Love in the Oddest Places (bowuigi story)

Chapter 16: Brotherly Bonding

The Toadstool Princess greeted them with a warm smile as they arrived at the training grounds. She led them to the new floating arena where they could practice without any obstacles or distractions. The brothers set down the box of power-ups and eagerly awaited their first lesson. The two basically mastered the Training Course, so the princess switched their training to power-ups. It would make navigating certain sections of the kingdoms much easier. Plus, using the magical artifacts was rather interesting. Mario was always in awe when using them, marveling at how such seemingly silly objects hold so much power. Peach rifled through the box, then hid the items behind her back. "Ready, guys?" she asked.

The brothers nodded.

"Good. Now, close your eyes."

Exchanging a confused look, Mario and Luigi obliged and raised their hands. Peach put something that felt like a leaf in Mario's hand and something like a glass in Luigi's; the object buzzed and crackled in his grasp, like a live wire. The green brother opened an eye and yelped at seeing a literal lightning bolt in his hand; his brother, on the other hand, raised an eyebrow at the striped leaf in his hand. Mario raised an eyebrow, "What is this?" he asked.

Luigi's lip quivered, "Am I about to get electrocuted?" he whimpered.

Peach giggled and shook her head, "Of course not! It works just like any power-up; once used, it activates the Thunderhand attack," she explained. "And Mario, what you have there is a Super Leaf, giving you the ability to fly."

Mario's eyes brightened. He couldn't believe his luck! He had always dreamed of flying, and now he finally had the chance to do so. With a big grin on his face, he held the Super Leaf tightly in his hand and looked up at the sky. Not wasting a second, Mario crushed the leaf in his grasp, feeling the magic seeping through his glove and flowing through him. His clothes transformed into a brown suit, complete with a striped tail. Luigi chuckled and playfully tugged on the new ears of his hat, "What is this? What're you, some kinda bear?"

"He's a Tanooki! With his tail, he'll be able to fly and attack enemies."

Luigi and Peach backed away and watched as Mario's feet lifted from the ground; the man started flying in random directions, cheering with glee. The younger twin adjusted his cap and laughed, enjoying his brother's antics. Peach giggled, "Mario, be careful! Don't go too high!" she yelled. Just as she said that, the flying raccoon man fell on his face; luckily, he was close to the ground, but still. It wasn't enough to remove the power-up apparently and he started flying around again as if nothing had happened.

Luigi sighed and shook his head, "It's better to just let him tire himself out," he said.

Peach forced herself to look away from Mario (Luigi definitely noticed the glimmer in her eyes), "I suppose..." she said, then shook her head. "Right! Are you ready?"

"Might as well."

The princess nodded, then tapped her boots against the tiled arena. A set of combat dummies appeared from the ground. Luigi nervously raised the electric item and snapped it in half; tendrils of light wrapped around his hands before vanishing into his gloves. Luigi could feel them buzzing with energy. Peach moved out of the way, "Whenever you're ready, Luigi!" she said. Then she ducked as Mario flew overhead, narrowly missing her.

Luigi took a deep breath and nervously got into position. He raised his hand and sparks of energy formed from his fingertips. The man took a moment to aim before unleashing the electricity within his grasp, managing to graze a dummy's arm. Luigi's jaw dropped at the sheer power of the attack; even if he just grazed it, a deep scorch mark was left behind. He raised his hand again, this time with more confidence, and fired another blast. With a clap of thunder, it hit the false figure in the chest, blasting it from its post.