, but a Bob-omb in his house says he's in a cola bar in Rogueport. Go the inn in Rogueport and talk to the bartender. He says he went to the juice bar in Glitzville. That bartender says he went to Poshley Heights. Go to Poshley Heights and talk to Goldbub. He says General White was there to pick up his package from him, but left for Fahr Outpost. Go back to General White's house and wake him up to deliver the package. Return to Poshley Heights for your reward of 64 coins.

Gob lost his voice due to a cold and wants a Honey Candy for his throat. You can make one by cooking a Honey Syrup and a Cake Mix. Take it to him. He's the Bob-omb near the snowman in Fahr Outpost. Your reward is 20 coins.

Toadia wants to meet Luigi in person. She's near the fountain by Poshley Sanctum. Go talk to her, but equip the L Emblem badge to look like Luigi first. She can tell he's the real Luigi and freaks out. She thinks she's freaking him out, as well. She gives him a Choco Cake and the real Luigi appears. She calls the real Luigi an imposter. Luigi asks why Mario is dressed like him. Toadia says the real Luigi is so much like Luigi, it's creepy. She accuses the real Luigi of masquerading as Luigi to interrupt her special time together with Luigi. The real Luigi calls the situation a nightmare and leaves. Mario tells her not to worry about it. Toadia says she'll treasure the moment and wants to see him again.

Before we go to the Thousand-Year Door, there's something I'd like to do first.

Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door -- Interlude After Chapter 6 -- Part 2

The Excess Express arrives in Rogueport and Mario disembarks. Peach's email arrives, saying she's being held on the moon. She says the X-Nauts need something of hers to resurrect the demon's spirit, but the email is cut off before she typed what that was. Mario's ally thinks something may have happened to her.

Luigi's at the train station, with a unknown creature standing next to him. Luigi says his story this time around is sad. He went into Grimble Forest and found the domed Rapturous Ruins. The ruins were pure white from top to bottom, so he couldn't tell the walls from the floor. He went dead ahead to a chamber where a young boy sat. As he approached the boy, someone named Screamy appeared from out of nowhere. Screamy informed Luigi that the boy's name is Cranberry, and he would wake up for the child of fate. This didn't make any sense to Luigi, so he searched around for the compass piece. He got a tickle in his nose and let out a huge sneeze. This woke up Cranberry, who smiled at Luigi. Luigi could suddenly understand Cranberry's language. Cranberry told him he was the last of an ancient race called the Luffs, who guarded the Marvelous Compass for the last 1000 years. The compass had the power to see into the future, so the ancient Luff empire used it to rule much of the world. They were greedy and cursed by the compass. The empire collapsed. To prevent a repated of that fate, Cranberry broke the compass into 7 parts and hid 6 of them. He kept one and put himself to sleep until a worthy hero woke him up. Luigi is that hero. He gave Luigi the compass piece and he and the ruins vanished. Luigi added the piece to the compass, which pointed to the far north, where the dreaded Hatesong Tower stands. He heard Princess Éclair's voice more clearly than ever. He says he will rescue her and be super. He's in Rogueport making his final preparations for his final battle, but he's nervous. Screamy is the unknown creature standing next to Luigi. He wonders what future is plotted for them by the compass holder, as he must deliver something.

Go into the center square and stand under the large chest. Spring jump to knock it down. It contains the Ultra Hammer. Toadette appears, saying the Ultra Hammer increases Mario's hammer attack power and allows him to use a new technique. It's similar to the Super Hammer move. Hold (B) and rotate the Control Stick a lot, then release (B). He can use the Ultra Hammer to break stone blocks and use this new technique in battle. Toadette's sad because this is the last time she'll get to see him. She tells him to be careful and save Princess Peach. She leaves slowly.

Go back to the west side of town and enter the house on the right. There are a couple of Toads inside. Go to the second floor and roll out the right wall. This will take you into the backyard, where there is a Shine Sprite. Roll through the lower gap to appear in the drawer of the neighboring Koopa's house. Go to the underground ruins, from the west side, then cross the gap with Yoshi to the left. Break the stone block to reveal a blue pipe. Go east to where the buildings are. Ride the moving platform up and stand next to the pipe. Spring jump up to the pipe overhead, then climb to the right. Drop down when you're over the roof. Drop down to the roof to the right, then jump right to the pillar for a Shine Sprite. Go back, drop down, and stand on the red X. Spring Jump from here to reach a pipe. Go west and drop down to get the Flower Saver P badge. Go back, then through the pipe on the back wall. Drop down, then go through the opening to a pipe. Walk to the left to find a boat panel. Sail all the way to the east to find an area with many Spania, a Spunia, and a few Shine Sprites. Use the Spring Jump to get it. Return to the boat panel and walk to the east. Break the large stone blocks and hit the switches to make pipes appear. The right pipe leads to Keelhaul Key. The left one leads to Poshley Heights. The chest contains FP Plus badge. Go east twice, then up the pipe. Fly east, to the area where the pipe to Petal Meadows is. Spring Jump up near the left ledge and use the pipe above to reach it. Blow up the wall with Bobbery and go west. There's a chest on the other side with the Defend Plus P badge. Take the pipe to right to a pipe that leads to the background. Go inside the house to find a Star Piece. Go back near the west entrance, then use the boat panel to reach a Shine Sprite. Go to Merlon's to upgrade your party members. I upgraded Bobbery, Ms. Mowz, and Vivian.

There are a few new troubles at the Trouble Center.

Frankie is looking for something, but will tell whoever helps him in person. Talk to him on the west side, near the flowers. He says he lost his wedding ring after returning from Keelhaul Key. He lost it in town, on the east side. If he doesn't he'll have to tell Francesca he loves her 1000 times in a row, if not more. Go over to the east side, past the Trouble Center. Cross over the water in front of the bridge with Yoshi and you'll find it on the ground near the crates. Return it for the Gold Card, which opens up the Tube Mode game in the Pianta Parlor.

Chef Shimi needs ingredients for his latest mushroom dish. He needs a Golden Leaf, Keel Mango, and Mystic Egg. If you don't have these items, here's where to find them: The Keel Mango can be found on the west side of the jungle, near the pipe to the underground ruins. Hit one of the trees in the back to get it. For the Golden Leaf, go to Creepy Steeple. Go inside and go through the back door. Near the red switch is a gap in the fence. Flip sideways and walk to the right. You'll find a gold-colored tree. Hit it for the Golden Leaf. Go to the Great Tree in Boggly Woods and talk to Petuni. She'll ask Mario to play a game called Stump Petuni. Give her an easy question to answer, such as "Mario likes what person the most?", and she'll give you a Mystic Egg. Board the Excess Express (you'll end up in Poshley Heights) and give them to Chef Shimi. The reward is 40 coins.

Toodles wants you to retrieve a magazine from Jolene. Talk to her in Poshley Heights, in the pink house. Go to Glitzville, and before you go inside the Glitz Pit, get the Shine Sprite with the Spring Jump. Talk to Jolene in her office and tell her the magazine must be returned now. Jolene read it because she was new to being a wrestling promoter. Take the Wrestling Mag back to Toodles for a Platinum Card to the Pianta Parlor. It opens up Boat Mode. Toodles says this is a popular magazine of celebrities.

The businessman forgot the security code to his briefcase. Talk to him near the hot dog stand in Glitzville and you'll find he's the Ratooey businessman you met on the Excess Express. He has a strange code: it's the number of chairs or objects you can sit on in the houses he's previously done business in. He's a chair fanatic. You'll have to count the number of chairs in Kroop's house, Flurrie's house, Don Pianta's office, and Toodles's house, counting the garden chair outside. The answer is 2625. Inside his briefcase is a prototype of his company's new product. After he unlocks the briefcase, he'll give you a sample of his company's top item: Hot Sauce.

Go to the Thousand-Year Door and the map reveals a building and a Crystal Star on the moon. Professor Frankly says the next Crystal Star is on the moon, but he doesn't know how they'll get there. He looks in a book and says to come back in three minutes. Come back and he says to use Fahr Outpost's cannon to blast to the moon. The Yoshi likes the idea. Frankly's not sure of the details, but says there's a pipe under Rogueport to Fahr Outpost, which is hidden for some reason. He says Mario needs the Ultra Hammer to reach it. He also says that the Bob-ombs in Fahr Outpost are a surly bunch, so Mario may need to negotiate with them. They only trust other Bob-ombs and rarely tell others the truth. Go underground on the west side and cross the gap with Yoshi. Go west, past the stone block, to reach the pipe to start the next chapter.

Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door -- Interlude After Chapter 5 -- Part 3

Go to the Thousand-Year Door to get the location of the next Crystal Star. Professor Frankly says he has great news, because the Crystal Star is in Poshley Heights. Mario's ally says that only the rich and famous live there. Frankly says there's also a shrine to the stars there, the Poshley Sanctum. It's not a dungeon or area filled with monsters, but a tourist attraction. This sounds like a delightful change of pace. To reach Poshley Heights, they need to ride the famous train, The Excess Express, which should be easy. Mario's ally thinks they need wealth or fame to ride the train. Mario certainly has fame. Frankly tells them to ask Don Pianta again. The ally doesn't want to go through that channel again, but says they'll do it if they must. Frankly tells them to hurry, as they may not have much time.

Go to Don Pianta's office through the back door in the west side shop. Don Pianta's lying in bed, sick with loneliness since Francesca left. The associates say that they're losing jobs as a syndicate to the Robbos. Mario asks the associates for a ticket for The Excess Express. They can't help him, but the Don Pianta can. They want to know where his daughter and son-in-law are. The ally says they're in Keelhaul Key. They want Mario to bring Francesca back here and they'll help him get the ticket.

Go to Keelhaul Key and you'll find they're no longer at the camp. Go east into the jungle and you'll find them. Mario says that Don Pianta's sick. Francesca and Frankie are worried and want to go back to Rogueport, but Francesca lost her wedding ring and must find it before they leave. She says it's between here and Skull Rock. Frankie tries to convince her to leave, but she thinks this means he doesn't love her. To prove his love for her, he must say he loves her 100 times. You have to listen to all of it. Once that's over with, go to Skull Rock. The wedding ring is near the back, between the west exit and the tree Bobbery was in. Return the ring and meet them at the dock.

Return to Rogueport and Don Pianta says he's feeling better now that they're here. He was stubborn and asks the couple for their forgiveness. He wants them to stay with him as he needs peace and can't be away from them. He realizes he can't escape old age and will stop being a bother. He declares his retirement as boss of the Pianta Syndicate and names Frankie as his successor. Frankie tells Don Pianta he can still be the boss. Don Pianta says he's thought about retiring for  along time and tells him to take care of Francesca and the syndicate. Don Pianta thanks Mario for the favor and his associates sheepishly mention that they promised Mario train tickets for helping. Don Pianta says it's no big deal and gives Mario the ticket. He says to come back anytime. He is now retired and leaves. Francesca says she'll keep Frankie in line and has had enough of his pet names for her. He is to call her either "Francesca" or "Miss Boss". The associates declare their loyalty to Frankie and thank Mario. They ask him to join the syndicate.

Leave the office and start heading for the train. Mario's ally says they should go to Poshley Heights and Beldam overhears them. She now knows where the next Crystal Star is. She won't fight Mario now, as she's alone, but will be in Poshley Heights. She leaves. To start the next chapter, hand your ticket over to the ticket-taker at the train station.

Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door -- Interlude After Chapter 4 -- Part 2

In Twilight town, Mayor Dour can't believe everyone was fooled by the fake Mario. He asks if Mario's feelings are hurt. Vivian says they need to return to Rogueport. Go through the pipe to the underground ruins and you'll get Peach's email. She informs Mario that the legendary treasure is a demon's spirit that the X-Nauts plan to revive and use to conquer the world. She says the Crystal Stars both unlock and seal the demon and Mario can't let the X-Nauts get them.

In Rogueport, go to the inn to find Luigi and a Spike Top with a wrench instead of a spike. Luigi says that he heard a loud noise when he landed on Circuit Break Island because they race karts there almost daily. Getting first place means the winner gets to rule the island as king for that day. He went to the track during the awards ceremony and the first place trophy had compass piece on it. Luigi decided to enter the next race and figured he'd do well because he's been in so many kart races. He was wrong. The karts were supercharged and armed with missiles and bazookas and anything goes in the races. He wanted to leave, but signed up anyway. He got one of the best karts, the Big Green 01, and, at the start of the race, hit the accelerator, but the kart was in reverse. He crashed into the wall and dropped into last place. Fortunately, all of the other karts crashed because of him, so once he got in gear and took off, he was the only kart racing. He won easily and took the compass piece off of the trophy. It pointed east to Jazzafrazz Town. He could hear Princess Éclair's voice again and was determined to save her. He got back on his boat and returned to Rogueport. The Spike Top, Torque says Luigi's not telling the whole story. Torque lent him his rig because Luigi begged on his knees, but the Big Green 01 was totaled early in the race. He won't leave Luigi's side until Luigi repays the 5,000-coin repair costs.

There are three new troubles in the Trouble Center.
Zess T. wants the legendary cookbook that's located in a scary place. Go to her house and she'll tell you there was a legendary chef named Maitre Delish. He wrote a cookbook that will instantly make whoever reads it a better chef. Unfortunately, it's hard to find and the stores don't carry it. She heard someone who lived in Creepy Steeple had a copy and it's probably in a secret room. If you didn't pick it up during Chapter 4, there's a low gap in the back wall to the right of the entrance. Roll through the gap to reach the room where it is. Give it to her and she'll be excited. She'll cook a Mushroom with a Honey Syrup to create a Honey Shroom. She can now cook with two ingredients now. The Honey Shroom is your reward.

Mayor Dour wants the Silver Club Newsletter Routing Slip delivered to the Puni elder. Go to his house in Twilight Town to pick it up. He can't deliver it due to his bad hip. Go back through the pipe to the underground ruins, then go east. Roll under the fallen column near Dazzle and go east, then proceed to the blue pipe to the Great Tree. Give the routing slip to the Puni elder and she'll want it sent to Mayor Kroop of Petalburg. Go back through the blue pipe and go through the blue pipe nearby to Petalburg. Mayor Kroop will want it sent back to Mayor Dour, who'll give you the reward of 30 coins. Apparently, they use the Silver Club Newsletter to trade longevity secrets.

An anonymous poster is after an elusive badge and will meet you on the roof of Zess T.'s house. Go through the door on the second floor of the inn to reach it. On the roof is Ms. Mowz, who can't find an elusive badge. She says it's in Hooktail Castle in the room where Hooktail was and you must use the power of wind to find it. Go to Hooktail's room and have Flurrie blow away a panel in the center of the room, revealing a chest. It contains the Attack FX B badge. Take it back to Ms. Mowz and she'll ask that Mario hear her out without getting mad. She hid the badge there as a game. She apologizes and thinks Mario may have better badge-finding skills than her. She decides to travel with him so she can find lots of badges. Mario's reward is the badge he found. Ms. Mowz kisses him and joins the party. Press (X) and she'll sniff to see if there are hidden objects or items in the area. She can attack with Love Slap or steal items enemies carry with Kiss Thief. Walk back a little on the roof for a Star Piece.

Go back to the underground ruins and go through the grates near the pipe that leads to the Thousand-Year Door and the Boggly Woods. The room has spikes that appear from the ground. Walk quickly, then hide in the shadows with Vivian. Walk around to find a chest with the Spiky Shield badge. Equip it to jump on spiked enemies without taking damage. Go to the Thousand-Year Door and the map will be marked with an island and the sapphire Crystal Star.

Professor Frankly is surprised by Peach's email, but says the X-Naut's plan is consistent with what he's found in his research. He says it's a long story and he breaks the fourth wall by saying that everyone must pay attention. His research indicates that the great cataclysm may be the demon that destroyed the large town that was once where Rogueport now sits. The Crystal Stars were created by the monster, and it used them to try to control the world. The demon was defeated by four heroes, but only its physical form was destroyed. Its spirit still exists. The heroes stole the Crystal Stars and used them to cast the demon into the depths of a vast maze and seal the exit. The Crystal Stars can't distinguish good from evil, which explains why Mr. Grubba and Doopliss were able to use them to do terrible things. Whoever wields the Crystal Stars determines whether the demon will be resurrected or sealed when they are united. Mario's partner says it may be wrong to collect them, as the demon could be resurrected if someone stole the Crystal Stars from them. They suggest destroying them. Frankly says they can't destroy the Crystal Stars because the Thousand-Year Door may be weakening. The Crystal Stars can only seal the demon away for 1000 years, but the power fails after those years have passed. Unfortunately, this may be the 1000th year. This may be a coincidence as to why the X-Nauts want the Crystal Stars now. Mario and his party must be ready for the demon's return, even if the X-Nauts fail in their plan. Mario's partner says they must find the others. Frankly says the next one is in Keelhaul Key. He's not familiar with the area, but he's heard many bad rumors of vengeful spirits and evil curses. He says to ask around the port.

Go the port and you'll see a large, magnificent ship docked. Talk to the dockhands and they'll freak out at the mere mention of Keelhaul Key. They say there's a legendary treasure of the pirate king, Cortez, but all those who go in search of it never return. They also say that the large ship belongs to the rich trader, Flavio. He's at the bar in the inn. Talk to him and he wonders what he's lacking in his life, considering he's so rich. He agrees with every answer, saying he needs more thrills, emotion, romance, and money. He's heard of Cortez's treasure and wants to hunt for it. He also has heard it's hidden on Keelhaul Key and that no one who sought it returned. It is said Cortez's ghost attacks all who seek it. Mario mention's Rogueport's treasure, but Flavio tells him there's no such thing. Mario mentions the map and shows him. Flavio thinks Mario will steal Cortez's treasure from him, but Mario says he's only looking for the Crystal Stars. Flavio thinks a star-shaped stone was part of the hoard of treasure and briefly considers selling it. He agrees to go with Mario and will give him the Crystal Star if he can keep the rest of the treasure. He then realizes Mario doesn't have a ship. Flavio has one and declares himself the leader of the expedition. He names Mario as the captain. He takes the red skull at his table and leaves for the port.

Follow him to the port and hop aboard. He's already assembled quite the crew, including a Toad wanting to set up his own shop on a deserted island, a Toad wanting more out of life, and a Toad looking for his brother, who never returned from seeking the treasure. There's a familiar-looking guy at the bow, named Four-Eyes. Flavio describes how magnificent this ship, the S.S. Flavion, is, the best ship in his fleet. There is a slight problem: their navigator ran off and they need someone to steer. A sailor mentions that Admiral Bobbery is the only sailor who can manage the rough seas near Keelhaul Key, but he hasn't been seen in a while. Flavio says Captain Mario will find him. Talk to the dockhands and they'll say that he lives on the east side of town, just east of the wall. He also spent a lot of time at the inn's bar, run by Podley.

Go to his house and you'll find it locked. Talk to Podley and he'll tell you that Bobbery should probably be left alone. Go back to Bobbery's house, then cross the gap to the right using Yoshi. Cross in front of the bridge, then climb up the crates onto the roof. Drop down the other side to reach a Shine Sprite. Get back on the roof and cross using Yoshi to the roof of the Trouble Center. Walk to the left to Bobbery's roof, then walk behind the chimney for a Star Piece. Walk towards the back to the red roof for another Shine Sprite. Go back to Bobbery's roof and roll up into a tube to go through the chimney into his house. Bobbery, an older Bob-omb, denies being Bobbery. Mario's partner tells him they know who he is and explain that they need a navigator. Bobbery says he won't sail ever again and unlocks his door to let them out. Return to Podley to find out what's up. Podley says Bobbery's tale is a sad one. Listen to him and he'll say that Bobbery had a wife named Scarlette. Bobbery was away sailing a lot, but they were both faithful to each other. One icy winter, she turned ill while he was at sea. When he returned, she had already died. He blamed himself and was tormented by his thoughts. He never returned to the sea. Podley asks if Mario really needs Bobbery to set sail once again. Mario says yes and Podley gives him the Old Letter, the letter Scarlette wrote on her deathbed, one Podley could never bring himself to deliver. He never read the letter. Give the letter to Bobbery, which says that Bobbery gave her lots of joy and he should never lose his life's love. He is one with the sea. Bobbery goes into the backroom, saying he still loves her and he was happy. He agrees to help. Go into the backroom for a Shine Sprite. Leave his house and Bobbery will head for the port.

Before going to the port, I went to Merlon's to upgrade Vivian. When you've made all arrangements, talk to Flavio to set sail into the next chapter. There's an X-Naut hiding in the port, saying the infiltration of X-Naut Black was successful.

Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door -- Interlude After Chapter 3 -- Part 2

Mario is in the Glitz Pit, having just vanquished Macho Grubba. Jolene hopes for his success. Rawk Hawk says he won't fight dirty, will win fair and square, and never lose again. King K has Mario's back and will fight in the Glitz Pit again. Jolene now runs the pit, so there will be no more shady business. She invites Mario to return as a fighter any time. He has many fans, even though he gave up the champion's belt. Leave the pit, get a Star Piece from behind the phone booth, and return to Rogueport.

Peach's email arrives, telling of the X-Naut's plan to conquer the world. She says they need the Crystal Stars, but Mario must get all of them first. She'll gather more information in the meantime.

Luigi's on the west side of Rogueport, having just recovered the second compass part. He landed on the Strudel Continent and headed for Plumpbelly Village. When he reached the town, he could tell something was wrong. The mayor says the town is ruled by a giant snake named Hizza and required sacrifices. This time, the mayor's daughter was to be offered up. Luigi offered to go in her stead. The custom is that sacrifices are to be dressed as brides, so Luigi got dolled up. He says he looked good and fooled his foes. He reached Hizza's  lair, noting it was difficult fighting in a gown. Hizza has a second head on its tail. Luigi quickly fainted, then, once he woke up, distracted both of Hizza's heads. The heads reared up, fangs ready to attack, when Luigi deftly dodged left, leaving the mouths to smash into each other. Hizza vanished in a cloud of smoke. A shining plated fell down on the spot where Hizza's body was. It was a compass part, which pointed east to Circuit Breaker Island. As he was about to leave, the mayor asked him to stay and marry his daughter. Luigi thought she was cute, so he thought about it for a while, but snuck off the next morning. He says he heard a beautiful voice when the compass was activated. He thinks it's Eclair's voice. He will set sail from Rogueport soon.

Standing next to Luigi is a Bob-omb that resembles a cherry. His name is Jerry and he's from Plumpbelly Village. The reason he sounds so down is because he saw Luigi dressed as a bride, which he found to be more terrifying than the giant snake, Hizza. It scarred him so badly that he has a moral duty to stop him from dressing as a bridge ever again. He's sticking by Luigi to protect others from his fate.

There are three more troubles at the Trouble Center:
Jolene needs some cleaning done. Meet her in her office, and she'll initially think you're trying to become a fighter again. Rawk Hawk is again the champion. Mario's old registration is gone, so he'll have to start in the minor leagues. Her trouble is that she wants the garbage cleaned out from the storage room. In there, you'll find twenty Battle Shorts, dirty fighter's shorts that stink. Some of them are upstairs. Go through the door upstairs and you'll find a Star Piece hidden behind the right crate. Bring the Battle Shorts back to Jolene and she'll tell you to take them to Goomfrey in Rogueport. While you're in Glitzville, buy two Hot Dogs from the stand. Goomfrey is in front of Frankly's place. Give the Battle Shorts to him, then talk to Jolene for your reward of 30 coins.

Merlee wants the recipe for making Heartful Cake, which she forgot. She learned it from Toce T. in Petalburg. She lives in the right house on the east side of Petalburg and will tell you to cook Ruin Powder and Cake Mix. Return to Rogueport and go to the Pianta Parlor. This is the only place you can get Cake Mix. Either buy Piantas or win them, but you'll need at least 12 of them. Exchange 6 Piantas each for a Cake Mix. Get two and cook one of them into Mousse Cake. Talk to Merlee to tell her the recipe. She'll then ask for Cake Mix. Give it to her and your reward will be 30 coins.

While your in the ruins under Rogueport, go near the entrance to the Thousand-Year Door and break the large yellow block. It reveals a doorway and a Star Piece near the pipe. Go west. The room has a Shine Sprite, a large block, and a couple of switches. Break the block so you can reach the rising platform. On the higher level, drop down to the switches and ground pound them. This will make pipes appear. The left one takes you directly to the Great Tree and the right one takes you directly to Petalburg.

Bub-ulber in Petalburg is craving a certain food. He's on the west side, on the center island. You'll have to cross the bridge to reach it. He wants a spicy Hot Dog, which you can get in Glitzville. Give him one and he'll ask for another. Give him the other one and he'll ask for Mousse Cake. Give him the Mousse Cake and he'll give you a Dried Bouquet as a reward. You can get more if you bring him more Hot Dogs.

Return to the west side of Rogueport and drop through the grate. Use Yoshi to cross the left gap to reach a Shine Sprite and a door. Go through the door to see a brown pipe and a sign that says it leads to Twilight Town. Try to go through the pipe and it will spit you out. Take the pipe near the door to the background platforms, where you'll find a Star Piece. Go to the Thousand-Year Door and the ruby Crystal Star will appear near a tall building in a forest. Professor Frankly's surprised by Peach's email and says the situation is more serious than they originally thought. He's been researching the treasure and found a source that says it may be the great cataclysm that sank the town. He says that the treasure may help them rule the world, so Mario can't let them near it. The entire world could be destroyed. Frankly looks at the map and tells them the next Crystal Star is in Twilight Town. He doesn't know much about Twilight Town, except it's dim and eerie, and there's a pipe to it under the west side of Rogueport. If you've already tried to go through, Mario's partner says that going through it was a failure. Frankly doesn't know what to do, but says that a resident of Twilight Town lives here, so they should ask him. His name is Darkly.

Darkly is behind the wall to the left of Merlon's. He's the gloomy guy. Ask him about the pipe and he'll tell you that you need to have something with your name on it to go through the pipe. He writes Mario's name on the seat of his overalls and writes his partner's name on them. He wishes them well and is rooting for them. Go back underground and through the pipe to start the next chapter.

Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door -- Interlude After Chapter 2 -- Part 2

At the entrance to the Great Tree, Punio thanks Mario, saying the Punies can return to their peaceful way of life. The elder is sad to see Mario leave, but tells him she loves pontificating, so he should stop by for a chat. Petuni says to visit sometime. Punio says the Punies will work together to prevent something like the X-Naut takeover from happening again. Mario leaves the tree and gets an email from Peach. She's still fine and worried about him. The X-Nauts are searching desperately for the Crystal Stars, so she will try to learn more about them. She'll email any information she finds. Peach misses Mario and dreams of their carefree days back at the castle. She hopes to spend more carefree days there soon again.

Go to the underground city. Near the grates that leads to the Boggly Woods, the wall is peeling. Blow the peeling part of the wall away to reveal a chest with the Happy Heart P badge. Go to Rogueport and check the trashcan in Frankly's place for a scrap of the Tattle Log. You'll get an email from Koopook saying he's hiding in Goomstar Temple someplace cold. He'll have to wait for now. Go to Merlon's and upgrade Flurrie.

Go to the center square and you'll find Luigi and an orange Blooper. Luigi says he went to Rumblebump Volcano and got a Marvelous Compass part. Ask him about what happened and he'll tell you the tale. He spent several days fording through dense jungle with many scary beasts. He thought he was done for and screamed a lot, to scare them off. A Blooper named Blooey heard him and found him in a town. Blooey was on a journey of his own, but decided to join Luigi. Others called Blooey a madman, the "White Torpedo". He helped Luigi fight his way to the volcano with bubbling lava pools and intense heat, as well as evil traps designed to protect the compass part. There was a 100-foot tall statue that stomped around, but had a weak spot in the red gem on its forehead. Luigi has a high jump, but it's not that high. He planned to have Blooey hit the weak spot, so he threw him up there and nailed the shot. The stone statue toppled and crumbled. He went to the treasure room, but did not find Princess Éclair. The compass pointed west to the Plumpbelly Village on the Strudel Continent. He's in Rogueport to recharge. Talk to Blooey and he'll call Luigi a total liar. Luigi did try to throw him at the stone statue, but Luigi tripped and Blooey ended up in the lava. His formerly pale skin is now crispy. He's hanging around only to make Luigi pay, even if it takes his whole lifetime.

There are a few more troubles at the Trouble Center:
The Puni elder was a Life Shroom. If you don't have one, they sell them in the shop on the west side. She'll be waiting in the Great Tree and will give you 60 coins.

Lahla announces the Pianta Parlor's grand opening. Talk to her to get something. Go to the parlor and talk to the Boo wearing cat ears. She'll give you 10 Piantas, the currency used in the Parlor.

Pine T. Jr. wants someone to help his father. He'll meet you at the Pit of 100 Trials. You can get there by flying west of the Thousand-Year Door or by dropping down the grate on the west side, then going through the pipe on the floor, then through the pipe that's behind the peeling wall. Talk to the young Toad and he'll tell you that his father went in search of the treasure here after he lost his job, but never returned. The Pit of 100 Trials is a series of battles spanning 100 floors. Most battles will only give you one Star Point, but feature a variety of enemies. Try to get the first strike to get an advantage in battle. Some of enemies you'll encounter are the Gloomba and Paragloomba (7 HP, 3 attack power) and the Pokey (4 HP, 3 attack power), as well as enemies you've already encountered. Every few floors, you'll get a break or find a Mover Puni who'll take you places for some coins. There are also merchants with items for sale that can help in the battles ahead. On floor ten is a large chest with the Sleepy Stomp badge. On floor 18, you'll find a Toad collapsed by the back wall. Talk to him and tell him about his son and he'll fallow you. He won't get in the way of your battles. On floor 20, you'll find the Fire Drive badge in the large chest, and a pipe to the exit. Talk to them once out of the pit, and Pine T. Sr. says he knows that his health and family are more important and will look for more work. Pine T. Jr. will give you his treasure, a Silver Card for Paper Mode in the Pianta Parlor.

Go east and hold the map aloft in front of the Thousand-Year Door. A floating area appears with the gold Crystal Star. Frankly says that the underground ruins have been intact for a thousand years and that the Thousand-Year Door was sealed for that long by the Crystal Stars. All of them are needed to open the door. Mario's partner asks why the door was sealed, but Frankly neither knows why nor what caused the town's demise. All that is written is that the sky grew dark and a cataclysm rained down. They can't assume anything. The map points to a floating area, which Frankly informs them is Glitzville, a floating arena where great warriors engage in furious battle. Families vacation there to lounge and enjoy the fights, but behind the scenes, the richest people in the world bet on the matches. The partner wonders how to reach Glitzville and Frankly tells them that they'll need to take a special blimp that departs from Rogueport. They'll need a ticket, obtained through certain "channels". Don Pianta controls access to blimp tickets and is located on the west side of Roguport. He's the head of the Pianta syndicate and Frankly's heard scary rumors about him. Don Pianta is reclusive and getting an audience with him will be difficult.

The way to reach Don Pianta is to talk to Ishnail, the Robbo's boss. Flip sideways to go between the Trouble Center and the locked building. Back here is his lair. Talk to him and he'll say that he hates Don Pianta, who makes criminal life difficult. Pay him 64 coins and he'll tell you the secret: go the west side item shop and buy a Dried Shroom and Dizzy Dial in that order. When asked your favor color, say "Yellow". Do as he says and the Boo running the shop will have the backdoor to the shop opened. Go outside and up the stairs to his office.

Don Pianta's at his desk, in a bad mood. He thinks it's funny Mario had the guts to come up to his office and ask for a blimp ticket. His associates ask what they should do with Mario, but Don Pianta says to leave him alone. He likes Mario's gumption. He asks Mario why he wants a blimp ticket and Mario explains that he's trying to help a woman who's been kidnapped by collecting the Crystal Stars. Don Pianta likes guys who want rescue girls, so he decides that if Mario does him a favor, he'll give him a blimp ticket. Don Pianta explains that his daughter eloped with one of his associates and the two of them vanished not too long ago. He wants Mario to find Francesca and Frankie and bring them back to his office, or tell him where they are and he'll settle the matter with extreme prejudice. He tells them what they look like and that Mario's luck may turn terrible if he doesn't find them.

Go to the port and you'll find them at the dock. Talk to them and Francesca freaks out at her father looking for them. Frankie thinks they should talk to him and she disagrees. He says they can't run forever. Tell them you'll pretend you never saw them and leave. Go back to Don Pianta and tell him, and they'll enter the office. Frankie begs forgiveness. Don Pianta is disappointed. Both of them try to take the blame. Don Pianta tells them to be quiet, saying Francesca used up her last favor long ago and that he can't believe Frankie did this to him after he treated Frankie like a son. He doesn't want to see them ever again and that they can do whatever they want, including getting married. They both leave happy. Talk to Don Pianta again to get the Blimp Ticket. He says he's happy she's happy and he doesn't want to see Mario again, either.

Go north of the west side of town and show the Blimp Ticket to the Cheep-Cheep. Go to the pipe and check behind it for a Star Piece. Go through the pipe to the background and walk up to the blimp. It will take off, with some nice music to start the chapter.

Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door -- Interlude After Chapter 1 -- Part 2

In Petalburg, Koops announces that he'll be going with Mario and will come back a strong Koopa. His father is proud of him and Koopie Koo will be waiting for him. Mayor Kroop says he can always come home and that Petalburg will always be his home. Goombella says they need to return to Rogueport and hold the map in front of the Thousand-Year Door to find the location of another Crystal Star. Go to the mayor's house and flip sideways. Slip past the fence to get the Mega Rush P badge. Go the item shop and purchase 5 Courage Shells. Leave Petalburg heading west. Mario will shake briefly. Goombella asks if he has a Mailbox SP, the one with the light. It's an email from Peach. She's not sure where she is, but she's unharmed. She tells Mario that the X-Nauts are after the map and looking for the Crystal Stars. Peach is unsure of what they are planning but knows it's not anything positive. She tells Mario to collect the Crystal Stars first and that the X-Nauts know he has the map. She closes by saying not to worry about her.

Go to the ruins under Rogueport and slip through the bars to reach a pipe you couldn't earlier. The pipe takes you to the background and allows you to reach the house of Merlee. She provides spells in battle, such as increasing attack power, defense power, and doubling Star Points.

Return to Rogueport and you'll see Luigi standing near Professor Frankly's place. He says he's on an adventure to rescue Princess Éclair of the Waffle Kingdom. She was kidnapped by the evil Chestnut King. He recently met with the Waffle Kingdom's cabinet members. He says it's a long story. Choose to listen and Mario and his party will fall asleep. Mario got a letter from Peach and left. Luigi was cooking a snack when another letter arrived from Crepe, a cabinet member of the Waffle Kingdom. The kingdom was attacked by the Chestnut King and he kidnapped Éclair. The letter says that Crepe needs his help and skills. Luigi answered the plea since Mario had already left and went to the Waffle Kingdom to investigate. An oracle said that the Marvelous Compass could locate Princess Éclair, but it was broken into seven pieces by an ancient curse and scattered. Each part of the compass points to the next and one part is embedded in the princess's tiara. Once he finds all other parts, he'll be able to find her. He was given the compass base spoken of in fables. It activated and lit right up, indicating the deep south to Rumblebump Volcano on the Pudding Continent. Luigi's leaving Rogueport for the volcano soon. It's dangerous, but he has to save Princess Éclair.

Go into Merlon's shop, which is marked with a Shine Sprite. He'll power up party members and have them learn a new move for three Shine Sprites. Right now, we have enough to power up just one. I powered up Koops. To the left of Merlon's shop is a wall. Walk towards the middle of the wall, then either left or right. The wall is an optical illusion. There's a Bandit here, as well as some gloomy kid. Walk to the back and climb up on the crates for a Star Piece. Go to the item shop in the central square and you'll find the contact lens is in stock. Purchase it for 10 coins and give it to Zess T. She'll move from the gate and go insider her house. She's a chef and can now cook things for you, but doesn't have a great attitude about it. Outside, you'll find a merchant in a striped red shirt. He has items for sale, but some of them are quite expensive.

To the west is the nicer side of Rogueport. There's another shop here with different items and a gambling parlor. Behind the nearby trash can is a Star Piece.  There's also a grate in the road. Drop down it and you'll reach the Pit of 100 Trials. Leave it alone for now. Go east of Frankly's, where Gus was standing guard. The only unlocked door is that of the Trouble Center. People come in with their troubles and post them on the bulletin board. You can take on one trouble at a time and try to help that person out and get a reward. You have to pay to cancel, however. Here are the ones you can tackle right now:

McGoomba is behind Zess T.'s house and wants a package delivered to Goomfrey near Frankly's. He gives you a box. Give the box to Goomfrey, then talk to McGoomba again to complete the trouble and get your reward- 20 coins.

Arfur is just outside the Trouble Center. He wants to start his own shop and needs to see what his competitors are charging. Go into the item shop in the center square and check out the prices for Fire Flowers, Sleepy Sheep, and Tasty Tonics. He'll then ask you to report the prices. The prices are 10 coins for a Fire Flower, 8 for Sleepy Sheep, and 3 for a Tasty Tonic. He doesn't think he can turn a profit with prices that low, but pays you 20 coins for the information.

Garf lost his house key somewhere in Rogueport. He's in front of the locked door east of the Trouble Center, across the bridge. Talk to him and he says he thinks he lost it near the badge shop. To reach the badge shop and the key, go into the inn and go to the top floor. There's a door to the left that leads to the badge shop. The key is here. Return it for 20 coins.

Goomther is in the center square. He wants you to find the guy committing credit card fraud. The guy you're looking for is Lars the Bandit. He's hiding on the other side of the wall near Merlon's shop. He runs off to the port by the scaffolding near the stairs. Once you find him, he runs off again. Go behind the center square and you'll find him near the house of the Bandit that stole your coins earlier. Goomther appears, gives you your 20-coin reward, and takes Lars away.

Mousimilian is a purple mouse in the center square in front of the shop. He needs his memory jogged because he forgot a hot tip on how to make money. You must hit him with his hammer until he remembers, but not after that, or he'll forget. It takes about 11 hits until he remembers. The tip, which is your reward, is to buy Sleepy Sheep in Rogueport, then sell them in Petalburg for a two-coin profit.

Bomberto is a Bob-omb by the Rogueport docks near the Save Block. He's hungry and was sent an empty lunchbox. He'll pay varying amounts for whatever food you give him. A Honey Syrup will get you 11 coins.

Koopook calls himself the hide-and-seek champion and is hiding in Hooktail Castle. He's in the room with the rising green block that leads to the armory. Take the green block up, then walk all the way to the left, then drop down to the back. You'll also find a Life Shroom here. He's a master of sneaking and hiding, and also happens to be Koops's neighbor. They used to play hide-and-seek a lot. Koops was usually "it". One day, no one found Koopook, so he decided to become the Hide-And-Seek Koopa. As a reward, he gives you a Special Card to use in the Gambling Parlor.

Mayor Kroop is in his house in Petalburg. He's lonely and wants someone to listen to him. He talks about kids these days and goes on tangents about his wife. As a reward, he gives Mario a Turtley Leaf, which can be cooked into a tea. Mario can come listen to him anytime.

Plenn T. runs the item shop in Rogueport's center square. The shop's low in inventory and needs to restock Courage Shells. You can get them in Petalburg's item shop for 5 coins each. Your reward is an Ultra Shroom.

After you complete the troubles, you'll have quite of bit of money. Go the to port and you'll find a green rat named Lumpy. He's going to Dry Dry Desert to prospect for oil and wants Mario to invest. He wants 100 coins. It's a good idea to give him money. Try to give him 300 coins in total.

Go the Thousand-Year Door. You can now slip past the bars and spring up to an airplane panel. Fly to the left and you'll find another entrance to the Pit of 100 Trials. Going through the grate may be a faster way to reach the Thousand-Year Door. Hold up the map on the pedestal and the map is marked with an emerald Crystal Star and a tree. Show Frankly and he'll say that the next Crystal Star is in Boggly Woods inside the Great Tree. He says that odd creatures live there. They inform Frankly of Peach's email and that others are looking for the Crystal Stars. Go into the underground city and you'll see a strange creature like Frankly mentioned. It runs off through a crack in the wall. Go past the bars to catch up to it. It freaks out because he's been cornered and thinks Mario and his party will eat him. Mario tell them they're not bullies, but they know about him. The creature thinks they work for the X-Nauts, who came to the woods and are tearing apart the Great Tree and causing trouble. He's looking for help here. Mario's partner mentions Crystal Stars, but the creature doesn't know anything about them. If Mario chases out the X-Nauts, he thinks the elder will let him have the Crystal Star. The creature introduces himself as Punio and that he is a Puni. Follow him to the right and he'll hit a button revealing a doorway in the back wall. Go east to reach a pipe to start the next chapter.

Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door -- Prologue: A Rogue's Welcome -- Part 2

The pipe near Professor Frankly's place takes to the ruins of the underground city. Walk to the right and you'll encounter a Goomba, a Paragoomba, and a Spiky Goomba. You'll have to battle all three of them. All of them have 2 HP. The Goomba has 1 attack power, and the Spiky Goomba and Paragoomba have 2 attack power. If you want to change attack order, press (Y). After you defeat them, they run off. Frankly explains how to get the First Strike in the field to get an advantage in battle. Jump on an enemy or hit them with your hammer, then initiate the Action Command once the battle starts. Enemies can also get the First Strike, but you can guard against it. Go up the stairs, walk towards the back, and take the moving platform to the left to a pipe. Go through it.

Go down the stairs. Hit the item blocks on the ground for a Mushroom and a Fire Flower. Hit the yellow blocks in the area to reveal a pipe. Go through it and you'll see a small creature go through a crack. You'll find Spinias in this area. They have 3 HP and 1 attack power. They attack quickly, so guarding can be a little difficult. Walk to the right and you'll see the wall peeling off slightly. Hit the switch to reveal some stairs. Go through the door on the back wall. There's a black chest in the room. Check it out and it talks. It says that if Mario can hear it, he must be a hero of legend. An evil spirit cast a curse, locking it in the box. All this time, whoever is inside has been waiting for a hero. Frankly doesn't trust the chest and says not to mention the Crystal Stars. The chest says that to find the Crystal Stars, you'll need its help. Mario needs to look for a Black Key to let it out. Leave through the door, then drop down to the left to find the Black Key. Unlock the chest and whoever's inside is happy, but not thankful. It calls them fools and won't help them. Instead, it decides to spread some of the suffering it endured while trapped in the chest and curses Mario. If (Y) is pressed on certain airplane panels, Mario will fold up into one. Tilt left and right on the Control Stick to control your altitude. With skill, Mario can fly long distances. Press (B) to return to normal. Go outside and you'll find one such airplane panel. Give it a try and fly west. Go through the door.

In this chamber is a giant, ornate door. This is the Thousand-Year Door. Frankly can't believe that it's real. Stand on the pedestal before it and rings of light appear. The map glows and rises. The map changes, as it is now marked with a castle that wasn't there before and a Crystal Star. Mario learns a new move called Sweet Treat. Each Crystal Star will give Mario a Special Move. The three of them return to Professor Frankly's place.

He explains how to use Special Moves and Star Power. There's a Star Power gauge that shows how much star power Mario has. Sweet Treat involves tilting the Control Stick left while a crosshair moves automatically. Aim for the hearts and flowers and avoid the Poison Mushrooms, which will temporarily stun you. Use this to restore HP for both Mario and his party member and FP. There's an audience for all battles. They'll help restore Star Power. If you appeal to the crowd, they'll give Mario more Star Power. Another way to get more Star Power is to use Stylish Moves. They're part of everyone's moves. Press (A) at certain points and Mario and his party will do extra moves for style. For example, during Mario's hammer attack, press (A) after the hammer hits the enemy and Mario backflips. Press (A) again when he lands for another Stylish Move. For his jump, press (A) at the top of each jump. For Goombella, when she uses Tattle, press (A) again after lining up the cursor and pressing (A). For Headbonk, press (A) just as she's about to lift off the ground and she'll flip. Each time you successfully complete an Action Command, a panel will appear in the upper right corner. If the two panels match, on the next successful Action Command, a third panel will cycle through like a slot machine. Match up all the icons for BINGO! The audience will increase in size, allowing you to get more Star Power and something special will happen depending on the panel type. Hearts will fully restore HP; Flowers, FP; Stars, Star Power; and Shine Sprites, all of the above. Match three Poison Mushrooms and all of the above will be halved. Don't try to match them. Sometimes, audience members will try to throw things at Mario. The (X) button will appear below Mario, and, if pressed, Mario will knock that audience member out. In the example someone will try to throw a hammer. Sometimes, audience members will throw helpful things like coins, so leave them alone.

Frankly takes a look at the map and says that the Crystal Star is located in Petal Meadows, which is east of Rogueport. He's always been a little suspicious of the place. Mario has to go by pipe to get there. The pipe is located under Rogueport. He also mentions speaking with Peach while she was in town. She asked about the treasure the map leads to and he thinks she may have gone to Petal Meadows to look for it. Goombella says that another suspicious groups was asking about the treasure, but Peach is not involved with them. While Mario catches up to her, Frankly will stay here. He gives Mario the Power Smash badge to give him an edge in battle and instructs on how to equip it. This is one of the attacks that uses FP. 

Go outside and you'll see a Robbo named Gus. He's collecting tolls to go to the east side of Rogueport. If you're gutsy, you can try to beat him now. He has 20 HP and 3 attack power. Don't jump on him due to his spear. If you try to battle him now, be sure to have a Mushroom on hand. The set of the battle may fall on everyone, so be sure to guard. He'll give 22 SP. He comments that dumb video game heroes always pull this stuff and think that violence solves everything. He runs off. Right now, there's nothing to do on the east side. Heal, then go through the pipe to the underground ruins.

To the right is an airplane panel. Fly to the right and go through the door. There's water here and a tentacle sticking out of the water. Hit it and someone says that hurt. It's Blooper, saying Mario has some serious moxie hitting its tentacle like that. It has 12 HP and 1 attack power. It will attack with its tentacles and ink. Hit the tentacles to make Blooper fall down so you can attack it. Each tentacle has 3 HP. Defeat it for 20 SP. Blooper flies up and leaves, and moving platforms appear in the water. Use them to cross the water to a gray pipe. Go through it to start the chapter.

Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door -- Prologue: A Rogue's Welcome -- Part 1

Mario is on a boat bound for Rogueport at the request of Princess Peach. He's sleeping, until a sailor wakes him up. He can see Rogueport through the porthole. The sailor tries to discourage Mario from disembarking here, with many sordid tales, but Mario says that Peach is waiting for him. The sailor tells him to be careful and lets him off the boat. There's a Save Block here. Walk away from the docks and someone says to get away. It's a Goomba with a ponytail, wearing a pith helmet. She's running away from some guys with Xs on their clothing. They say she's been asking around about Crystal Stars and they want to know what she's found out. She refuses to talk to them. They decide to take her back to their fortress. Walk on over to them and she'll hide behind Mario. One of the guys asks if Mario is trying to screw up Lord Crump's plans. Mario's confused. The leader of the group says he'll give Mario a taste of the CRUMP-A-BOMB.

A battle starts. The Goomba says to jump on Lord Crump and use his hammer. Press (A) just before Lord Crump lands an attack to guard. The battle will last a couple of rounds before he is defeated and Mario gets 9 Star Points (SP). She explains that he'll level up when he gets 100 of them. Lord Crump concedes that Mario got in a few good hits, but now it's GO TIME! More guys rush in and flood the area. The Goomba ducks out and Mario follows here. Sneak away up the stairs towards Rogueport's main square. Lord Crump eventually notices that the two are gone and he and the guys bolt.

The Goomba thanks Mario with a kiss. Her name is Goombella, a student at the University of Goom. She recognizes him. She hates it in Rogueport as it's filled with freaks and weirdos. She wouldn't come here except for a legendary treasure. Mario's looking for a legendary treasure as well, and shows her the map. Toadsworth appears. He doesn't like it here, either. He asks what Mario's doing here and he explains that Peach sent for him. He also doesn't know where she is. Toadsworth doesn't know, either, saying he stopped watching her for a moment and she vanished. He's considering the possibility that she may never return and is fraught with worry. Fortunately, things will be better now that Mario is here, because he can look for her. All the while, a couple of Piantas beat up a couple of Robbos, guys with spears, in the background, for their boss. Toadsworth leaves the task to Mario and will be staying in the Inn in the meanwhile. Inns are good places to heal and Rogueport's a pretty rough town.

Goombella says she's looking for a professor of hers that's here researching the treasure. She suggests showing him the map, which may help them find Peach. She joins Mario's party. Press (X) to user her Tattle ability to learn about people, places, and objects. She'll sometimes give you hints. If you're near a person or object, she'll talk about them, otherwise, she'll talk about where you are. She can also use this ability in battle to look up enemy HP and weaknesses. She can attack with her Headbonk ability. She doesn't know where her professor is, but knows his name (Professor Frankly) and what he looks like. Try to walk to the west side of town and a Toad will tell them to halt. She dropped a contact lens after being bumped into. Move in any way and Mario will break it. She freaks out and demands Mario compensate her for it. Mario refuses and she decides to block the gate to the west side of Rogueport until he gives her a new contact lens. Go into the nearby shop and talk to the shopkeeper. They don't have contact lenses in stock and will have to special-order one. This could take a while. While in the shop, the shopkeeper can explain Shop Pints to you. Each purchase is worth one point and you can get prizes once enough points accumulate. Some of the prizes are rare.

Go east and a Bandit will rush past Mario. Gombella informs him that he just stole half Mario's coins. Go back to the town square and head north. Walk to the left and go through the door to find the Bandit. Talk to it to get your coins back and it will explain that even innocent-looking people here are thieves. Go back east and go next door to the building with the Shine Sprite on it. This is Professor Frankly's place. He recognizes her face, but Goombella's name temporarily escapes him. He comes up with the names Goombriel and Elizagoom before remembering her name. She was in his archaeology class last year and was an exceptional student. Unfortunately, he doesn't recognize Mario. Goombella asks about the legendary treasure under Rogueport, but Frankly says that it's little more than a fairy tale. Goombella believes it exists, as fairy tales are based off some truth. Frankly agrees to help them. His resources says it's a vast treasure hoard, a magical item, a monster, or an empty chest. He is sure that you need the Crystal Stars to find it. They must be taken to the Thousand-Year Door. Hold the Magical Map aloft before the entrance to the door as the stars light the way to the stones of yesterday. The Crystal Stars will reveal the location of the others. Frankly knows the door's under Rogueport, but the map was lost. Goombella reveals that Mario has the map, which means they can find the Crystal Stars.

Frankly leaves with them and removes the gate in front of the pipe. He says that there are hoodlums in the ruins of the underground city, so they must learn to guard. He teaches Mario and Goombella about Action Commands and the two types of guarding. There's the normal guard, with (A) to reduce damage taken, and the Superguard, a counter that prevents you from taking damage and also damages the enemy. Superguarding is harder to do and involves the (B) button. Practice as much as you need, then take the pipe to the underground ruins.