Mario was walking through his workshop with the creeper toddling beside him when his communicator buzzed against his hip.
"Hello? Mario? Finally got through to you! I found that planet you were looking for."
Yondu's voice came through clear, but Mario barely reacted. He already knew where Morag was, he'd even already grabbed the Power Stone from there. The empty orb was back in its original location, though, complete with a tracker inside. Once Star-Lord opened it, he would know exactly where to find them.
The whole tracker setup had been insurance. The universe was a big fucking place, and finding one specific raccoon without a lead would've been a nightmare.
"I appreciate the work, Yondu. So, did you get any intel on Star-Lord?"
Back on his ship somewhere in deep space, Yondu's expression remained neutral in front of his crew, though concern flickered in his eyes for just a moment.
"Star-Lord? I'm looking for that kid too. No idea where he ran off to. When I find him, I'm gonna skin him alive."
Mario smiled at that obvious lie. Yondu would rather sacrifice himself than actually hurt Quill.
"Thanks again. Send me those star-map coordinates. Same price as before. You can arrange a pickup for payment whenever."
"No, no, no."
Yondu's laugh came through the speaker, but it carried an edge Mario didn't like. "That old price won't work anymore. Someone else posted a job on the black market with a much higher reward."
Mario's eyes narrowed as he sat on his workshop couch, one hand absently stroking the creeper's blocky head.
He fucking hated price gouging.
It was like going to a restaurant where the menu said ten bucks, but they charged you twenty at checkout. If something was expensive from the start, fine, but don't take him for an idiot.
The whole thing reminded him of the first time he ever went out to eat with friends as a teenager. His parents had always paid for him before, so he'd never learned about coperto, servizio, or any of those sneaky fees restaurants in his hometown loved slipping onto the bill.
The more he thought about it, the angrier he got. "Forget the coordinates. And watch yourself out there in the universe. You really don't want to run into me again."
"Wait, that's not—"
Mario hung up without giving him a chance to explain.
Back on his ship, Yondu stared at the dead comm link. He hadn't expected Mario to cut him off completely. All he'd wanted was to negotiate a better rate, and now not only was he not getting paid, he'd apparently made an enemy.
What he didn't know was that Mario had already secured the Power Stone. Morag had zero value to him anymore. The payment had only been about maintaining a good relationship with the Ravagers.
After ending the call, Mario spat in disgust. "What a load of bullshit."
But Yondu's call had reminded him why he'd come to space in the first place.
"Rocket definitely won't still be on that backwater rock after all this time. Better head to Xandar first, set up a waystone there. Make future trips easier."
Xandar, one of the eight most famous planets in the Marvel universe, and easily the most inclusive world in the galaxy. On Xandar, you could see every species imaginable. No discrimination, or war, all protected by the powerful Nova Corps.
The movie version had seemed a bit underwhelming, but he knew better than to underestimate them. The Nova Corps' real strength was no joke.
Taking the creeper with him onto a new ship, he flew straight through the portal known as the "Devil's Anus," leaving Sakaar behind.
---
Two days of travel through space was boring as hell. Mario had spent most of it playing games and tinkering with Minecraft mods, but finally, Xandar came into view.
Looking at the planet, which from orbit looked surprisingly similar to Earth, he felt a wave of relief. "Finally! Thought I'd go crazy from boredom out here."
Two days in the vacuum of space with nothing but his thoughts and a baby creeper for company had been enough to drive anyone stir-crazy.
"Let's land and find a place to settle in."
But before he could initiate his descent, several golden starfighters surrounded his ship. They were standard Nova Corps patrol craft, shaped like cartoonish stars with advanced weapon systems.
He opened his communications channel, and sure enough, a warning came through immediately.
"This is the Xandar Nova Corps. Unknown vessel, please follow our escort. Power down your engines and submit to inspection."
Mario hadn't committed any crimes, at least not on Xandar, so he wasn't worried. He obediently allowed their tractor beam to guide his ship down to the planet's surface.
The landing area was massive, with numerous ships coming and going in. Mario opened his hatch, and within minutes, four people in blue Nova Corps uniforms walked aboard. At first glance, they looked completely human.
One of them stepped forward politely. "Hello. According to our records, your vessel has never been registered on Xandar. Please come with us to complete your registration."
Mario stood up from his seat with an easy smile. "Sure, no problem. Actually, I've got a few questions I'd like to ask you guys anyway."
He gestured to the creeper beside him. The creature waddled over on its stubby legs, staring at the Nova Corps members with curiosity.
"This is my pet, Creepy. Don't worry, he doesn't bite."
He explodes, but he definitely doesn't bite.
Even the well-traveled Nova Corps had never seen a creature like a creeper before. One of them raised a wrist-mounted scanner and swept it over Creepy, no records found.
"Of course. Oh... I've never seen a creature like this before, but it looks very cute."
Mario nodded with a grin. Of course his pet was cute. And if it detonated right now, none of these guys would be getting away.
Following the Nova Corps members, he headed toward a tall administrative building. As they walked, Mario kept looking around at the surrounding architecture. Unlike Earth's densely packed cities, the buildings here were more spread out, with actual green spaces between them.
But as far as his eyes could see, everything was city. Not a single patch of bare earth visible anywhere.
Soon they arrived inside the building. Contrary to his expectations of some dark interrogation room, he was led to what looked like a comfortable reception area.
Eventually, one man and one woman remained to ask him some simple questions. And the questions truly were simple, just his name and home planet. Clearly, they trusted their own investigation more than whatever he might tell them.
Finally, a red-skinned Xandarian woman asked, "Mr. Argento, may we ask what brings you to Xandar?"
Sitting in his chair, Mario perked up at the question. "I want to buy some property on Xandar. Somewhere quiet is fine. How would I go about doing that?"
The two exchanged glances, then the woman explained, "If you want to live on Xandar, it's quite simple. Just visit the Housing Registration Office and inquire there. However, purchasing land is very expensive. Apartments are much more affordable."
The man pulled a metallic card from his pocket, and handed it to Mario. "This is a Xandar visitor's pass. It does have a time limit. Enjoy your stay."
---
Mario wandered down Xandar's main street, playing with the metal identity card between his fingers. Everything around him felt strangely familiar.
If it weren't for the small spacecraft frequently zipping across the sky, and all the bizarre-looking aliens on the street, he might've actually thought he was still on Earth.
Stuffing the card into his pocket, he sighed. "Xandar's just a bit more technologically advanced. The Marvel movie universe aesthetic is straight-up American all the way."
Leading Creepy through the crowds attracted plenty of attention, mainly because people had never seen such a perfectly cubic creature before.
"Not knowing the area makes everything inconvenient. Gonna have to ask someone for directions."
Scratching his head helplessly, Mario was about to approach a random pedestrian when a tall, unusual figure caught his eye.
"Groot?"
When did this guy show up here? It was like searching for a needle in a haystack and finding it sitting on your doorstep.
Could the plot of Guardians of the Galaxy already be starting? That seemed fast.
The coordinates the Ravagers had given him definitely hadn't been for Xandar. Excitement spread across his face as he muttered, "Walking right into my hands. If I don't recruit him, I'd be letting myself down."
But something seemed off, Groot was sitting alone by a fountain. No sign of Rocket anywhere. That made him hesitate. If that tree over there wasn't Groot... well, even if it wasn't, kidnapping a random tree-person wasn't the end of the world.
He walked straight toward Groot, who sat alone at the fountain, staring blankly at the passing crowds with those vacant eyes tree-people sometimes got.
But once he got closer, he noticed several vines from Groot's back stretching into the fountain. He didn't need to guess, Groot was secretly drinking the water.
Flora colossi with good temperaments were extremely rare, practically genetic mutations. Coupled with that quirky personality and distinctive speech pattern... He was certain this was definitely Groot.
"Groot?"
"I am Groot!"
Hearing someone call his name, Groot looked at Mario in confusion and delivered his iconic line. But Mario could easily understand what he actually meant, one of the perks that came with his Minecraft abilities. Aside from villagers, he could understand any intelligent creature's speech.
Groot was exceptionally tall. Even sitting by the fountain, he was still slightly taller than Mario standing.
"I am Groot?"
Mario sat down beside him without hesitation and introduced himself. "My name's Mario. Nice to meet you, Groot."
He really was happy. He'd had his sights set on Rocket and Groot for a long time now.
"Relax, I'm one of the good guys."
Groot was kind, but he wasn't stupid. Seeing Mario reaching out to touch him with that creepy fan-boy grin plastered across his face...
Even as a tree-person, he felt something like goosebumps.
But the next second, he changed his mind. Mario suddenly produced a handful of white powder in his hand and gently sprinkled it over Groot. The white dust transformed into green glowing particles that sank into Groot's body, startling him.
"I AM GROOT!!!"
But he quickly noticed the green lights didn't harm him. In fact, he could actually feel his body becoming slightly stronger. Not much, but enough to surprise him.
Taking advantage of Groot's distraction, Mario placed his hand on the tree-person's rough bark. "Don't freak out. It's just bone meal. As long as you're willing to work for me, I've got plenty more where that came from."
Honestly, he hadn't expected bone meal to work on a living Groot at all. The fact that it did was a pleasant surprise.
Hearing Mario's words, Groot hesitated. He hesitated, torn between the benefits and his loyalty.
But then Rocket's face popped into his mind, and in the end, he shook his head. "I am Groot."
Mario replied casually, "It's fine. You've got a partner, just bring him along. Don't worry, I'll convince him."
Rocket seemed to value money above all else, but what he truly treasured was friendship. And what he lacked most was time.
A raccoon's natural lifespan wasn't long, barely over a decade, and judging by the current timeline, more than half of Rocket's life had already passed.
Mario could give him more time. He could find ways to extend Rocket's life, enhance his body. Worst case scenario, he could even turn Rocket into a vampire.
Groot didn't speak again, but he didn't resist Mario's affectionate petting either. Mainly because Mario kept producing more bone meal and sprinkling it over him. The temptation was just too strong.
"Can you give me a branch? I want to see if I can cultivate a member of the Flora Colossi with the same personality as you."
This time, Groot finally showed a real reaction. He turned to look directly at Mario. "I am Groot..."
"Relax, I'm not gonna do weird experiments. I just want to test the bone meal on it, see what happens."
"I am Groot."
With that agreement, Groot extended his hand. A branch quickly grew from his palm, and Groot gently snapped it off himself, offering it to Mario.
But before Mario could reach for it, a voice sounded from nearby.
"Hey, buddy! Don't move. You definitely don't want to test out this baby."
Mario turned his head to find Rocket had appeared without him noticing, and the raccoon was now aiming a gun at him, one even larger than Rocket himself.
"Groot! Get over here. That guy does NOT look like a good person."
Seeing Rocket's serious expression, Groot immediately stood up and moved to Rocket's side. At that moment, bone meal and whatever else no longer mattered, Rocket was more important.
"Rocket, that's just character assassination."
Mario stood up, but before he could take a single step, Rocket barked, "Don't move! You know my name, and you're calling yourself a good guy? Yeah right."
Groot looked at Mario, then at Rocket, and tried to explain. "I am Groot..."
"Groot, you're too naive. You believe everything anyone tells you. We're leaving."
Rocket never relaxed for a second, keeping his oversized weapon trained on Mario as he slowly backed away, using Groot as a living shield.
Mario raised an eyebrow. "How about a big job? Interested?"
Rocket's backward movement stopped.
"A job worth over a hundred thousand Universal Credits..."
Rocket lowered his weapon slightly.
"And it's not dangerous at all, just a little time-consuming. Mostly tedious work, really."
Rocket instantly scampered over to Mario's side, his entire demeanor shifting to something approaching worship. "Whatever you need, just say the word. I could tell at first glance you're a kind, good-hearted man with excellent judgment."
He would never, ever turn down money. It was physically impossible for him.
Seeing Rocket's complete lack of shame, Groot could only raise a hand to his wooden forehead. "I am Groot."