Super Mario Sunshine

Chapter 35 - The Lost Tomb of Noki Bay

By the time Mario and his shine sprite had made it all the way down to the pulley at the base of the green tower, it had become apparent that the waterfall—or the lack thereof—had not been the bay's problem. Climbing down from the swinging basket onto the pearly steps of the tower, Mario could clearly see, as he had the entire trek down the cliff, that the water was not clearing up. Instead, the turbulence of the gushing waterfall nearby only seemed to make the magenta waters more agitated.

   Even with that aside, he had held a small hope that Gooper Blooper might have somehow been responsible, but that too was an impossibility. From his prior experience in Ricco Harbor, he knew full well that blooper ink was black, thick, and irritating to get out of clothes.

   Mario still had ample proof of that part. He felt like he probably looked like he worked a printing press for all the black goop that covered him after his latest escapade.

   "Well, it was a start, I suppose," Fludd offered as they returned to the big floating island where they'd met the old noki. "What do you want to do now?"

   "We've still got to figure out where that pollution's coming from," Mario said with a shrug. "I'd like to ask that guy—

   "Excuse me... Mario?" all at once a timid voice broke him off.

   Turning, Mario and his machine looked to the spot where the noki man had been fishing earlier. To their surprise, they found a noki there but not the same one; now it was a young man, a vibrantly colored green noki with yellowish skin and wiry glasses. Coming up to Mario with an almost reverent step, the noki offered a shy smile.

   "My grandpa told me you were here. I saw you climb the cliff and unplug the waterfall," he said quickly. "Thanks for all your help!"

   Mario chuckled politely, trying not to think about the possibility that his whole ordeal had been witnessed. "No problem... You live here too?" he asked.

   The noki nodded. "I'm Aldo. The elder—he's the one you talked to—he's my grandfather. He pretends not to care about anything, but he looks out for us. Anyway, what you did was truly spectacular! Would you mind being my new teacher?" He looked like he wanted to shake Mario's hand, but just then a shout arose from the shore at the opposite end of the bay. Aldo glanced back with a jump.

   "I mean... never mind!" he said hastily, pointing back to shore. "My grandpa's up ahead, and he wants to tell you something. You'd better go!"

   Grinning at the boy's enthusiasm, Mario nodded and turned once again for the floating houses. "Okay, thanks Aldo!" he called over his shoulder. As he used Fludd to hop out across the roofs, he heard Aldo breathe in awe behind him.

"Cool!"

   Mario waited until he was out of earshot to address Fludd. "Wow. I almost forgot how great it feels for people to like you," he remarked, chuckling.

   "You seem to have a small fan club," Fludd acknowledged. "Even out here."

   "These guys can't be terribly in the know," Mario replied. "There's no way they would like me if they had watched the news." For a second he paused, hovering over the last jump to shore. "It's not fair."

   Not wanting Mario to get upset again, Fludd said, "Well it's a good thing we've caught a break!"

   Mario nodded in agreement as he approached the noki elder nearby, who was sitting by the water's edge swinging that fishing stick around his head. As he walked over, the older man didn't even look up, being busy doing... whatever that was.

   Mario cleared his throat but still didn't get the attention he expected. "Well, I'm back, sir," he spoke up.

   "Excellent! Way to go, Master Mario!" the elder praised, still not turning around. "You've returned our waterfall to normal! Bravo!" He cast his line into the violet depths and watched it vanish.