Categories > Games > Mario > Bittersweet
That debate with the chef was the last victory that Mario would have for the next few weeks. His nausea soon increased twofold, leaving him sickened and tired most of the time, and even though he craved food more than ever, the aromas would turn his stomach and make him run towards the nearest restroom. His cheery demeanor soon faded, and he was quiet and sullen, fed up from all the cramps and vomiting. His change of behavior confused all the other Toads, who knew nothing about his pregnancy. He would stay in his room for long periods of time, but all he did was pace around, as he could not sit still. He had to keep moving.
His belly showed practically nothing during the first week and a half, but Mario felt he was gaining weight. And when he stepped on the scale one night, it showed that he had indeed gained a couple of pounds. For some reason, he had freaked out about it and had rushed to inform Luigi, who had to calm him down and tell his brother that the weight gain was perfectly normal and that he would gain more in the next couple of months.
About a week later, Dr. Toadley called Luigi to come back to the office.
+++
"What is it, Dr. Toadley?" Luigi asked.
Mario and Luigi were back in the doctor's office with Dr. Toadley. The two brothers sat opposite him in their regular seats, awaiting what he would tell them. At least, Luigi was, as Mario was tired and didn't really want to listen. His belly was now showing a little bump, but to anyone else, it would have only looked like the little wolf was getting seconds for dessert. It didn't look as though he was pregnant.
+++
"Is it time for Mario's first ultrasound? It is," the doctor replied. "Since a male pregnancy only lasts for three months, each month is considered one trimester. At this time, Mario's fetus has developed more quickly than a regular fetus would at one month. Will I check to see if the fetus is developing properly? Yes, definitely."
Dr. Toadley stood up and walked back to the room that had a curtain drawn over it. "Have I talked with the hospital to lend me a transducer to complete this procedure? Indeed I have, although I did not tell them who I would perform the ultrasound on. They probably would have freaked out." He pushed aside the curtain. "Mario, would you come back here, please?"
Mario had no desire to stand up, as he knew this would cause him discomfort, but he took Luigi's outstretched hand nonetheless, who helped him stand up. Then the two walked back to the far room and went inside. In front of the ventilation system, there was a machine that sat next to a small television on a cart. Something that resembled a computer mouse was on top of the machine, next to a bottle of some gel. A bed with a type of rubber mattress sat next to it.
"Would you lie down on that bed for me and lift up your shirt, please, Mario?" the doctor said, going over to the machine and getting the bottle of gel.
Another thing Mario was reluctant to do, but he obeyed. With Luigi's help, he managed to lift himself up onto the bed and lift his shirt up, exposing his belly.
Without a moment of hesitation, Dr. Toadley quickly snapped on some gloves and opened the bottle of gel. He poured some into the palm of his gloved hand and spread the cold gel all over Mario's belly, causing him to gasp. Once he had a fine layer of gel rubbed on the little wolf's belly, the doctor turned on the television, took the computer mouse thing (Luigi later learned it was called a transducer) and placed it on Mario's belly.
A few seconds later, warped black-and-white images began to appear on the television screen. Soon, they focused, and the fetus appeared on-screen.
"Oh, my goodness..." Luigi said to himself in awe. He had expected the images to be all blurry, but they were much clearer than he thought. The fetus already looked so developed. It had all its little arms and legs, which slowly moved back and forth. He could see the tiny umbilical cord that protruded from the belly and the black dots on the head that were the fetus's eyes.
This little being that was developing would soon be his niece or nephew...
"Does the fetus look as though it is developing properly? Yes, it does," Dr. Toadley observed. He, too, was amazed, for he had never seen a baby grow inside a male. "It looks as though its fingers are developing at this stage." He pointed to some white dots on the screen next to the fetus's hands, then moved his hand down to the feet. "And right here, the toes are developing, too."
Luigi nodded; he could now see the tiny digits on the fetus's limbs. But while he was looking, he noticed something that almost threw him for a loop. "Uh, Dr. Toadley...is that a third leg growing right there?" he asked incredulously, pointing.
The doctor looked closely to where Luigi was pointing. "Good gracious!" he said, stepping back in shock.
"Wh-What is it?" Mario asked, looking sleepily at the image. He had closed his eyes for a moment, as his fatigue was so great. "What is that?"
"That's your baby, Mario," Luigi answered.
"My...baby?" the little wolf responded, his eyes flying open completely. He stared at the the image, speechless.
Dr. Toadley kept looking at the image on the screen. "Does that seem to be a third leg? It does not seem so," he said carefully. "While mutations are possible, this does not seem to be the case, as that extra limb does not move like the legs."
"Then what is it?" Luigi asked, feeling a bit worried.
"Sometimes, the reproductive organs of the fetus will be visible in the ultrasound, though it is difficult to tell at this stage. But that third leg you speak of is much too large to be its reproductive organs." He looked a bit closer. "That is a tail."
Both Mario and Luigi gasped. "The baby is a hybrid?" Luigi asked in surprise.
Dr. Toadley nodded. "Are you correct? You most certainly are," he replied. "Since the activation of the spores most likely happened when Mario was in his wolf form, it is possible that the fetus might inherit some of that DNA. Is this a magnificent discovery? Indeed it is! There is a chance the fetus might inherit some of the spell that Mario has, as well."
"It can do that?" Luigi asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Yes, it can. Mario's wolf form was not 'born', but when he first appeared, the spell was already in effect. The fetus might be born with the spell already in effect, too."
Luigi nodded, then thought of something else. "What about those inner powers you once said Mario had? Would those be inherited by the baby?"
"Do I know that? No, I don't. But I wouldn't disregard it. Male pregnancies are very different than female ones, I told you. Who knows, the baby might be born looking like an exact copy of Mario or an exact copy of the father, or it might look like neither of them at all. And it might be born with all of Mario's powers, or none of them at all. But do not worry. Will we have an answer to these questions as soon as the child is born? Indeed we will."
+++
After Dr. Toadley had finished the ultrasound and everything had been cleaned up, the three headed back to the main room.
"Now that we are heading into a new trimester, things should change for you, Mario," the doctor explained. "I cannot exactly say when, but the next few weeks should be better than it is now. Morning sickness should fade away, your appetite should return, and you should have more energy. But don't get carried away, since now that the fetus is growing rapidly, you'll probably get cramps in your legs and back. As for the fetus, it may start to kick within the next few weeks. Don't get scared if you feel something move inside you."
Mario nodded. Seeing his baby on the screen had snapped him awake for a while, but soon fatigue returned and he was tired again. The good thing was that Luigi was listening, as he wanted to make his brother's pregnancy as comfortable as possible.
"Do I have something to ask you? Yes, I do," the doctor said, organizing some papers on his desk. "I cannot tell you now, but when the time comes, would you like to know the gender of the baby? It's important that I ask you this since some people would rather be surprised."
Luigi looked at Mario for an answer, who said something to him in Italian. Then he turned back to the doctor. "No, make it a surprise," he said. He secretly wanted to know, but he would support his brother's decision. Gender wouldn't matter much, anyway. As long as the baby was healthy, it would be alright.
"Surprise it is, then," Dr. Toadley said, making a note in his clipboard. Then he turned to Mario. "If you don't mind me asking you, would you please wait out in the waiting room? There is something I must inform Luigi of privately."
"Okay then," Mario said as he turned and walked out of the room. He'd be better off there; at least there were chairs to sit in.
"What is it?" Luigi asked as soon as his brother was out of earshot.
"Have I thought of something that might jeopardize this whole event? Yes, regrettably," Dr. Toadley remarked. "If the child is born with Mario's powers, then there is a chance the child might be in danger."
"Wh-What do you mean? The baby might get sick?" Luigi said, feeling worried as he remembered what would happen if the fetus died inside Mario.
"No, no. The baby will most likely be fine. This is about Bowser."
"Bowser?" the green-clad sibling said, raising an eyebrow.
"Precisely. Bowser hasn't attacked the kingdom to kidnap the princess in a good while, which is almost always a sign he will soon. And Mario will have no chance of fighting him in his condition. Will the consequences be devastating if Bowser figures out that Mario is pregnant? There can be no doubt it will. And if the baby is born with Mario's powers and Bowser knows about it, there can be no doubt that Bowser would kidnap the child to manipulate its raw, untamed powers. He would certainly have the power to crush us all and take over the whole kingdom."
"Oh my Stars..." Luigi breathed in a shocked tone.
"This is why we must keep both Mario and Peach safe," Dr. Toadley continued. "If Peach gets kidnapped and Mario tries to help her, Bowser might harm him or the fetus. And if Bowser figures out about the child, he might kidnap Mario himself."
"I can take on Bowser," Luigi remarked, rolling his hands into fists.
"I have every confidence you can," Dr. Toadley acknowledged. "But we cannot let it come down to that, as it is very risky. I don't wish to put you in danger as well, Luigi. You and Mario always came injured from those battles in the past. So, we must put up a secure room somewhere, whether it be in the castle, your home, anywhere, where both Mario and Peach can escape to safety, should Bowser invade."
"Do we have to tell everyone that Mario's pregnant?" Luigi asked.
"Not at this moment, it is too soon. When his belly gets larger, will everyone guess it? Probably. But we cannot let Bowser know. And that scoundrel Magikoopa of his, Kamek, he might be able to track the source of power if the baby inherits it. We have to keep Mario off their radar."
"Got it," Luigi nodded.
His belly showed practically nothing during the first week and a half, but Mario felt he was gaining weight. And when he stepped on the scale one night, it showed that he had indeed gained a couple of pounds. For some reason, he had freaked out about it and had rushed to inform Luigi, who had to calm him down and tell his brother that the weight gain was perfectly normal and that he would gain more in the next couple of months.
About a week later, Dr. Toadley called Luigi to come back to the office.
+++
"What is it, Dr. Toadley?" Luigi asked.
Mario and Luigi were back in the doctor's office with Dr. Toadley. The two brothers sat opposite him in their regular seats, awaiting what he would tell them. At least, Luigi was, as Mario was tired and didn't really want to listen. His belly was now showing a little bump, but to anyone else, it would have only looked like the little wolf was getting seconds for dessert. It didn't look as though he was pregnant.
+++
"Is it time for Mario's first ultrasound? It is," the doctor replied. "Since a male pregnancy only lasts for three months, each month is considered one trimester. At this time, Mario's fetus has developed more quickly than a regular fetus would at one month. Will I check to see if the fetus is developing properly? Yes, definitely."
Dr. Toadley stood up and walked back to the room that had a curtain drawn over it. "Have I talked with the hospital to lend me a transducer to complete this procedure? Indeed I have, although I did not tell them who I would perform the ultrasound on. They probably would have freaked out." He pushed aside the curtain. "Mario, would you come back here, please?"
Mario had no desire to stand up, as he knew this would cause him discomfort, but he took Luigi's outstretched hand nonetheless, who helped him stand up. Then the two walked back to the far room and went inside. In front of the ventilation system, there was a machine that sat next to a small television on a cart. Something that resembled a computer mouse was on top of the machine, next to a bottle of some gel. A bed with a type of rubber mattress sat next to it.
"Would you lie down on that bed for me and lift up your shirt, please, Mario?" the doctor said, going over to the machine and getting the bottle of gel.
Another thing Mario was reluctant to do, but he obeyed. With Luigi's help, he managed to lift himself up onto the bed and lift his shirt up, exposing his belly.
Without a moment of hesitation, Dr. Toadley quickly snapped on some gloves and opened the bottle of gel. He poured some into the palm of his gloved hand and spread the cold gel all over Mario's belly, causing him to gasp. Once he had a fine layer of gel rubbed on the little wolf's belly, the doctor turned on the television, took the computer mouse thing (Luigi later learned it was called a transducer) and placed it on Mario's belly.
A few seconds later, warped black-and-white images began to appear on the television screen. Soon, they focused, and the fetus appeared on-screen.
"Oh, my goodness..." Luigi said to himself in awe. He had expected the images to be all blurry, but they were much clearer than he thought. The fetus already looked so developed. It had all its little arms and legs, which slowly moved back and forth. He could see the tiny umbilical cord that protruded from the belly and the black dots on the head that were the fetus's eyes.
This little being that was developing would soon be his niece or nephew...
"Does the fetus look as though it is developing properly? Yes, it does," Dr. Toadley observed. He, too, was amazed, for he had never seen a baby grow inside a male. "It looks as though its fingers are developing at this stage." He pointed to some white dots on the screen next to the fetus's hands, then moved his hand down to the feet. "And right here, the toes are developing, too."
Luigi nodded; he could now see the tiny digits on the fetus's limbs. But while he was looking, he noticed something that almost threw him for a loop. "Uh, Dr. Toadley...is that a third leg growing right there?" he asked incredulously, pointing.
The doctor looked closely to where Luigi was pointing. "Good gracious!" he said, stepping back in shock.
"Wh-What is it?" Mario asked, looking sleepily at the image. He had closed his eyes for a moment, as his fatigue was so great. "What is that?"
"That's your baby, Mario," Luigi answered.
"My...baby?" the little wolf responded, his eyes flying open completely. He stared at the the image, speechless.
Dr. Toadley kept looking at the image on the screen. "Does that seem to be a third leg? It does not seem so," he said carefully. "While mutations are possible, this does not seem to be the case, as that extra limb does not move like the legs."
"Then what is it?" Luigi asked, feeling a bit worried.
"Sometimes, the reproductive organs of the fetus will be visible in the ultrasound, though it is difficult to tell at this stage. But that third leg you speak of is much too large to be its reproductive organs." He looked a bit closer. "That is a tail."
Both Mario and Luigi gasped. "The baby is a hybrid?" Luigi asked in surprise.
Dr. Toadley nodded. "Are you correct? You most certainly are," he replied. "Since the activation of the spores most likely happened when Mario was in his wolf form, it is possible that the fetus might inherit some of that DNA. Is this a magnificent discovery? Indeed it is! There is a chance the fetus might inherit some of the spell that Mario has, as well."
"It can do that?" Luigi asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Yes, it can. Mario's wolf form was not 'born', but when he first appeared, the spell was already in effect. The fetus might be born with the spell already in effect, too."
Luigi nodded, then thought of something else. "What about those inner powers you once said Mario had? Would those be inherited by the baby?"
"Do I know that? No, I don't. But I wouldn't disregard it. Male pregnancies are very different than female ones, I told you. Who knows, the baby might be born looking like an exact copy of Mario or an exact copy of the father, or it might look like neither of them at all. And it might be born with all of Mario's powers, or none of them at all. But do not worry. Will we have an answer to these questions as soon as the child is born? Indeed we will."
+++
After Dr. Toadley had finished the ultrasound and everything had been cleaned up, the three headed back to the main room.
"Now that we are heading into a new trimester, things should change for you, Mario," the doctor explained. "I cannot exactly say when, but the next few weeks should be better than it is now. Morning sickness should fade away, your appetite should return, and you should have more energy. But don't get carried away, since now that the fetus is growing rapidly, you'll probably get cramps in your legs and back. As for the fetus, it may start to kick within the next few weeks. Don't get scared if you feel something move inside you."
Mario nodded. Seeing his baby on the screen had snapped him awake for a while, but soon fatigue returned and he was tired again. The good thing was that Luigi was listening, as he wanted to make his brother's pregnancy as comfortable as possible.
"Do I have something to ask you? Yes, I do," the doctor said, organizing some papers on his desk. "I cannot tell you now, but when the time comes, would you like to know the gender of the baby? It's important that I ask you this since some people would rather be surprised."
Luigi looked at Mario for an answer, who said something to him in Italian. Then he turned back to the doctor. "No, make it a surprise," he said. He secretly wanted to know, but he would support his brother's decision. Gender wouldn't matter much, anyway. As long as the baby was healthy, it would be alright.
"Surprise it is, then," Dr. Toadley said, making a note in his clipboard. Then he turned to Mario. "If you don't mind me asking you, would you please wait out in the waiting room? There is something I must inform Luigi of privately."
"Okay then," Mario said as he turned and walked out of the room. He'd be better off there; at least there were chairs to sit in.
"What is it?" Luigi asked as soon as his brother was out of earshot.
"Have I thought of something that might jeopardize this whole event? Yes, regrettably," Dr. Toadley remarked. "If the child is born with Mario's powers, then there is a chance the child might be in danger."
"Wh-What do you mean? The baby might get sick?" Luigi said, feeling worried as he remembered what would happen if the fetus died inside Mario.
"No, no. The baby will most likely be fine. This is about Bowser."
"Bowser?" the green-clad sibling said, raising an eyebrow.
"Precisely. Bowser hasn't attacked the kingdom to kidnap the princess in a good while, which is almost always a sign he will soon. And Mario will have no chance of fighting him in his condition. Will the consequences be devastating if Bowser figures out that Mario is pregnant? There can be no doubt it will. And if the baby is born with Mario's powers and Bowser knows about it, there can be no doubt that Bowser would kidnap the child to manipulate its raw, untamed powers. He would certainly have the power to crush us all and take over the whole kingdom."
"Oh my Stars..." Luigi breathed in a shocked tone.
"This is why we must keep both Mario and Peach safe," Dr. Toadley continued. "If Peach gets kidnapped and Mario tries to help her, Bowser might harm him or the fetus. And if Bowser figures out about the child, he might kidnap Mario himself."
"I can take on Bowser," Luigi remarked, rolling his hands into fists.
"I have every confidence you can," Dr. Toadley acknowledged. "But we cannot let it come down to that, as it is very risky. I don't wish to put you in danger as well, Luigi. You and Mario always came injured from those battles in the past. So, we must put up a secure room somewhere, whether it be in the castle, your home, anywhere, where both Mario and Peach can escape to safety, should Bowser invade."
"Do we have to tell everyone that Mario's pregnant?" Luigi asked.
"Not at this moment, it is too soon. When his belly gets larger, will everyone guess it? Probably. But we cannot let Bowser know. And that scoundrel Magikoopa of his, Kamek, he might be able to track the source of power if the baby inherits it. We have to keep Mario off their radar."
"Got it," Luigi nodded.
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