+-----------------------------------------------------------------------------+
|                     Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door                     |
|                            Glitz Pit Guide v1.20                            |
|                           Written by Mars Jenkar                            |
|                           Last updated 9/14/2006                            |
+-----------------------------------------------------------------------------+

It's probably many players' favorite section of the game--the Glitz Pit 
fighting sequence of Chapter 3!  If you enjoyed it the first time through, you
can do it all over again after acquiring the Gold Star (though without all the
mystery and intrigue of the first time through, and this time, Jolene is the
one who is setting up the fights and announcing them in the ring.)  Once you 
beat the champion Rawk Hawk the second time, you keep the champ's belt (which 
gives you access to the champ's room--restore HP, FP, and Star Power for free!)
and can fight Rawk Hawk again and again for 20 coins and quite a bit of 
experience (first time vs. Rawk Hawk was 11 Star Points) each time!

In this document, I will give suggestions for how to fight in the ring--
strategies for individual opponents, and for the conditions imposed on you by 
Grubba (or Jolene, if it's your second time through).  Some of these may be
blindingly obvious, while some might actually be helpful.


=================
Table of Contents
=================

1. Version Information
2. Definitions
3. Before You Fight
    a. Shine Sprites and Partner Upgrades
    b. Level Up Mario
    c. Badges
    d. Action Commands and Stylish Moves
    e. Star Powers
    f. Just Before the Fight
4. Battle Restrictions
5. The Opponents/Walkthrough
6. During the Fight
    a. The Audience
    b. The Stage
    c. The Slots
    d. Items
7. Special Thanks/Legal Stuff


======================
1. Version Information
======================

v1.20 (9/14/2006)
Yes, I'm still alive.  Another revamp to the Badges subsection, and added Star
Power information.  Revamped quite a bit of this guide actually, warranting a
jump in the version number.

v1.12 (10/17/2005)
Recently I got to Level 30, and I have a few things to note about what happens 
at Superstar level.  Also revamped the Badges subsection somewhat.  A few more
minor adjustments, of course.

v1.11 (10/5/2005)
Re-rewrote the Koopinator's section; it outlines the old strategy with better
information.  Again, minor adjustments throughout the guide.

v1.10 (9/22/2005)
Finally added the section dealing with the Chapter 3 stage boss, and also the 
events starting from your arrival in Glitzville.  Also, a couple contributions 
by Testaros25 added.  Minor adjustments throughout the guide.

v1.05 (4/25/2005)
Added a couple of contributions by Wave Snake, one about the first cake and
another about Clock Out.

v1.04 (3/25/2005)
Thanks so much to BusterBlader64 for giving me new info on the Koopinator, and
also miscellaneous info throughout this guide.

v1.03 (3/19/2005)
Updated several strategies.  Basically had to rewrite the Koopinator's section;
it contained some bad information based on what now appears to be an isolated
incident.

v1.02a (3/04/2005)
This is my way of saying, I finally got version 1.02 uploaded to GameFAQs.

v1.02 (2/25/2005)
Still no Chapter 3 final boss fight, but I've added a bit about choosing the
Yoshi's colors in The Opponents/Walkthrough section.

v1.01 (2/01/2005)
Corrected a misconception I had about Goombella's Tattle; if your partner is
barred from attacking, Goombella may still Tattle without consequence.  Also a
confirmation about fighting the "new" groups that appear the first time through
the Glitz Pit.  (Stats are forthcoming.)  Still haven't finished the chapter 
boss section, which is technically beyond the scope of this guide, but I will
still do it.

v1.0 (1/25/2005)
VERY slight changes, but I've added enough content to make this guide
officially "done".  There are a few things I might want to add later, but for
most people's purposes this guide is done.  Finally accepted on GameFAQs.

v0.8 (1/24/2005)
Massive update to "The Opponents"; that section is now mostly complete.  
Slightly smaller changes to "During the Fight" and other sections.  Re-
submitted to GameFAQs, but again rejected (same reason).

v0.4 (1/17/2005)
Set up most of the sections.  "Definitions", "Before You Fight", "Battle 
Restrictions", and "Legal Stuff" mostly complete.  "The Opponents" section 
currently in "skeleton" form, containing three of the bouts.  "During the 
Fight" halfway done.  Submitted to GameFAQs but rejected due to incompleteness.


==============
2. Definitions
==============

This is a section for definition of terms I use throughout the guide.

-- Action Command
If you use an attack action, you are asked to do certain things to increase the
effect of an attack, such as pressing a button at a certain time to increase
the damage dealt.  If you do not perform an Action Command correctly, or don't
even try to perform it, your audience shrinks.  Some attack actions will not
work at all if you fail to perform the action command.

-- AoE
See Area of Effect.

-- Area of Effect
Refers to an attack or move that does not target a specific character or enemy,
but targets a group of characters or enemies.  Quake Hammer, for example,
affects all enemies on the ground and ceiling.

-- Attack (action)
Any action under a partner's Attack menu, anything in Mario's Jump or Hammer
menus, and (presumably) any Special Move that affects a foe, such as Earth
Tremor or Clock Out.  This also includes the use of attack items, such as POW
Block or Thunder Rage.  EXCEPTION: Despite the fact that Goombella's Tattle is
in her Attack menu, it is not considered an attack.

-- Attack (statistic)
See Power.

-- Audience
When you're in battle, you will be fighting on a stage, in front of a crowd of 
people seated in a theater.  The audience can either be helpful or harmful, and
some members have special tendencies (see The Audience subsection in section 6
for more details).  Generally, a larger audience is better, because the larger
the crowd, the more Star Power you recharge after each attack.

-- Badge Points
Although you can collect as many badges as you want, this stat limits the
collective number (and power) of them that you can actually wear.  Badges can
increase your attack power, decrease the damage you take, or have other effects
on you and/or your partner.

-- BP
See Badge Points.

-- Buff
As a noun, it refers to a status effect, usually positive.  As a verb, it 
refers to adding status effects (usually positive status effects to oneself).
May also refer to adding statistical bonuses to oneself using badges.
Also see Debuff, Status Effect.

-- Danger Mario
This is technically beyond the scope of the guide, but I'm adding it
nonetheless, for those who are curious.  Danger Mario is a badge setup that
relies on Mario constantly being at 5 health or less, causing various badges
(especially Power Rush) to kick in.  It's possible, if tricky, to use a similar
setup in chapter 3, but Danger Mario doesn't really come into its own until
after Chapter 5.  I do NOT recommend a setup like this for when you do Chapter
3.  Besides, it really leeches the fun out of the game.

-- Debuff
As a noun, it refers to a negative status effect (such as Sleep).  As a verb,
it refers to hitting an enemy with a negative status effect.  It does NOT refer
to the removal of a status effect.
Also see Buff, Status Effect.

-- Defense
Refers to the amount damage is reduced when it hits a person.  Mario and his 
allies usually have Defense of 0 by default, but Koops has Defense of 1 by 
default.

-- Experience
See Star Points.

-- Foe
Anyone that Mario and his partner fights in battle.

-- Flower Points
These act as "mana", limiting the amount and power of certain attacks or 
actions that you can take.

-- FP
See Flower Points.

-- Guard
The action of hitting A just as an attack lands on Mario or his partner.  By
default, this reduces the amount of damage dealt to that person by 1, though
Damage Dodge badges can reduce damage further when guarding.

-- Heart Points
This is the amount of damage that can be taken by Mario, his partner, or a foe.
At 0 HP, Mario or the partner will faint.  If Mario faints, often it means a
Game Over, but in the Glitz Pit ring (except during an unsanctioned battle or
the chapter boss), it only means that Mario is defeated for that battle.  If
the partner faints, Mario can switch to a new partner on his turn if he wishes,
but unless he has the Quick Change badge, bringing in the new partner will use
up his turn.

-- HP
See Heart Points.

-- Item
Anything in your normal inventory.  This does NOT include badges, Important
Things, or any new hammers or boots.  This DOES include things such as POW
Blocks, Mushrooms, Courage Shells, or Syrups.

-- Lockdown
A status effect (debuff) that prevents the affected character/foe from doing
anything, such as Sleep, Freeze, and Immobilize.  Term also applies to
strategies making use of lockdown-type debuffs, or otherwise preventing foes
from attacking (such as knocking a normal Koopa on its back, and jumping on it
each turn to keep it from standing up again).  Lockdown strategies, of various
kinds, will be used in some (but not all) of the fight descriptions below.

-- Mario
Goodness, do I really have to explain this?!?  Mario P. Mario, Italian plumber,
wears red, a guy who hobnobs with royalty?  The guy who always has to get 
Princess Peach out of scrapes?  The MAIN CHARACTER of this game, for crying out
loud?!?

-- Partner
A character that travels around with Mario and fights alongside him.  Partners
include Goombella, Koops, Flurrie, and Yoshi.  Dr. Frankly, at the beginning of
the game when he follows you and Goombella to the Thousand-Year Door, is NOT a
partner, because he does not fight alongside you when you encounter enemies.

-- Power
This term refers to the amount of damage can be dealt.  "Power" usually refers 
to Mario or his partner, while "Attack" can refer to the foes as well as Mario 
and his allies.

-- Special Move
Any move that uses Star Power, such as Sweet Treat, Earth Tremor, Clock Out, or
Power Lift.

-- Star Points
The measure of "experience" gained from a battle.  The tougher the foe, the
more Star Points you gain from fighting it.  Also, multiple foes (4 or more)
result in bonuses to Star Points for each foe you defeat.  But, the higher a
level Mario is, the fewer Star Points he gains from defeating foes.  If none of
the foes that Mario defeats gave Mario Star Points, then he gains 1 Star Point
as a consolation prize for the battle.

-- Star Power
This refers to the gauge that begins with a star icon and has a certain number
of dots on it.  When you enter the Glitz Pit for the first time, you will have
three dots of Star Power.  This gauge is emptied as you use Special Moves, and
filled as you thrill the audience by successfully completing Action Commands,
doing Stylish Moves, or Appealing to the audience.

-- Status Effect
Refers to those icons that are attached to Mario or an enemy, and their
underlying effects.  Some status effects are positive (such as ones that
increase strength or defense).  Others are negative (such as poison or sleep).
Also see Buff, Debuff.

-- Stylish Move
If you press A at a certain time(s) during an attack by Mario or his partner,
that character will perform some sort of stunt that causes the audience to give
you extra Star Power.  The Timing Tutor badge will show you when to press the A
button for a Stylish Move, by causing an "!" to appear over the character's
head.

-- Superguard
The action of hitting B *precisely* when an attack lands on Mario or his 
partner.  This has the effect of cancelling damage completely and dealing 1
piercing damage to a direct attacker.  This move is harder to pull off than a
normal guard move.

-- Tank
Refers to a character who stays in front, protecting the other character from
attack.  Also refers to a strategy where a partner (or, in a few cases, Mario)
stays in front of the other person to protect that person from attack.  Koops
and Flurrie are good partners to use for this purpose; Koops has 1 defense,
which no other partner does, while Flurrie has the most HP of any partner you
have in Chapter 3 (and the Lip Lock move, which restores her health).  The
biggest problem with Koops is that he has the lowest HP of any partner, and if
he's knocked over by a jumping or flying enemy, he's useless.  Flurrie is
generally the more useful of the two, unless the foes have spikes in front or
the "partner cannot attack" restriction is in place (since both prevent her
from using Lip Lock, and spiked enemies usually also have spikes on their head,
making Body Slam useless).


===================
3. Before You Fight
===================

-------------------------------------
a. Shine Sprites and Partner Upgrades
-------------------------------------

I suggest that, before you go after the champ's belt, you find as many Shine 
Sprites as you can, so you can power up all your partners, including the Yoshi 
you get the first time through.  And when you get the Shines you need, USE THEM
AT ONCE!  My suggestion: power up Goombella and Koops first, then Yoshi, then 
Flurrie (unless you plan to go hunting for enough Shines to power up both, 
which is quite doable; in that case, go ahead and power up Flurrie).  

* Goombella's Multibonk is a good attack against high-HP low-Defense foes like
  Rawk Hawk.  Her Tattle ability is useful here as well, and the doubled HP
  will help her to last longer in the ring.

* Koops makes a good tank with his 1 defense (as long as you guard well against
  aerial assaults that could knock him over), so 5 extra HP (and extra attack 
  power with Power Shell) are a good asset to have.  At this point, he's the 
  most effective fighter against ground foes, especially spiked ones.  The
  Shell Shield is a good way to protect Mario as well.  His biggest weakness is
  against flying or jumping enemies, since they are likely to knock him on his
  back, reducing his defense to 0 and keeping him from doing anything.

* The first time through, you won't have Yoshi early on, but save up the Shine
  Sprites for him.  Then, when you *do* get him, power him up (for the extra HP
  if nothing else, though the Mini Egg move is decent).  Or, you can power up
  Flurrie first, then search for one or more new Shines with Yoshi as needed.

* Flurrie is also a good one to power up for a "tank" strategy, since she will
  have 25 HP (more than any other partner at this point), and will gain the
  move Lip Lock.  This move will leech up to 5 hit points from a foe (dunno if
  spikes could get in the way, though) and add them to her health meter.  (As
  far as I can tell, it's a piercing move.)  So, my suggestion is, if you don't
  care about Goombella's Tattle Log so much, you could choose Flurrie over 
  Goombella.  But a better idea would be to go for all the Shine Sprites you 
  can find after getting Yoshi; you should be able to get #12 easily enough (I 
  got 13 total), and thus be able to upgrade ALL FOUR of your partners.

My strategies and tactics will mostly involve these four partners, as well as 
badges, items, and moves you can only get during Chapter 3, though going back 
through the ranks with new partners, items, badges, and moves may be very 
interesting indeed.

If you need help finding Shine Sprites, you may consult one of the the FAQs/
Walkthroughs or Shine Sprite guides on this site.


-----------------
b. Level Up Mario
-----------------

It's a good idea to level up Mario a good deal, so that he has a decent amount
of HP, FP, and BP.  I started Mario at just under level 10, and had leveled him
up once for HP and twice for FP, with the rest in BP, but I also used two of 
the BP levels for HP Plus and FP Plus badges, which are good for temporary 
increases and decreases to those vital stats.  You can customize your Mario how
you wish.  If you want extra experience, try descending into the Pit of 100 
Trials, going as far as you can (if you find it a challenge to get to Level 20,
don't try for level 30, for example).


---------
c. Badges
---------

Here I'll list the various badges that might be useful in Glitzville...and a
few that won't be.


"Do" badges (great badges in Glitzville):
-----------------------------------------

These badges are ones that will do very well for you in Glitzville.  Generally
they're easy to get as well, and you probably have them already.  Quick Change
is the one exception, but it's not *that* hard to obtain, and it's useful in
almost all situations, including outside Glitzville.

Damage Dodge 
2 BP
Found: Rogueport Sewers [near Boggly Woods entrance]
What it does: When Mario Guards, decreases damage taken by 1 additional HP.
Overview: If you suck with Superguarding (and I do), you'll want this badge to
  add defense when you Guard with Mario.

Damage Dodge P
2 BP
Found: Great Tree [interior]
What it does: When Mario's partner Guards, decreases damage taken by 1
  additional HP.
Overview: Same as with Damage Dodge, only it affects the partner.

Multibounce
1 BP
Found: Shhwonk Fortress
What it does: Gives Mario the Multibounce move: jump on each enemy once, from
  front to back in succession.  Automatically targets the frontmost enemy.
  Uses 2 FP.
Overview: When facing a few weak enemies, especially flying ones, this move
  will damage (or even destroy) all of them.

Power Bounce
3 BP
Found: Hooktail Castle
What it does: Gives Mario the Power Bounce move: Jump on one enemy multiple
  times; the first jump is equal to total jumping attack power minus defense,
  and each successive jump decreases power by 1 until net power is equal to 1
  (though if the first jump does not do damage, neither will any successive
  jumps).  Uses 4 FP.
Overview: Best for doing a lot of damage to a single powerful enemy, so long as
  it does not have too good of defense, and so long as it doesn't have a spike
  on its head.

Power Smash 
1 BP
Found: You got this from Frankly
What it does: Gives you the Power Smash move: Adds 2 to the power of a normal
  hammer strike.  Uses 2 FP.
Overview: Useful in a few situations where a jump is inappropriate and the
  foe's defense is 2 or less.

Quake Hammer
2 BP
Found: Boggly Woods
What it does: Gives Mario the Quake Hammer move:  AoE attack.  Deals 2 piercing
  damage to all enemies on the ground and ceiling.  Will force enemies on the
  ceiling off it, and enemies on the ground will be flipped if they can be.
  Damage does not scale with Mario's hammer, but does increase with other power
  bonuses.  Uses 3 FP.
Overview: Ground enemies with low HP will fall prey to this move easily, even
  if they have heavy defense.  Also may "lock down" certain tough enemies by
  flipping them over.  Very useful in several battles.

Quick Change
7 BP
Found: Trade with Dazzle
What it does: Switch partners without using up a move.
Overview: There's a reason this badge requires 7 BP: it's VERY powerful!  The
  ability to switch your partner out for free (on both Mario's turn *and* the
  partner's) give you a LOT of options to play with, and can even make it
  possible for two or more partners to play important roles in a single fight!
  For example, Koops could be "tanking" when the foes attack, then Goombella
  could switch in on Koops's turn to do damage, then on Mario's turn, switch
  Goombella back out for Koops to tank again!  If Koops gets low on health,
  Flurrie could take his place without missing a beat!  Only time this badge
  isn't useful is if you get the restriction "don't switch your partner out".


"Situational" badges (very good badges in certain situations):
--------------------------------------------------------------

These badges are good for certain situations.  Generally these are harder to
obtain than the "Do" badges, but are generally worth their price.

Fire Drive
3 BP
Found: Pit of 100 Trials, floor 20
What it does: Gives you the Fire Drive move: AoE attack.  Damages all enemies
  at ground level with 3 piercing fire damage.  For each enemy hit, damage
  decreases by 1 on the subsequent enemy(s).  Uses 5 FP.
Overview: This actually isn't a very good badge (I prefer the Quake Hammer
  personally), but it can hit multiple flying enemies if they've descended to
  ground level.  Only useful in conjunction with Hammerman.  May also be better
  than Quake Hammer if it'll finish the enemies quicker.

Hammerman
2 BP
Found: Charlieton, 180 gold
What it does: Increases the power of your hammer moves by 1.  You may not use
  any jump moves in battle.
Overview: If you're restricted from using your jump, use this to avoid
  temptation (and get a cheap power bonus too).  Some foes in the Glitz Pit are
  better defeated with a hammer than a jump, so you might want to use this when
  a jump is useless anyway.  I would say that this badge is well worth the
  money you pay for it.

Jumpman 
2 BP
Found: Charlieton, 180 gold
What it does: Increases the power of your jump moves by 1.  You may not use any
  hammer moves in battle.
Overview: If you're restricted from using your hammer, use this to avoid
  temptation (and get a cheap power bonus too).  Some foes in the Glitz Pit are
  better defeated with a jump than a hammer, so you might want to use this when
  a hammer isn't the best solution.  Note that since most jumps hit twice, the
  bonus from Jumpman is generally higher than from Hammerman.  I would say that
  this badge is well worth the money you pay for it.

Piercing Blow 
1 BP
Found: Lovely Howz of Badges
What it does: Gives you the Piercing Blow move: A single hammer blow pierces
  defense.  Uses 2 FP.
Overview: In some situations (Hammerman or no), you'll want to be able to hit
  an enemy for a single blow that pierces defense.  This is likely the best
  move for that action.  Use it against enemies with defense of 3 or higher.

Power Jump 
1 BP
Found: Lovely Howz of Badges
What it does: Gives you the Power Jump move: Jump on an enemy once for double
  your "boots factor" plus power boost.  Does damage equivalent to Power Smash
  in a single blow.  Uses 2 FP.
Overview: For the first ten or twelve battles, your jump will be superior to
  your hammer, so you might want to use this against enemies that have 2-4
  defense instead of Power Smash or Piercing Blow.  Only time this is not
  useful is if you can't jump, or if you would land on a spike.

Sleepy Stomp
1 BP
Found: Pit of 100 Trials, floor 10  -OR-  Lovely Howz of Badges
What it does: Gives you the Sleepy Stomp move: Jump on an enemy.  If
  successful, you have a chance to put it to sleep.  Uses 2 FP.
Overview: You might want to use it to manage your foes if they're moderately
  powerful, or to buy time to recover/buff.  Sleep has a high chance to be
  broken with an attack.

Zap Tap 
3 BP
Found: Pit of 100 Trials, floor 30
What it does: Enemies that attack Mario will take 1 damage when they touch him.
Overview: Besides the obvious "thorns" benefit, this badge will blunt the
  effectiveness of certain enemies.  Fuzzies will not be able to attack Mario
  at all, and Thieves won't be able to steal from Mario.  Useful in those
  situations, and it can't hurt if you want to use up leftover BP.  What's
  more, the status effect can't be removed completely.


"OK" badges (good badges in Glitzville):
----------------------------------------

Here are some generic badges that can help you in fights.  They're more
generally useful than the more specialized badges above, but they often cost
more.

Defense Plus
5 BP
Found: Trade with Dazzle
What it does: Boosts Mario's defense by 1.
Overview: Generally I prefer power over defense, but if Mario's told not to
  attack, you might choose this over Power Plus.

Defense Plus P
5 BP
Found: Trade with Dazzle
What it does: Boosts your partner's defense by 1.
Overview: Same deal as with Defense Plus, only it concerns the partner.

FP Plus 
3 BP
Found: Great Tree [exterior]
What it does: Adds 5 to your FP.
Overview: This is why investing in BP is generally better than investing in
  other stats, at least in the early game.  If you need the extra stats, you
  can often add this on, then take it off when it's not as useful.  If,
  however, you find you're permanently wearing this, I'd suggest a more
  permanent FP upgrade, and free the space up to do something else.

HP Plus 
3 BP
Found: Hooktail Castle [garden]
What it does: Adds 5 to Mario's HP.
Overview: Same basic deal as with FP Plus, in all aspects.

HP Plus P
6 BP
Found: Glitzville [upper storage room]
What it does: Adds 5 to all partners' HP.
Overview: This is something different.  Instead of boosting one person, this
  badge boosts all your partners.  You'll have three at the beginning of this
  chapter, a fourth halfway through, and up to seven by the end of the game.
  The more partners you have, the more useful this badge is...and it's useful
  even when you first get it!

Power Plus 
6 BP
Found: Trade with Dazzle
What it does: Adds 1 to Mario's power.
Overview: Jump or hammer just not quite powerful enough?  Not satisfied until
  all your moves "go up to eleven"?  This badge is for you.  May be a good
  investment in some battles.

Power Plus P 
6 BP
Found: Trade with Dazzle
What it does: Adds 1 to all partners' power.
Overview: Same deal as with Power Plus, only it concerns the partner.

Timing Tutor
1 BP
Found: Charlieton
What it does: Displays an "!" when you can use a Stylish Move
Overview: If you use Stylish moves to regenerate Star Power, this is the best
  way to figure out when to hit the A button.


"Don't" badges (good badges, but useless in Glitzville):
--------------------------------------------------------

These badges are to be avoided in Glitzville.  In most chapters they'll be
useful, but not here.

Chill Out 
1 BP
Found: Trade with Dazzle
What it does: Prevents enemies from getting a first strike on you.
Overview: Won't prevent the first strike in the first battle, since that's
  story-related.  And it won't happen in any of your other battles here in
  Glitzville.

Flower Finder 
3 BP
Found: Trade with Dazzle
What it does: Defeated enemies drop more Flower Points when they die.
Overview: You won't get to collect anything directly from the enemies after the
  battle.

Heart Finder
3 BP
Found: Trade with Dazzle
What it does: Defeated enemies drop more Heart Points when they die.
Overview: You won't get to collect anything directly from the enemies after the
  battle.

Item Hog
3 BP
Found: Trade with Dazzle
What it does: Defeated enemies drop more items when they die.
Overview: You won't get to collect anything directly from the enemies after the
  battle.


------------------------------------
d. Action Commands and Stylish Moves
------------------------------------

Make sure you have your Action Commands down!  When you pull them off well,
you'll do more damage and get more Star Power from your audience, especially 
with moves like Multibonk, Multibounce, and Power Bounce.  Also experiment with
hitting the A button to see when you successfully pull off Stylish Moves; they 
also help your Star Power.  (Timing Tutor is another good badge in this case.)


--------------
e. Star Powers
--------------

Your Star Powers will have their own "Action Commands", though in most cases
they're more like mini-games.  You'll want to practice some of them when you
get the chance.  Especially Clock Out, because that move will likely play a key
role in a major battle, and if you don't have it down, you are going to have
trouble.

Here are the descriptions for the three moves you'll have during Chapter 3.
You will have a maximum of 3 Star Power at any one time in this chapter, so be
careful how you use it!


SWEET TREAT
1 Star Power

Various icons will fall from the ceiling.  Tilt left every time you want Mario
to throw a star.  Only three stars can be onscreen at a time.  Every icon will
have an effect when you hit it:

Mario's face:    1 HP restored to Mario
Partner's face:  1 HP restored to partner
Flower:          1 FP restored
Poison Shroom:   AVOID -- You won't be able to throw stars for several seconds

You should be able to restore about 5 HP to each, plus 5 FP, if you're decent.
It's very possible that you'll get more if you're very good.


EARTH TREMOR
2 Star Power

The Diamond Star will drop to the ground, and Mario will stand on it with his
partner.  Basically, a bar will slowly fill up, and you have to hit the A
button once every time it crosses an "O" on that bar.  Once you fill the first
bar, the Star will grow larger, the "O"s will shift slightly, and one "O" will
be added.  There are up to five bars that you can fill.  The more bars you
fill, the more damage this move will do, and the more enemies it will hit.  A
perfect Earth Tremor (all 5 bars filled) will even hit foes on the ceiling!
What's more, the damage is piercing.  Can do 1-6 damage (one damage, plus the
number of bars you successfully fill).


CLOCK OUT
2 Star Power

A bomb drops next to you.  Your objective is to watch the button icons on the
screen, especially the one on the right.  *Mash* the button on your controller
that corresponds to the button icon next to your foe(s), and switch buttons
*quickly* every time it does on the screen.  If all goes well, you'll throw the
bomb at your enemy, and all attempts by the enemy to throw it back at you (or
into the crowd) should result in the enemy clumsily botching the throw and
dropping it on him/herself again.  Even if it does go into the crowd or on you,
it will quickly go back to the enemy.  As you mash the proper button, a gauge
will fill, and the bomb will grow larger.

When the bomb goes off, it will Immobilize whatever is in the vicinity:
- If it explodes on you, you and your partner will be Immobilized;
- If it goes off in the crowd, it will be Immobilized, preventing you from
  recovering Star Power;
- If it explodes on your foe(s), the foe(s) will be Immobilized.

You want the bomb to Immobilize your foe(s), naturally.  The fuller the gauge
is when the bomb explodes, the longer the Immobilize effect lasts.

Note that this move works inconsistently on some enemies/minibosses (like Rawk
Hawk), and it won't affect most major bosses in the game.

*Most* major bosses.


------------------------
f. Just Before the Fight
------------------------

"Thus it is that in war the victorious strategist only seeks battle after the
victory has been won, whereas he who is destined to defeat first fights and
afterwards looks for victory."  --Sun Tzu

Always check the chart before reserving a fight.  Generally the name of the foe
you face will give a hint as to the composition of the group.  Plan your battle
tactics in advance, and make preparations accordingly.  Once the battle
restrictions have been laid out by Grubba (when you schedule the fight), make
adjustments to match before the security guy comes.  And make sure your
characters are rested up before the battle, too!

Some things you want to adjust:
- Badges.  There are going to be badges that are more useful in some fights
  than others, and sometimes the restrictions given you by Grubba will render
  some badges useless and others very useful.  Do NOT underestimate the power
  of a good badge setup!
- Items.  Sometimes you won't be allowed to use FP-draining moves, or at least
  the ones you want to use.  In that case, your best option is to use an item
  to proxy for the move.  Also, recovery items never hurt.  Make sure to grab
  the necessary items early!
- Partners.  Generally you'll have a partner that is better for a certain
  battle than the others.  This especially applies to the seed 10 fight.
- HP, FP, Star Power.  These are just as vital, so if you can, rest up before
  each fight!  Since the beds in the locker rooms don't recharge Star Power,
  you might want to leave town and go to Rogueport's inn if you're really low
  on Star Power.  But generally, your strategies shouldn't use too much Star
  Power when you're facing enemies in the ring.

If you're not at full strength, but you've just reserved a match, there's 
enough time to reach the locker room's bed for a short catnap before you have 
to fight.  The security guy (if he hadn't arrived when you hit the sack) will 
arrive when your nap is over.

If you're fully prepared for your enemy when you enter the ring, then the
victory has pretty much been won already--all you need to do now is battle that
enemy, and make the victory official.


======================
4. Battle Restrictions
======================

Before each fight, Grubba (or Jolene, the second time through) will give you a
certain set of restrictions before each fight.  Some are simple to overcome, 
but others can put a serious damper on a fight (though none are insurmountable 
obstacles to overcome).  You will only encounter one restriction at a time.

If you get any of the following restrictions, here are some suggestions to 
handling them:

Format:

Restriction description
* This is the normal strategy for dealing with this particular restriction.
* PARTNERLESS: If you do not have your partner with you (which will happen if
  you eat the cake just before the second seed battle), here's how it affects
  your gameplay.


List:

Appeal at least once to the crowd
* You get this one in your very first fight.  This one is easy; simply have
  your partner appeal to the audience, then have Mario unleash his best attack.
  (If you would rather have the partner attack, have Mario do the appealing
  instead.)  An example is given below in The Opponents section, against the
  Goomba Brothers.
* PARTNERLESS: You won't get this restriction by this time, but even if you do,
  it's not that hard to deal with.  It will cost you a full turn of attacking,
  though.

Appeal at least three times to the crowd
* This is slightly more difficult.  Since you will be spending a turn and a
  half appealing to the crowd, the opponent will always have a chance to
  attack, unless you use Clock Out first.  If it has a weak attack, this is no
  problem, but a stronger attacker does present a challenge.  Have Flurrie in
  front with Lip Lock for a fight like this, or Koops, depending on your
  opponent.  Or, you *could* use Clock Out, then use the three appeals to gain
  the Star Power back somewhat, especially if you have the Super Appeal badge.
* PARTNERLESS: Sleepy Sheep (or, if necessary, Clock Out) is your friend.  This
  will give you the time you need to appeal three times.  Defensive badges may
  also be desirable.

Don't attack for the first three turns
* This is a very tricky situation.  You're best off Defending and guarding the
  first three turns, but if you have Goombella out, now is the time for her to
  Tattle.  After that, unleash your strongest attacks to get the battle over
  with.  Wave Snake says that Clock Out counts as an attack, so you won't want
  to use it.  I do not know if Superguard or Sleepy Sheep counts as an attack,
  so use it at your own risk.
* PARTNERLESS: Defensive badges are your friends.  So is the Defend command.
  Once you've waited out the first three turns, Clock Out (or Sleepy Sheep) and
  use the time either to attack or recover, or preferably both.

Don't let Mario attack
* Looks like Mario is serving as tank for this fight.  Keep Mario in front, and
  choose your best partner for attacking the particular foe.  Unequip ALL
  badges that give Mario FP attacks or add Attack Power, and try to buff up his
  defense (and the partner's attack) as much as possible.  Offensive Special
  Moves (including Clock Out; thanks, Wave Snake) count as Mario attacking, so
  don't use them!  Bottom line: Mario Defends each turn (using Sweet Treat when
  needed), while his partner attacks each turn.
* PARTNERLESS: Just run.  You are gimped beyond recovery.

Don't let your partner attack
* Since Lip Lock is an attack move, I suggest putting Koops forward as your
  tank.  Although he has the lowest HP when upgraded, his 1 Defense will blunt
  the force of the attacks.  Using the P-Down D-Up P badge is also a big help,
  since the partner won't be attacking anyway, and it'll up his defense even
  more for only 2 BP.  If you want to complete your Tattle Log, go ahead and
  bring out Goombella, then switch in Koops once she's done.
* PARTNERLESS: Since your partner isn't even there, this is one of the better
  restrictions.  Just make sure Mario is up to taking these pups on alone!

Don't switch your partner out
* This is always good advice in the Glitz Pit, but it especially applies here--
  know your enemy *before* you fight it.  The name of your opponent will often
  give a clue to the nature of that opponent.  Whatever the case, if you have
  the Quick Change badge equipped, take it off for this battle and put the BP
  into something else... say, Power Plus.
* PARTNERLESS: Since your partner isn't even there, this is one of the better
  restrictions.  Just make sure Mario is up to taking these pups on alone!

Don't use Flower Points
* Unequip all your badges that allow extra Jump or Hammer moves, and put the
  BP into badges that boost attack or defense for Mario and his partner.  (You
  can use Hammerman or Jumpman badges as appropriate, but in some fights you
  may want versatility more.)  Goombella's Tattle may be used in this
  situation, since it never requires FP anyway.  Happy Heart and Pretty Lucky
  may be relatively good investments here, as against some foes, you may end
  up fighting a long battle indeed.  Items are also a good alternative to FP-
  using moves in this situation, and are practically required in some battles
  if you can't use FP.  For example, if you're going up against the Tiny
  Spinies, better bring a POW block or two, or an Earth Quake, or else use
  Earth Tremor; otherwise, you're not going to be able to bring them down.
* PARTNERLESS: Ouch!  Bulk up Mario so his standard attacks do a lot of damage.
  You can bulk up on defense too, but you may be better off using Clock Out or
  Sleepy Sheep to lock down the pups, or a perfect Earth Tremor to kill them.
  The restriction says nothing about Star Power, after all. ;-)  Attack items
  are, again, a definite option.

Don't use items
* This shouldn't be too much of a problem, because usually there is a way to
  beat an enemy without using items from your inventory (Earth Tremor or Quake
  Hammer can replace or even surpass a POW Block).  The biggest downside to
  this one is that it's impossible to use recovery items, so recharge before
  this fight if you haven't already!
* PARTNERLESS: Equip your best FP-move badges, and go all out.  You can't
  recover (except by Sweet Treat), so make sure your HP and FP pools are
  adequate!

Don't use Special Moves
* This means, don't use anything that uses Star Power. You're free to use all
  the Flower Points you want with this one.  Against a foe like the Tiny
  Spinies, where Earth Tremor is very useful, the strategy changes to a POW
  block, Quake Hammer, Earth Quake item, or Piercing Blow.
* PARTNERLESS: This simply means you won't be able to Clock Out or Earth Tremor
  your enemies.  Use items or your best attack moves to take your foes out
  quickly.  You can use Sleepy Sheep as crowd control.

Don't use your hammer
* Equip your Jumpman badge, and unequip all your hammer-related badges.  Put
  the Badge Points into your best Jump moves (especially Power Jump if you have
  it), and then into all the others you wish.  If the foes are all spiked, put
  BP towards your partner and have Koops attack, or use Earth Tremor (or an
  item such as Earth Quake) if the foes are particularly tough.  Or, if this is
  your second time through and you have Vivian, get the Spike Shield badge.
* PARTNERLESS: Luckily the foes you're facing will likely not be "spiked" on
  top, so jump moves aren't *bad*.  However, you'll want to use a move like
  Power Jump to overcome their defense.  Or, use attack items.  Oh, and don't
  forget to actually equip the Jumpman badge.

Don't use your jump
* Equip your Hammerman badge, and unequip all your jump-related badges.  Put
  the Badge Points into your best Hammer moves, and then into all the others
  you wish.  If the foes are aerial, have Goombella, Flurrie, or Yoshi knock
  them to the ground (since you don't have Hammer Throw yet).
* PARTNERLESS: A hammer is actually slightly more effective anyway, so this
  restriction isn't too bad.  Don't forget the Hammerman badge!

Finish fight before taking 20 HP in damage
* Against a high-damage opponent, this can be difficult.  You can try a few
  ways: heavy attack (kill the opponent before it can deal the damage), heavy
  defense (reduce the damage you take), or lockdown (stop the enemy from
  attacking).  Personally, I prefer a heavy attack strategy, since at this
  point you probably won't have many defense-boosting badges except for two
  Damage Dodge badges.  Also, the best lockdown strategy (Clock Out) tends to
  be a drain on Star Power, and the ones that use FP or items aren't always
  effective.  Against low-defense enemies, Power Bounce is a good idea, while
  high-defense enemies will likely warrant Power Smash, Power Jump, Quake
  Hammer (for multiple ground foes) or Piercing Blow (for defense 3 and up).
  Sleepy Stomp may be a good idea against high-damage foes that aren't
  protected on top, in order to remove them from the fight.
* PARTNERLESS: While in most circumstances you'll want to refrain from using
  Star Power, here it may be vital to victory.  So, Clock Out (or Sleepy Sheep)
  first.  If you've got the right set of moves, you should be able to finish
  this quickly--two or three Quake Hammers and you'll be done.

Finish fight in 5 turns or less
* You should be doing this anyway if you know what you're doing.  In these
  fights, go all out against your opponent, using your most devastating moves.
  Make sure you've got the right partner for attacking; if you've got Goombella
  up against the Pokey Triplets, she's not going to be much help.  You'll be
  able to recharge your FP once you've finished, so don't be afraid to use it
  (unless your supply is limited or you are fighting a 7 seed or a 5 seed; I
  suggest an FP Plus badge if you have 15 or less for max FP normally).
* PARTNERLESS: Ooh, a challenge.  If you've got the right set of moves, you
  should be able to finish this quickly anyway--two or three Quake Hammers and
  you'll be done.

Take damage at least N times
* Against weak foes (attack of 1 or less), don't guard; against foes that have
  attack of 2, guard but don't use the Damage Dodge badges; against foes that
  have attack of 3 or more, go ahead and use the Damage Dodge badges; against
  foes that have attack of 4 or more, you can even use the Defend tactic.
  (With Koops, add 1 to each of the above.)  Do NOT attempt to Superguard
  unless Mario and his partner have already taken damage N times.  Depending on
  the opponent, you may have to hold back from KOing your foe(s) for anywhere
  from 1 to N turns.  In any case, try to reduce the actual amount of damage
  you take from each attack while still taking a small amount.  Also, don't use
  a move that'll keep your foes from attacking; it just draws the fight out.
* PARTNERLESS: Meep!  This is a rough one.  If you get this restriction, bulk
  up on damage reduction, but don't overdo it.  You have to let yourself get
  hit AND TAKE DAMAGE the right number of times.  Too little defense and you'll
  likely die; too much and you may fail the restriction by default.  Don't
  finish off your foes before they've attacked you the required number of
  times.  Oh, and don't Clock Out before then either.

Use at least one Special Move
* You'll get this one in the title fight against Rawk Hawk, though it really
  doesn't matter as much by that point, since you'll get the champ's belt no
  matter what, and any new fights will be against Rawk Hawk anyway, if it's the
  second time through.  If you get this restriction, you can do one of three
  things: use Sweet Treat to heal up, Earth Tremor to inflict major damage to
  all ground foes, or Clock Out to freeze your foes.  If you get this one with
  the Koopinator (and some other tough single foes), I suggest Clock Out to
  keep him from attacking (though with the Koopinator, you may want to knock
  him over first with a POW block or Quake Hammer).  Against Rawk Hawk, you may
  be better off with Sweet Treat sometime in the middle.
* PARTNERLESS: If you're good with Earth Tremor, you may want to use it.
  Otherwise, use Clock Out at the beginning.  Then, finish the two with your
  best moves.


============================
5. The Opponents/Walkthrough
============================

Each opponent in the Glitz Pit has its own challenge, and its own weakness.  As
you move up in the rankings, the opponents get harder and harder.

This list of strategies and tactics assumes that this is the first time you go
through the ranks, in Chapter 3.  We'll start this guide with your arrival in
the floating city of Glitzville...


Once you get off the blimp, you'll be in Glitzville Square.  Wander around a
bit (try the phone booth a few times for a couple laughs).  If you want, Spin
Jump (ground pound) the giant blue switch to allow access to the juice bar's 
roof.  There are a few items up here that'll help you out, so grab them.  
You'll be coming up here later, so you might as well hit that switch now.

Outside you'll see a Shine Sprite, but you won't be able to jump high enough to
grab it.  To fix that, step back and swing your hammer at the shadow of the
Shine Sprite box.  You'll get one coin and reveal a block.  Now you can reach
the Shine Sprite.  Shine Get!

Once you're done "outside", step into the Glitz Pit.  You'll be in a massive
lobby.  You won't be allowed backstage, so go through one of the two sets of
double doors.  You'll see a battle between the two top-ranked fighters.  The
champion is Rawk Hawk (the golden chicken); the challenger is the Koopinator
(the heavily armored Koopa).  Rawk Hawk takes the Koopinator down in one move,
then after a bit of boasting, he holds up his champ's belt--which has a Crystal
Star set in the middle of it!

When your partner sees this, (s)he asks whether or not you should steal it.
Choose either one here (steal it/fight our way to the top); either way, you'll
be fighting your way to the top for it.

You'll now be allowed backstage.  On your way back, look for a crate with the
top open; jump into it for a Last Stand badge.  Jump back out, and try several
doors until you find the manager's office.  You'll be introduced to the 
manager, Grubba (he's got the real Southern charm going, doesn't he? ;-)), and
if you say you want to live the life of a fighter (darn skippy, you do!), he'll
let you fight.  He'll show you the champ's room, and the major league locker
room as well.  Too bad you won't be going to either of these places right away.

To fight, you must sign a contract, and he'll change your fighting name from 
Mario to... the Great Gonzales!

He then calls in his assistant, Jolene, who escorts you to a dark, dingy minor-
league locker room.  She talks you through the terms of the contract.  It's not
enough to win battles in the Glitz Pit; you also have to follow the terms of 
battle (provided by Grubba) if you want to work your way to the top.  Whether
you win a fight or not determines whether or not you advance, drop, or stay in
the same position, but your obedience or disobedience of Grubba's terms of
battle will determine whether you face the seed above you or the seed below
you afterward.

In any case, you'll be instructed in the use of the GBA-style computer on the
wall to schedule battles.  Your first fight will be against the Goomba 
Brothers, and you'll be given your first "terms of battle"; you'll have to
appeal to the audience once.  Once the battle is scheduled, one of the guards
will escort you to the ring.  Grubba will introduce the fighters.  He'll then
try to explain the rules of the ring to you, but the Goomba Brothers try to 
land a cheap hit before the bell, and the battle begins....


---------------------------------------
19th Seed: The Goomba Brothers

Goomba x5:
2 HP each
1 Attack each
0 Defense each

The first time in the Glitz Pit, in this fight, you will have to appeal once to
the audience.  My suggestion is to have Mario equip the Quake Hammer or 
Multibounce badge.  (I prefer Quake Hammer because I find it slightly easier to
execute.)  Partner doesn't matter, so choose the one with your favorite appeal.

The first time in the Glitz Pit, when the fight starts, one of the Goomba Bros.
will try to hit you with a first strike (block it, and you take no damage--not 
that it matters much anyway).  

Now that you're in control, move your partner to the front, and have him/her 
appeal to the audience.  This done, have Mario unleash the Quake Hammer on his 
foes (don't forget the Action Command).  Fight over!  (Remember, you can 
recharge HP and FP at the locker room's bed when you're done.)

If this is your second (or later) time against these brothers, you can easily
take them all out with any AoE attack such as POW Block, Fire Flower, etc.
Just make sure that you follow the conditions given to you!

[The Goomba Brothers--squished!]
---------------------------------------


At this point, the fighters are a bit scrambled.  They don't quite appear in
the same order each time, though some do consistently appear higher than 
others.  For example, the KP Koopas are consistently a low seed, while the 
Hand-It-Overs are almost always near the top of the minor leagues.  Seeds 18
through 11 are scrambled, and you may not even get the same ordering when you
go to fight the second time.

Note: The first time through the ranks, a couple of groups--the aforementioned
Hand-It-Overs and KP Koopas--disappear from the roster for story reasons, and a
couple other groups come in to replace them.  It may be possible to lose a 
bunch of battles (openly disobeying Grubba in the process) in order to fight
the newcomers, but I've not tried that yet (though Wave Snake says it is indeed
possible to do so).  It is NOT possible to fight the new fighter groups the
second time through.

Here is one possible arrangement of the fighters.  If the ordering is different
when you fight, simply search for your next opponent.  Here's a possible seed 
list after you defeat the Goomba Bros.:


Champ: Rawk Hawk (always the champ)
1. The Koopinator
2. Chomp Country
3. Hamma, Bamma, and Flare
4. Craw-Daddy
5. The Fuzz
6. The Magikoopa Masters
7. The Shellshockers
8. The Poker Faces
9. The Tiny Spinies
10. The Armored Harriers (always the 10th seed)
11. The Bob-omb Squad
12. The Punk Rocks
13. The Mind-Bogglers
14. The Hand-It-Overs
15. Spike Storm
16. The Dead Bones
17. The Pokey Triplets
18. The KP Koopas
19. The Great Gonzales (that's you!)
20. The Goomba Bros. (always the low seed)


The list above is what I'll use for the order of the bouts; reference it if you
want to know where each opponent is in my guide.  In the meantime, let's go on,
shall we?

After your first fight, you'll befriend one of the other fighters in the locker
room--a yellow Koopa who calls himself King K.  He's a friendly guy, and 
introduces you to a Bandit (Bandy Andy of the Hand-It-Overs), a helfpul Bob-omb
with a rather odd speech impediment (Master Crash of the Bob-omb Squad), and a 
rather aloof Hyper Bald Cleft (Cleftor of the Punk Rocks).

After you register to fight the KP Koopas (as happens here), King K. will come
up and tell you that the two of you will soon be fighting each other, and
wishes you good luck.


---------------------------------------
18th Seed: KP Koopas

KP Koopa x2:
4 HP each
2 Attack each
1 Defense each

KP Paratroopa:
4 HP
2 Attack
1 Defense

You probably want Goombella for this match.  If Mario hasn't been barred from
using his jump or from attacking, you'll probably want to give him the
Multibounce and Jumpman badges.  If Mario can't jump, give him Hammerman and 
Quake Hammer, and have Goombella bring down the Paratroopa.  If Mario can't 
attack at all...well, do the best you can with Goombella or Flurrie (Koops 
can't attack the Paratroopa himself; he'd need an item to do that).

Assuming Mario *can* attack...if you care about your Tattle Log, start by 
putting Goombella in front, and have her Tattle the Paratroopa.  Once she's 
done this, have Mario do a Multibounce on all three of the Koopas.  The front
two Koopas will be flat on their backs, while the third one is knocked to the
ground.  (If you can't jump, use the Quake Hammer to knock over the front two
Koopas and deal 2+ damage to both.)  Guard the remaining Koopa's attack, or
Superguard if you can.

Now have Goombella Tattle one of the front two Koopas.  Now that all the 
fighters are identified (I do not believe you can Tattle the KP Koopa or KP
Paratroopa anywhere else), finish them off.  If you have the Jumpman badge
active, then you should be able to Multibounce all three of the Koopas to 
finish them off in this second turn.  

[Hm.  Maybe they should be called the KO'ed Koopas....]
---------------------------------------


After the fight, King K. will congratulate you for beating him, but warn you 
not to get too cocky--it could always go against you next time.


---------------------------------------
17th Seed: Pokey Triplets

Pokey x3:
4 HP each
3 Attack each
0 Defense each

OK, you have two or three ways to defeat the Pokeys quickly.  You can use Quake
Hammer plus Koops's Power Shell (even without badges and upgrades, it's an 
effective combo), or you can use Earth Tremor.  I don't recommend Earth Tremor 
as much as the previous combo, because it uses valuable Star Power that you 
can't recharge by sleeping in the locker room, and you may need the Star Power 
for Sweet Treat or similar later.

If your partner is barred from attacking, I recommend keeping Koops in front of
Mario while Mario uses Quake Hammer.  Two smashes should take care of the first
set, but more Pokeys might come.  A single Power Smash will take down a Pokey
in one hit, so keep that move in mind.  It's also possible to scale up your
Quake Hammer by using a Hammerman badge plus a Power Plus, and take them down
all at once.

If Mario can't attack, or can't use his hammer, have Koops do the job.  It's 
possible, if you found the Power Plus P badge earlier, and have Koops leveled 
up, for Koops to take out all three of the Pokeys at once with Power Shell.

[The Pokey Triplets just got tripped up....]
---------------------------------------


After Jolene gives you your prize money, King K speaks to you again, giving you
a bit of encouragement.  Soon, though, the door opens again, and Jolene roughly
escorts Bandy Andy into the room.  Apparently Andy's been following Jolene
around, and has been sticking his mask in where he really shouldn't.  After
Jolene leaves, Andy talks briefly with King K before exiting the room again.
Does he ever learn?  (Well, he IS a Bandit, after all....)

If you search the Glitz Pit halls now, you can find Bandy Andy standing around 
in one place or another.  If you talk to him, you can hear seven rumors about
the place.  All of them have some grain of truth in them, and at least one of
them that he's investigating now gets him into more serious trouble later....


---------------------------------------
16th Seed: Dead Bones

Dull Bones x3:
1 HP each
2 Attack each
1 Defense each

You've fought these guys before, in Hooktail's Castle.  If you're not 
restricted from attacking (and don't have to take damage a certain number of
times), you can finish this fight quickly with Multibounce, Quake Hammer,
Koops's Power Shell, or even a POW block if you can't use FP.  You could use
Earth Tremor, but it's a waste of Star Power at this early stage, and it's one
stat you can't recharge by resting in the locker room.

If you're not allowed to attack for the first three turns, get Koops in front,
and make sure you've put on your Damage Dodge badges.  You should easily be 
able to hold out long enough to take them out on turn four.

[The Dead Bones were stopped dead in their tracks....]
---------------------------------------


More props from King K, then you hear a set of voices outside the locker room--
apparently one of the fighters got so badly worked over that he had to be taken
to the hospital.  Hey, it's a rough sport, what do you expect?  (I wonder how
many of Mario's opponents had to go to the hospital....)


---------------------------------------
15th Seed: Spike Storm

Spiny x2:
3 HP each
3 Attack each
3 Defense each

Lakitu:
5 HP
2 Attack
0 Defense

OK, these guys can be hard if you have no clue what you're doing.  First of
all, you should break out the Quake Hammer (or a POW Block or Earth Quake item,
if you can't use the Quake Hammer for whatever reason) as that's the best way 
to hurt the two Spinies.  Have Goombella Multibonk the Lakitu out of the 
picture early, or use a regular Headbonk if you have a Power Plus P badge and
an upgraded Goombella.

If the Quake Hammer didn't KO the Spinies instantly, or you were forced to use
a POW Block, the Spinies should now be flipped over and vulnerable to your
normal attacks.

If you are asked to perform a Special Move by Grubba or Jolene, your best bet
is Earth Tremor.  If you successfully complete the first four bars (a
"Wonderful" outcome), you will deal 5 damage to all your foes (even the Lakitu)
and thus be done with the fight.

[Mario rained on Spike Storm's parade....]
---------------------------------------


King K will tell you about a new hot dog at Mr. Hoggle's stand that includes 
some exotic egg from a southern island.  As disgusting as it sounds, you'll 
want to check this out.

NOTE: If you're trying to get a specific result from this egg (explained 
below), then you might want to wait until just after your 11th-seed fight.  In
that case, skip the next six paragraphs until you finish your 11th-seed fight.

If this is your first time back in the lobby after starting out in the Glitz 
Pit as a fighter, you'll see a mob of fans surrounding the champion, Rawk Hawk.
If you're feeling rather mean (and considering Rawk Hawk's personality, I
wouldn't blame you ;-)) you can clear out the fans with your hammer (or blow 
them away with Flurrie), then talk to Rawk Hawk.  He'll be rather miffed at you
for stealing his spotlight.

When you get outside, you'll see that there's a bit of trouble at the hot dog
stand.  The egg that Mr. Hoggle was going to use in his new hot dog is...
bouncing around?  Chase it around a bit; it'll eventually bounce up to the top
of Mr. Hoggle's stand.  (If it seems to be taking an unnecessarily long time 
for the egg to get up to the top of the stand, try to memorize the pattern, and
stand in one spot where the egg regularly lands.  That should trigger it.)  You
start to hear snoring come from the egg--what's in it?

Mr. Hoggle, needless to say, is frustrated.  How is he supposed to get the egg
now--FLY up there?  Actually, it's possible for you to do just that....

If you haven't already, go to the southeast part of town, and Spin Jump (ground
pound) the big blue switch there.  A staircase will unfold and give you access
to the top of the juice shop.  Go up there, grabbing any items you find up
there.  Then, jump on the spring to find an airplane panel.  I hope you've got
your gliding technique down, because this one requires going a good distance
while not dropping too far.  If you've done it right, the airplane should
either land on top of the stand, or pass over it (hit B to drop to the roof of
the stand).

Approach the egg, and a cutscene will begin.  Your partner will want to save
the egg, and asks you what you think.  Choose either; the outcome won't change,
and the egg will be saved no matter what.  Then the egg will hop a couple
times--it wants to follow you now, and your partner asks whether or not to let
it.  Again, what you say makes no difference, it's coming with no matter what.
(Although, you gotta admit, a bouncing egg that's following you *is* rather
disturbing....)

For the next few fights, whenever you begin a fight, the egg will bounce onto
the cushioned seat, while you and your partner leave.  The egg rejoins you
after you receive your fight money from Jolene each time.


---------------------------------------
14th Seed: Hand-It-Overs

Bandit x2:
5 HP each
2 Attack each
0 Defense each

Big Bandit x2:
8 HP
3 Attack
0 Defense

If you're worried about Bandy Andy and his fellow Bandits stealing your stuff, 
make sure to guard as best you can against their attacks.  (If your guarding 
isn't great, or you want to be *absolutely* sure, a Zap Tap badge or a Volt 
Shroom is a very good idea.)

If you can, try to take out the Big Bandits first.  They deal out more
punishment, and can steal some of your items, including powerful attack items 
or useful healing items.  Goombella's Multibonk or Mario's Power Bounce are
good ways to do this, especially if Mario is a Jumpman.  Another possible
strategy is to perform attacks against all the enemies at once, whittling down
the numbers to manageable levels.  This move almost always leaves the Big 
Bandits alive after the first round, so be careful with this.

A good item/move combo is Thunder Rage/Earth Quake + Power Shell.  I suggest
Earth Quake since you can buy them at the nearby shop, while Thunder Rage is of
limited supply until after Chapter 4.

If you are asked to perform a Special Move by Grubba or Jolene, your best bet
is Earth Tremor.  If you successfully complete the first four bars (a
"Wonderful" outcome), you will deal 5 damage to all your foes, KOing the two
Bandits in red, and leaving the two Big Bandits quite vulnerable, especially to
Yoshi's Gulp (if you have Yoshi, that is; I've faced these guys right after 
losing to the Armored Harriers once), or Koops's Power Shell.

[The Hand-It-Overs didn't like what Mario handed them--a whupppin'!]
---------------------------------------


King K. says something about a girl in the juice bar.  It's not really that
important--go if you wish (unless you're looking to get a specific result from
the Yoshi Egg); otherwise, just sign up for the next battle.


---------------------------------------
13th Seed: Mind-Bogglers

Pale Piranha:
4 HP each
2 Attack each
0 Defense each

Pider:
5 HP
2 Attack
0 Defense

Dark Puff:
3 HP
2 Attack
0 Defense

Seriously, if you've gotten to this point, you've already faced these guys a
bunch of times, though not necessarily in this configuration, and it's possible
that Grubba's conditions might make it more difficult.

You need a configuration that will allow you to take both the Pale Piranha
(which can't be jumped on) and the Dark Puff (which is hard to hammer unless it
goes to ground level or you have Hammer Throw--which you won't the first time).
I suggest Koops and a Jumpman Mario, since Koops should still be your best for 
ground attacks, and Mario has better boots than he does a hammer.  Take down 
the Dark Puff with Mario before it can charge lightning (if you aren't barred 
from attacking).  Next, the Piranha; it's the most dangerous of the remainder.
The Pider's projectiles should be easy to guard, so save that one for last.

If you can't jump, have the roles switched--put Mario in Hammerman mode, and
have Goombella or Flurrie (I prefer Goombella) as your jumper.

If Mario's partner can't attack at all, unequip any Jumpman or Hammerman badges
you have, and make sure you have the Power Smash and Power Jump badges at the
very least.  Same order as before.

If Mario can't attack at all, your best chance is with an upgraded Flurrie,
since (I think) her Lip Lock won't get rebuffed.  (If I'm wrong, please let me
know.)  Otherwise, break out the Thunder Bolt for the Piranha, and Body Slam or
Headbonk the other two (though not necessarily in that order--again, I say go
for the Dark Puff first, then zap Petey--er, the Piranha).

[Mario left the Mind-Bogglers scratching their heads....]
---------------------------------------


King K. now says he's thinking of retiring soon--probably after the next fight.
Say goodbye to him now, because this is the last time you'll see him...for a
while, anyway.


---------------------------------------
12th Seed: Punk Rocks

Hyper Bald Cleft x3
3 HP
2 Attack
2 Defense

Piercing Blow, Power Smash...doesn't really matter, since they'll have the same
effect on these guys.  But really, there's a better way to beat Cleftor and his
buddies.

A Quake Hammer will do the trick very nicely, especially with Hammerman.  You
see, while direct attacks against each rock will only do 2 damage, a Quake
Hammer with power boosted will do 3 damage to all three enemies at once!  That
is an instant KO for this fight!

If you can't use your hammer or Flower Points, use an item.  Earth Quake should
do the trick for you very nicely--it's plenty enough to KO them.  If you are 
asked to do a Special Move, use Earth Tremor.  You only need get a "Good" one 
to win it here.

Oh, and if you want a complete Tattle Log, make sure to get this one.

[Who rocks now, Punks?]
---------------------------------------


When you get back, King K. is gone--retired, just like he said.  No one really
makes a comment about it (though you can see the KP Koopas are gone from the
seed list), so let's just get to our next fight.


---------------------------------------
11th Seed: Bob-omb Squad

Bob-omb x4
4 HP
2 Attack
1 Defense

You better be careful in this fight, or Master Crash and his buddies will blow
you away.  No, not like Flurrie, you silly...I meant like bombs.  Yeah.  Bombs.

Probably your best bet to a quick win is the old Power Shell + Quake Hammer
combo--if either Koops or Mario's hammer is upgraded even once, it'll be enough
to take down these blustery Bob-ombs.  If you're denied the use of Mario, your
partner, your hammer, or Flower Points, time to break out the Earth Quake item.
And of course, if you're asked to do a Special Move, use Earth Tremor.

Word of warning: If you damage a Bob-omb, its fuse lights up.  A bad sign, 
because it means that it'll run at you and explode if you don't take it down 
first.  Also, if you jump on it to kill it while the fuse is lit, it'll explode
in your face, damaging you.  Therefore, your best strategy is either to take 
them all down at once, or to take them out one at a time.  What’s more, you’ll 
want to finish them with a hammer, Koops’s shell attack, an item, or Earth 
Tremor.

[Gonzales is da BOMB!]
---------------------------------------


Looks like Master Crash and Cleftor have finally noticed King K. is gone.
Master Crash is visibly upset.  Cleftor voices contempt for King K. because he
was "weak".  Crash says that Cleftor is just in denial.

As this is being said, Jolene comes in, escorting a new fighter--Sir Swoop, a
Swooper (which is a bat-like creature).  We hear the whole spiel that we got at
the beginning--how to use the terminal, to obey Grubba's orders--what's this?
He's supposed to do a move where he does a triple flip and meow?  Well.
Anyway, he's on his way to the ring where he'll fight the Goomba Bros.

If you check the list now, you'll see that Sir Swoop's group is called the
Wings of Night.  I suppose if you lost a bunch of fights while disobeying
Grubba's orders, you'd be allowed to fight them, but I've not tried that yet.
[blaiken used peck says that it's possible to do this if you want to fight
them.  Thanks, blaiken!]  

If you've not gotten the egg from the hot dog stand yet, do so NOW.  See the
section after the 15th seed on how to do that.

When you reserve your next match, you'll find you're moving up in the world--to
face the lowest-ranked major leaguers!  But as easy as it was in the minors, 
the majors are not going to be friendly....


---------------------------------------
10th Seed: Armored Harriers

Iron Cleft x2:
6 HP each
4 Attack each
? Defense each

In this fight, you get the "miniboss" battle music.  Unlike most battles where
you get this music, however, it *is* possible to flee the fight--and the first
time you face them, you'll want to if you don't want to get KO'ed.

I don't believe it's possible to get a "don't let your partner attack" or 
"don't use Flower Points" as your restriction in this fight, since there is no
way to beat these two Iron Clefts without using both.  The first time you face
them, Mario has no way of beating them, and neither do any of his partners--
even attacks that are normally piercing have no effect!  Perform the
restriction you've been given, then get the heck out.

RESTRICTION NOTES:

- If you're told to appeal at least three times, try Clock Out first.  It may
  freeze the Iron Clefts, giving you the time to perform the appeals.  If Clock
  Out fails, don't bother trying again; just keep appealing--then run.
- If you're told to use a special move, try Clock Out.  That way, if you trip
  while trying to flee, you may have a few extra tries before you get attacked.
- "Take damage N times" is the worst restriction you can get here.  Load up on
  defense and HP, especially on Mario; if you get hit too hard, too many times,
  you could die.  While this won't mean a Game Over, it will be bad for your
  ego, and may even "fail" the requirement if you got killed too quickly.
  After you've taken enough lumps, run.
- In all other cases, just run away immediately--you should meet the
  requirements if that's all you do.
- If you haven't noticed, in ALL cases, YOU WILL END THE FIGHT BY RUNNING.
  There is no shame in retreating from an unwinnable battle--and right now,
  that's just what this battle is: unwinnable.

(Have Goombella Tattle BOTH of the Iron Clefts if you want a complete Tattle 
Log, since one has green feet and the other has red.)

Random thought: Since iron is such a great conductor of electricity, why don't
Thunder Bolt and Thunder Rage work on them?

[Bravely brave Gonzales ran away...When danger reared its ugly head, he bravely
turned his tail and fled....]
---------------------------------------


You'd better have rescued the egg like I said earlier; if you haven't, the next
few paragraphs won't make any sense, and after rescuing the egg, I think you'll
have to fight the Iron Clefts again, still without any help....

When you get back to the locker room after your defeat, you'll notice the egg
that had been following you around is gone.  After a few seconds, though, you
hear an unfamiliar voice.  It's a Yoshi, and it turns out he was inside the
egg you rescued!

---
NOTE: The Yoshi's color is time-based, with the timer starting when it joins
you.  The colors will cycle through about every 20 minutes as follows: Green, 
red, blue, orange, pink, black, sky blue ("white"), and green again.

Thanks to Ake for giving me the following intervals:
Rescue + 0 minutes = Green 
Green  + 6 minutes = Red 
Red    + 3 minutes = Blue
Blue   + 2 minutes = Orange 
Orange + 4 minutes = Pink
Pink   + 3 minutes = Black
Black  + 1 minute  = White
White  + 1 minute  = Green

If you are trying for a specific color but get the wrong one, your timing is 
off; you'll want to try again from your last save.  Keep in mind that if you 
get a green one, waiting 6 minutes *might* land you a red, blue, or orange one 
depending on where you are time-wise with the green one.  Also, the above times
are approximate; the black one is actually available for *less* than a minute.
---

Out of gratitude, he offers to join your party, and mentions that he will
"swallow your enemies whole" or some such.  This is the move you need to beat 
the Iron Clefts--Gulp, which requires 4 FP.  Oh, and you get to name him 
whatever you want.  In four separate games, my Yoshis' names are "Mars" (after
my handle), "Yoshi" (hey, why not?), "Kirby" (after that *other* Nintendo
character with a big appetite), and "Sonic" (he's blue, and makes you go faster
in the field).  But you can use whichever name(s) you want.

Before you try again, a good idea would be to search for more Shine Sprites.
You should have powered up all your partners before you left Rogueport, and 
gotten one more here in Glitzville.  Go back to Rogueport; there are a couple 
more you can get now that you have Yoshi.  You should now have enough to power
up Yoshi; he now has more HP and a new move, Mini Egg.  If you didn't power up
all your partners yet, do so now--searching for missing Shine Sprites if
necessary.

Now, recharge before you re-enter the ring (and hope you don't have to fight 
the current #12 seed because you didn't follow Grubba's instructions).


---------------------------------------
10th Seed: Armored Harriers

Iron Cleft x2:
6 HP each
4 Attack each
? Defense each

Like I said before, I don't believe it's possible to get a "don't let your 
partner attack" or "don't use Flower Points" as your restriction in this fight,
since there is no way to beat these two Iron Clefts without using both.

Once you're facing the Armored Harriers again, have Yoshi Gulp the leader
twice.  If you didn't upgrade Yoshi yet, keep Mario in front if you want to be
*absolutely* sure that Yoshi doesn't die too soon (though that's unlikely).
Two Gulps will deal the damage needed to dispatch the Iron Clefts.

Just be careful about that restriction!  Make sure you meet it before you Gulp
these fighters this second time.

[The Armored Harriers got disarm-ored!]
---------------------------------------


Welcome to the majors!  Jolene will give you your prize money, then escort you
to Grubba's office.  Grubba gives you an additional 30 coins (cool beans!).

Jolene then escorts you to the major league locker room.  The fighters here are
not so quick to befriend you.  Soon Rawk Hawk will walk in to brag, and he 
quickly fixates on you, because he's heard about some mustachioed rookie named 
Gonzales (that's you) who's been tearing up the minor leagues.  

Mario seems to notice something, and speaks to Yoshi (I'm pretty sure that you 
can't have switched your partners between the Armored Harriers victory and 
now), and Yoshi confirms that the Crystal Star on Rawk Hawk's belt is a fake.
Rawk Hawk misunderstands, and thinks that Mario's calling his BELT a fake, and
he stamps off in a huff.  Yoshi wonders--the map definitely pointed to 
Glitzville, so if the Star on the belt is a fake, then where's the real one?

Just as Yoshi says this, an e-mail comes in.  For some reason, the ringtone 
isn't the same as the usual kind for e-mails from anyone other than Peach.  Who
could it be?  Mario checks; the person who sent the message uses the name "X".
The strangely capitalized message says, briefly, that Mario should obey X's 
instructions if he wants to find the Crystal Star.

[I previously had a long side note here, but removed it because it was 
basically overanalytical rambling, and I didn't want to bore you (the reader)
out of your skull. ;-)]

Anyhow, X doesn't give any instructions to you at the moment, so go ahead and
schedule your next fight.


---------------------------------------
9th Seed: Tiny Spinies

Red Spike Top x2:
5 HP each
3 Attack each
5 Defense each

Have Yoshi use Gulp on the two; if he's upgraded with Shine Sprites, that'll 
finish them instantly.  If not, have Mario Quake Hammer them (or use a POW 
Block or similar item) to finish them off.

If your partner can't attack, have Mario break out the Quake Hammer, or have
him use Earth Quake or Earth Tremor.

And have Goombella Tattle these two, if you want a complete Tattle Log.

[Gonzales had the spine to stand up to the Tinies....]
---------------------------------------


Nothing new here.  Go ahead and introduce yourselves to the other fighters in
the major-league locker room--there's a blue Koopa (Shellshock of the
Shellshockers), a Hammer Bro. (Hamma Jamma of Hamma, Bamma, and Flare), one of
the Red Spike Tops you faced earlier (Spiky Joe of the Tiny Spinies), and a
Dark Koopatrol (the Koopinator).  Nothing else really to do, so rest up and 
sign up for the next bout....


---------------------------------------
8th Seed: Poker Faces

Bristle x2:
2 HP each
1 Attack each
4 Defense each

Deja vu anyone?  Yes, it's those darned Bristles again!  Didn't we face them
in Chapter 1?  Why, yes we did.  And how did we take them out?  Yep, that's
right.  The old POW block.

Of course, if you're reluctant to use items (or aren't allowed), you can use
your Quake Hammer to make a quick end of them.  Earth Tremor also works.
Notice how the same strategies are used over and over here?  Yep.

[Those Bristles looked a little pokey today...Gonzales was all over them.]
---------------------------------------


After this match, we get an email from X.  The message says to go down to the
'watering hole'.  If you don't understand what was meant by that (don't worry;
I needed some help myself), X means the juice bar in the east part of the
square.  Talking to the Beanbean barkeep, we hear that someone left a present 
for us.  The present?  Nothing other than the Super Hammer!

Toadette will give a demonstration of one of the Super Hammer's abilities.
Practice it well; you'll need it shortly.  Besides that, the Hammer will give
you a much needed boost for a Hammerman strategy--double the power of the
original Hammer!  Strangely, while Power Smash is improved, Quake Hammer isn't.
Guess that floor can only transmit so much of a shock wave, hm?  Still, Quake
Hammer isn't a bad move to have in mind if you prefer a Hammerman strategy; the
damage it does is piercing, and can knock some enemies on their backs.

After you get the hammer, you get another message from X--you have to smash
down the blockade in the minor-league locker room.  The security guard will let
you into your old haunts (this time).  To the left you'll see a giant yellow
block.  You've probably seen it before, actually, but until now you've not been
able to do anything about it.  So, use that new move you just learned from
Toadette, wind up, and smash that barrier down!

You'll find yourself in a hidden room with a computer.  On top of a shelf on
one side, you'll see a piece of paper.  Jump up to the shelf on your side, then
use Yoshi to get over to the shelf with the paper.  Grab the document (a 
Dubious Paper), and you'll read it--it looks like some sort of research paper 
concerning the Crystal Stars!  As you try to leave with it, however, Jolene 
stops you, reminding you of the rules--no major-leaguers in the minor-league 
locker room--and also chastising you for breaking down the wall.  She then 
confiscates the paper you just retrieved!  Well, looks like we're back to 
square one at the moment.

If you're feeling adventurous, go ahead and schedule a fight from the locker
room you're in.  But I recommend you at least rest first....

NOTE: You will want to conserve FP while fighting the seventh seed!


---------------------------------------
7th Seed: Shellshockers

Shady Koopa x2:
8 HP each
3 Attack each
1 Defense each

Shady Paratroopa:
8 HP
3 Attack
1 Defense

OK, these guys require a different strategy from most of the Koopas you've been
fighting.  If you knock these guys on their backs, they'll do a more powerful
shell attack than they would if they were upright!  Their HP is too high to try
to get them all at once unless you do a near-perfect Earth Tremor + Power 
Shell, but that's a very expensive way to do it, since Star Power isn't a very 
renewable resource right now, and if you mess up with Earth Tremor, you're
going to take a lot of damage.

A safer strategy here is to go for one at a time.  I recommend Yoshi or 
Goombella, though Flurrie also works.  Have your partner go first and knock 
over the front Koopa, then have Mario use Power Smash on that one.  Lather, 
rinse, and repeat for each Koopa.  Three turns, if you have to wrap it up 
quickly, and you'll avoid the high-damage attacks that Shellshock and his boys 
are capable of.

You'll also want to conserve at least 8 FP if this is indeed your 7th-seed
fight, because of what comes next....

[The Shellshockers were struck down by Gonzales!]
---------------------------------------


After the 7th-seed fight, the Iron Adonis Twins (aka the Armored Harriers, aka
the Iron Clefts) barge into the ring, and challenge you to another fight!  The
game won't let you turn this one down....


---------------------------------------
Unsanctioned: Armored Harriers

Iron Cleft x2:
6 HP each
4 Attack each
? Defense each

If you don't have Yoshi in, have Mario swap him in.  As before, Gulp twice and
it's over.  Since this isn't a sanctioned fight, you aren't bound by Grubba's
restriction from the last fight.  So don't worry if you're forced to break the
rules he set for that last fight--the rules went out the window once the
Armored Harriers barged in like that.

[The Adonis Twins got ironed flat by Gonzales's Yoshi!]
---------------------------------------


When you're finally done with that one, you get your fight money from Jolene.  
After she leaves, you get a threatening e-mail saying not to stick your nose 
where it doesn't belong.  This probably isn't X; the capitalization is perfect 
in this one, and X asked you to stick your nose in the business in the first 
place!  X certainly is acting suspiciously, but whoever X is, that person might
be in the right after all.


---------------------------------------
6th Seed: Magikoopa Masters

Red Magikoopa:
7 HP
4 Attack
0 Defense

White Magikoopa:
7 HP
4 Attack
0 Defense

Green Magikoopa:
7 HP
4 Attack
0 Defense

Probably better get into Jumpman mode for this one if you can; it'll make this
easier on you.  If you don't care about the Tattle Log, or want to wait until
later, then the fast way to take them down is to have Mario Power Jump one of
the Magikoopas, preferably the white one since it can heal the other Magikoopas
(if you have the Jumpman badge active, you should have just enough attack power
to take it out immediately).  Have Goombella or Flurrie hit the green one to 
knock it to the floor.  (Better yet, Multibonk it to finish it early.)  Dodge 
the actions of the other two as best you can, then Power Jump the red one, and 
then have the partner hit the green one to finish up.

If you want to complete your Tattle Log, have Goombella Tattle the first one
you can/want to hit.  Then hit it with your best attack to get it out of the
way (or Sleepy Stomp it if you can't kill it in one attack).  Repeat for the 
next one.  When you get to the last one, I hope it's not the green one on the 
broom, because that will be difficult to figure out (unless you use a Thunder 
Rage or similar item).  If it's not the green one (or if it *is* the green one,
but not on the broom), switch your partner to Koops after Tattling the last 
one.  Then, use Power Shell to eliminate all the illusions at once, and use 
Mario to finish the real Magikoopa off.

[Gonzales has the magic working tonight!]
---------------------------------------


After you finish this fight, the Koopinator points out a cake that a fan sent
you.  How nice.  You can eat it if you like (it's not dangerous; it'll heal 
your HP and FP without you having to sleep--and your Star Power too, according 
to Wave Snake, which is even better!).  If you leave the room without eating 
it, Shellshock will eat it instead.  Greedy turtle--er, pig.

NOTE: You will again want to conserve FP while fighting the fifth seed!


---------------------------------------
5th Seed: The Fuzz

Fuzzy:
3 HP
2 Attack
0 Defense

Flower Fuzzy:
6 HP
3 Attack
0 Defense

Green Fuzzy:
5 HP
3 Attack
0 Defense

Zap Tap, if you have it, is a VERY good idea against these guys.  If you have
Mario wear this badge, and put him in front, the Fuzzies won't be able to hurt
you (except in the rare case where they go for the partner)!  Unless, of
course, Grubba *wants* you to get hurt...in that case, go for the Flower Fuzzy
first, since it extracts FP instead of HP.

If you don't have to be hurt 5 or so times, the Zap Tap strategy works well
above.  Even if you aren't allowed to attack, defense isn't really needed,
because the Fuzzies tend to go for the front guy, especially if it's Mario, and
don't pay attention to status effects like electrification.  The Green Fuzzy is
the biggest threat because it can multiply, so take it down first.  After that,
go for the Flower Fuzzy, because it can deal devastating attacks if it extracts
FP.  Save the plain vanilla black one for last.  And, if this is your 5th seed
fight, save a few FP if you can for afterward, because...

[Fuzz busted!]
---------------------------------------


...we've just been interrupted again!  This time, it's that giant turtle demon
Bowser!  *Sigh*...a plumber's work is never done.


---------------------------------------
Unsanctioned: Bowser

Bowser:
HP 30
Att 3
Def 1

Here's another fight where you don't have to follow any restrictions given by
Grubba.  Really, this guy isn't too tough.  You might want to switch in Flurrie
for this one and put her in front.  Seeing Bowser getting kissed by a giant 
puff just might make your day, and it'll make the fight a bit easier for you 
too.

The two attacks Bowser has are the customary fire breath and a poisonous bite.
The bite can only affect the one in front, so having someone who can heal
herself without the help of an item is a nice thing to have--and Flurrie is
that character, thanks to Lip Lock.  Mario should meanwhile assault Bowser with
hammer attacks, powerful ones if possible.  Keep up your assault, and you 
should finish Bowser off in no time.

[Bow, Bowser, to Mario's superior fighting skills!]
---------------------------------------


After that unscheduled doubleheader, you'd probably better rest up for your
next fight.


---------------------------------------
4th Seed: Craw-Daddy

Dark Craw:
20 HP
6 Attack
0 Defense

You might feel a bit of deja vu at first...back to earlier in the game, when
you fought Gus (if you didn't pay him off).  This fight is harder, however; 
this Craw has the same HP, but twice the attack power!

To minimize the damage you take, you'll want to get rid of Craw-Daddy quickly.
Since that spear is almost always pointing up, you'll want Koops to be with you
(or Flurrie, if you don't mind using a bit more Flower Power with Lip Lock).
As for Mario, have him hammer away with his most punishing blows (or use 
damaging items like Thunder Bolt if he can't use that hammer for whatever 
reason).  

[Mario sent Craw-Daddy crying to his Craw-Mommy!]
---------------------------------------


Mail call!  Now X has us going to the telephone booth in the pavilion.  As you
leave your locker room, Rawk Hawk tries to intimidate you.  Your partner gets
the idea that he might have sent the threatening email message you got earlier.

Anyhow, leave the Glitz Pit, and go to the southwest part of town, just south 
of the souvenir shop.  Inside the phone booth you'll find a Storage Key.  You 
immediately get another email from X, this time saying to go into the storage
room.  You unlock the door with the key--hey!  It's Ms. Mowz again!  Once 
again, she's found what she came to get, and says that she hopes you don't end 
up like the poor souls upstairs.  Hm, what could she mean?

Anyhow, this next message from X says to find the staircase switch to the
second floor.  Hm, where could it be...well, there's a gap behind those boxes,
but I can't get to it by jumping.  Hm...hey, Flurrie, could you try something?

Have Flurrie blow at the boxes.  Turns out the metal over the crates was a
slipcover of some kind.  You can do the same thing with all the boxes, then 
smash the ones at the right to get a Charge P badge.  Once *all* the blocks are
busted, hit the switch to reveal the staircase.  Climb up.  You'll see a door
at the right; you can't go that way yet.  Climb a stack of crates, then use
Yoshi to fly over a barricade of more crates.  Use Yoshi again to fly over and
grab an HP Plus P Badge, then smash the giant block to reveal a hole in the 
floor.

Drop through the hole, and you'll find yourself in a crawlspace above the 
first-floor storage room.  Make your way over to the right and you'll begin to
hear voices.  There's a small hole in the crawlspace; look through it to see
into Grubba's office.

Jolene will enter the room, and Grubba will quickly close one of his desk
drawers.  Make a mental note of the one he closes.  Grubba will then start
talking with Jolene about the disappearance of King K.  Wait--disappearance?  I
thought he'd retired!

Apparently it's the fifth time this year that a fighter has gone missing.
Grubba says to keep it under wraps for now, and to just say that King K went
home for a spell or something.  Before Jolene leaves, though, Grubba mentions
that there are times when Jolene just plain disappears, and asks where she is?
Jolene sputters a moment before saying that it's really not his business.
Grubba then asks about how much she knew about the Crystal Stars.  Jolene looks
surprised for a moment before denying all knowledge of it.  Jolene then leaves.

Your partner becomes worried about the disappearing fighters, and how Jolene
seemed to know about the Crystal Stars despite her denial.  Grubba seems to
hear you up there.  Quick, make some animal sound!  (Any sound will do, even
the belch--Grubba seems to believe in burping beetles.)

After that close shave, you'd probably better get out of there.  Fall through
the nearby grate back into the main storage room, then head back for your
locker room.


---------------------------------------
3rd Seed: Hamma, Bamma, and Flare

Hammer Bro.:
7 HP
4 Attack
1 Defense

Fire Bro.:
7 HP
3 Attack
1 Defense

Boomerang Bro.:
7 HP
2 Attack
1 Defense

Despite the attack power decreasing as it goes toward the back, the danger 
*increases* as you go toward the back!  The Boomerang Bro.'s weapon hits *both*
partners *twice* (once on the way there and once on the way back), so Bamma
shouldn't be underestimated.  Flare the Fire Bro.'s attack can also cause 
burns, so he's not a laughing matter either.

If you're into Tattle Logs, better make it fast.  Tattle Bamma first, then
Flare, then Hamma Jamma, because that's the likely order you'll be defeating
them.  Have Mario jump all over the rearmost fighters, working toward the
front.  If you're limited to hammers, then use Quake Hammer to take these guys
down with Mario.  Beware, however--if they're damaged, there's a high chance
that the fighters will attack more furiously (attacking multiple times), so AoE
may not be the best policy.

Once Tattling is complete, have Goombella join in.  Multibonk can be quite
useful if the enemies have more than 2 health left (or 4 if you have the Power
Plus P badge equipped).  Better yet, have Yoshi do a bit of Gulping, though you
probably will have to deal with a furious attack from one of the Bros.--since
you'll probably take out Hamma Jamma first if you use Yoshi's Gulp, it'll
either be Flare or Bamma (or both!) who hits you multiple times.  Choose your
path wisely if you go that route.

If you're just concerned about defeating these guys quickly, you could use an
Earth Quake, then do Quake Hammer.  That will likely take care of them.

[This trio got hamma'd!]
---------------------------------------


After that last fight, you get another threatening email, telling you to stop
snooping around about the Crystal Star, or you might end up where King K. is...
wherever that is, anyway.

After you reserve your next match, Jolene brings in another cake.  Gee, thanks,
Jolene, but it's not a good idea to have food just before a match; it causes
stomach cramps, you know....

(In case you didn't get the little hint above, DON'T EAT THE CAKE!  If you 
do...well, you're on your own.  Literally.)


---------------------------------------
2nd Seed: Chomp Country

Red Chomp x2:
6 HP each
5 Attack each
3 Defense each

Probably better have Piercing Blow and Quake Hammer ready if you're not barred
from using those moves.  Quake Hammer is probably your best move here.  Smack 
the ground twice, and those Chomps are gone!  If you can't do that, you'll have
to break out a couple Earth Quakes, or do a *perfect* Earth Tremor.  Yoshi is
your best partner here, since he's got Gulp, but if you're barred from using
FP, Koops is the only partner that really has any chance to damage the Chomps.

Speaking of partners--if you were stupid enough to ignore my warning above,
you won't be able to enter with any of your partners.  You'll have to fight
on your own, which means you'd better make sure that Mario himself is in tip
top shape!  One thing you might try is to use Clock Out to lock down
the Chomps while you dance all over them--but that still depends on the
restrictions handed you by Grubba!

If you're not properly prepared for this fight (and/or are crippled by Grubba's
conditions) you might as well run away if you made the mistake of eating that
cake!  This especially holds true if Grubba's condition was "Don't let Mario
attack"!

[Chomps just left the country, 'cause they didn't wanna deal with Gonzales 
again.]
---------------------------------------


If you *didn't* eat the cake, you'll see Shellshock lying on the ground,
moaning about his entire body going numb from it.  (Greedy pig--serves him
right.)  Your partner will comment on the cake being poisoned no matter what
you did.

If you look at the standings now, you'll see the Hand-It-Overs are gone from 
the roster, with a new group--the Destructors--in its place.  What's going on?

Anyhow, there's just one fighter standing between you and Rawk Hawk now.  Are 
you ready...for the Koopinator?


---------------------------------------
1st Seed: The Koopinator

Dark Koopatrol:
25 HP
5 Attack
2 Defense

Note: This section has been rewritten a second time, as the old strategy has
been restored (with much-improved information).

This guy was the one that Rawk Hawk dispatched easily at the beginning of the
chapter.  Too bad it won't be *quite* as easy for us.  Ah well, you don't win
championships by beating a bunch of scrubs.

Actually, he IS pretty easy, but it takes a dirty little trick--a lockdown
strategy of a sort.  Remember all those enemies you took out with Quake Hammers
and POW Blocks?  Well, those two techniques make a comeback here.  Since this
guy is one you do not want to jump on under normal circumstances (thanks to
that spike on his helmet), you'll want to use Quake Hammer or a POW Block to
flip him on his back.  Oddly enough, Earth Quake and Earth Tremor don't do the
trick here.  (Thanks to BusterBlader64 for figuring out where I was going
wrong.)

Now that he's on his back, have Goombella Headbonk him (or have Mario jump on
him).  As long as you keep jumping on him each turn, the Koopinator should 
remain on his back indefinitely.  This is the "lockdown" part of the strategy.
Even if the Koopinator doesn't stay down, it's possible to use Quake Hammer or
POW Block again to knock him down again.

This strategy works even if Mario can't attack at all.  If that's the case, 
have Goombella use a POW Block.  The Koopinator should not get up at the end of
your turn.  Now as long as you keep using Headbonk/Multibonk on the Koopinator,
he should stay on his back.  If not, use POW Blocks to keep him on the ground.

If you don't use this strategy (or if you have to let him attack you because of
Grubba/Jolene's restrictions), the Koopinator becomes much more challenging,
but the glaring flaw pointed out above makes him a much easier foe than most
people realize.

[Koopinated!]
---------------------------------------


After gaining the number one seed in the Glitz Pit, you get another email from
X.  Remove *all* the Great Gonzales posters from the lobby?  Actually, no--just
the two near the upstairs entrance to the stadium (blow them off with Flurrie).
One of them will have another Storage Key concealed behind it.

Another email, and it says to go to the second floor of the storage room.  You
recall the locked door from earlier?  Well, go through it.  Find your way over
to the right (you may need Yoshi again) to find another giant block.  Break it
with your Super Hammer's spinning move, and you'll find--King K. and Bandy 
Andy?  King K. is too far gone to speak, but Bandy Andy tells you not to go
into the ring when no one's around.  (He was investigating one of those rumors
he talked about earlier--about the light from the ring, probably--and this is
the price he paid.)

On your way back, you see Jolene peeking through the door, which closes 
immediately.  You make your way back down to the safety of your locker room--
but now that you've seen *this*, how safe can you really be?

After you reserve your next fight, a security guard will come.  He'll escort
you to...the *other* minor league locker room?  Something's fishy here.

In the ring, Grubba announces your impending arrival--and since you're not 
where you should be, you don't appear.  Grubba says that if you don't show up 
soon, you'll forfeit the match!

Your partner has finally had enough, and decides to go see what's going on--
hey!  The door's locked!  What now?

If you go to the right, you'll eventually see a Princess Peach poster.  Blow it
off with Flurrie, then proceed through a secret TV room and emerge from a major
league locker.  Go all the way right to the restroom.  That toilet looks big
enough to swallow you whole...just like another of Bandy Andy's rumors.  It
won't kill you, though--just go through it like a pipe, and you'll emerge in
the restroom of *your* major league locker room.  Leave the room, then go
through the main doors yourself.  You've made it to the fight just in time!

Just after the bell rings to start the fight, Rawk Hawk mentions you should 
have stayed locked up in that locker room.  (So he was the one responsible for 
that--yeah, BIG surprise.)  He was also responsible for the poison cake, but 
when you blame him for the threatening emails about the Crystal Star, he gets 
confused.  Seems he *doesn't* know anything about the real one....


---------------------------------------
Grand Champ: Rawk Hawk

Rawk Hawk:
40 HP
5 Attack
0 Defense

(NOTE: Rawk Hawk's stats are incorrectly listed within the game.  Rawk Hawk has
ZERO defense when fighting.)

Wow, completely new battle music--this MUST be important. ;-)

I won't lie to you, this fight can be hard--if you don't know what you're 
doing.  Every time I've played this one, I've always had the same restriction: 
Use at least one Special Move.  I suggest Sweet Treat partway through, though
it really doesn't matter--if you win, you get the Champ's Belt no matter what.
If it's your first time, you have to fight the final boss of Chapter 3 before
you can try for the championship again (the computer records get wiped, and
you have to start at the bottom).

But I digress.  To prepare for this fight, you should max out your attack power
as much as possible and rely on the Sweet Treat to recharge you midway.
Damage Dodge is a good investment as well.  I might suggest a Jumpman strategy,
since Rawk Hawk has no defense, and a regular Jump will do 2 damage more (as
opposed to a regular Hammer, which does only 1 more damage).  There is one time
where it would be good to have a Hammer attack, though (described below), so
you might want to keep that in mind.

Goombella is a good partner to have, since her Multibonk can do a good deal of
damage, especially if you're good with the Action Command.  Also, bring a few
recovery items, just in case--you probably won't need them if you do this 
right.  Flurrie is also a good choice, especially near the end.

At the beginning of the fight, Rawk Hawk has two attacks: a sliding tackle that
does a fair amount of damage to the one in front but is not too hard to Guard,
and a spinning jump attack that does good damage to both of you and is harder
to Guard.

When Rawk Hawk is drained to about 25 health, Rawk Hawk will point upward, then
unleash a spinning jump attack on your leader only.  This one is easier to
Guard than the other one; however, it is stronger than his normal spinning
attack.  (I call it his "sky attack", because of the way he points upward
before he actually performs the move.)

When you then take Rawk Hawk down to 15 health or less, he will stamp the 
floor, causing a rafter to lower, then jump up to that rafter.  This is the 
hardest part of the fight for some players, because many heavy objects now fall
on Mario and his partner.  Try to Guard against the objects as best you can.

At this point, you have a choice, since most normal attacks will not reach Rawk
Hawk when he's on the ceiling.  You can either have Mario switch Flurrie in for
Goombella and have Flurrie use Body Slam (the better choice if you have Quick 
Change or if Rawk Hawk's health is lower than Flurrie's attack with Body Slam),
or--and this is where having a hammer helps--you can use Quake Hammer or Hammer
Throw to...persuade Rawk Hawk from the ceiling, and have Goombella Headbonk or
Multibonk Rawk Hawk into submission.  An Earth Quake or POW block might work if
you're not willing to use Mario's hammer moves or Flurrie.

It's possible to drain Rawk Hawk to less than 25 health so he does his sky
attack, then KO him before he goes to the rafters.  If you manage to do that,
congratulations--you've just made the fight that much easier.

[Looks like the Hawk was the one who got RAWWWKED!]
---------------------------------------


If this is your second time through, your battle ends here (unless you want to
keep fighting Rawk Hawk for Star Points and coins, which isn't a bad idea).  If
this is only your first time, you still have one last task ahead of you.

You've made your way through the mass of fighters in the Glitz Pit...but you
have yet to find the true Crystal Star.  Where could it be?  In order to secure
the Crystal Star, you'll have to fight one last battle.


Once you beat Rawk Hawk, you'll receive the Champ's Belt (for now), and you'll
be able to sleep in the Champ's Bed.  Unlike the locker rooms, this bed also
recharges Star Power.

Anyhow, you'll get one more email message from X.  It'll say to find the ghost 
in the champ's room.  Don't do this just yet; first sleep in the Champ's bed, 
then leave the room and hit the save block.  Switch around your badges as you 
wish.  If you want an ego boost, go out into the lobby and find yourself mobbed
by an adoring audience.  Go and grab some healing items as well, if you're low.
Maybe a couple Sleepy Sheep as well.

Once you're ready, return to the champ's room.  Your objective is the 
ventilation duct on the right side of the room.  Jump along the boxes on the
left side of the room, switch your partner to Yoshi, jump on him, and use his
field "jumping" ability to jump on the door frame.  Ride to the right end of
the door frame, then jump over to the ledge with the duct.  Bust it open with
your Super Hammer, and walk through the duct.  

Turns out the duct leads into Grubba's office.  You overhear Grubba talking to
himself about the missing fighters.  He seems to know why they're disappearing,
and suggests that Gonzales (that's you) may have to disappear soon.  Apparently
the first Glitz Pit champ, Prince Mush, also disappeared in a similar fashion.
He places something in a drawer (you can't see which one, but it's the same one
he suddenly closed earlier), then leaves the office.

Now's your chance.  Bust open the air duct on this side, then check in the
*other* desk drawer, and also behind a potted plant, for a couple of Star
Pieces.  Now check the desk drawer for a key item...it's a set of plans for a
machine that utilizes a Crystal Star!  Grubba suddenly returns at this point.
At first he tries to order you out of the office, but your partner then accuses
him of the disappearances of the various fighters.  Grubba, knowing he's
cornered, panics and leaves the office.

Follow him out, but don't save; you won't be able to leave the Glitz Pit until
this is over.  Go into the ring through your usual entrance.  The stands will
be empty for once.  Jump onto center stage, and the truth will come out--the
machine drains the life energy from the fighters, and sends it into Grubba, 
making him perpetually young and strong.  Grubba then charges up using the
machine, which turns him orange, and easily twice the size of his previous 
self.

Are you ready to face...Macho Grubba?


---------------------------------------
STAGE BOSS: Macho Grubba

Macho Grubba:
60 HP
4 Attack
0 Defense

The stage boss gets his own battle music, as might be expected.

I won't lie to you, this fight can be hard, if you don't know what you're 
doing (or even if you just have bad luck).  This boss has double the HP and
attack power as the stage 2 boss (Magnus von Grapple), and is probably tougher
than the boss at the end of chapter 4!  (Definitely tougher, if you get unlucky
here.)

The good news is that since this isn't a sanctioned battle, you don't have any
restrictions.  Not as if you'd follow them anyway.

The bad news is, Macho Grubba will use the energy of the Crystal Star to power
himself up.  The first thing he'll do is double his speed so he can act twice
per turn (this lasts three turns).  He'll use this extra action to boost his
attack or defense, or make himself dodgy.  Oh, and when he's buffed himself
enough, he'll go on the offensive--and trust me, his attacks hurt.

How do you deal with someone who buffs himself with such powerful positive
status effects?  Well, if you can, don't let him buff up in the first place!
The best strategy is to hit him with debuffs that prevent him from using his
powers.  While these debuffs have a chance of not working, Macho Grubba is
probably the *most* vulnerable boss (in this game) to these negative status
effects.  (He who lives by the buff, dies by the debuff, I guess.)  Therefore a
lockdown strategy is in order.

The best status effect to hit him with is Immobilize--if it hits, it stops him
completely for the requisite amount of time, and there's no way to break it.
And you've got a good source for that: Clock Out.  Once Macho Grubba is
Immobilized (and Macho Grubba hasn't boosted his Defense or made himself
Dodgy), use Goombella's Multibonk to accumulate damage.  Have Mario Power
Bounce Grubba on the next turn, and so forth until the Immobilize debuff runs
out.  You probably won't have finished off Macho Grubba yet, so hopefully by
this time you've built up enough Star Power for another Clock Out through
Stylish Moves and the like.  If not, keep attacking until you do get enough
power, then unleash it again.  If you've got enough attack power, you should be
able to take down Macho Grubba with two successful Clock Outs.

Second best status effect is Freeze, which you can deliver with Ice Smash
(which you might have acquired through the Lovely Howz of Badges).  This'll
also (hopefully) make him unable to act for a bit, but there's a slight
possibility that you might break the ice early.  Attacking him might still be
worth the risk, though, since the chance isn't *that* great.

Failing that, you've got Sleep.  Either Sleepy Sheep or Sleepy Stomp should put
Grubba to Sleep for a bit.  If you use Sleep, you're probably best off using
the time to use your new Charge badges, or to heal up, or to buff yourself
using Power Punch or the like, because attacking him too soon has a high chance
of waking him up (higher than with Ice Smash).

If your lockdown moves don't seem to be working, your best partner is Yoshi,
because he has some moves that can deal with two of the normal status effects.
If Grubba boosts his attack power, use Shrink Stomp or Mini-Egg to counter
early.  If he boosts his defense, use Power Smash, Power Jump, Gulp, or
Piercing Blow to penetrate, or Soft Stomp to counter the effect.  If he becomes
dodgy...well, there's not much you can do about that.

Keep up the pressure, keep Grubba contained by status effects, and eventually 
you'll bring this giant down.

[Macho Grubba's just a tub o' blubba'.]
---------------------------------------


Once you defeat this monstrosity, there'll be a long cutscene that ties up the
loose ends (I won't spoil it for you, but it's worth watching), and you'll get
the Gold Star.

END OF CHAPTER


===================
6. During the Fight
===================

Your opponents and the restrictions placed on you are things you have to take
into account *before* the fight.  However, all that preparation can't always
predict what will happen once you get into the arena.


---------------
a. The Audience
---------------

The audience plays a big factor in the battles.  They may throw cans or rocks
at you to show their displeasure (if they're about to do that, hit X to give
the lunatic an unceremonious ejection from the theater), or they may throw 
coins or helpful items to show support for their hero.

Certain members of the audience have certain tendencies.  While I'm pretty sure
that I've not found all of them, here are some that I've observed:

* Luigi: If you see him in the crowd, rejoice.  He will always be cheering for
  you, and will throw you helpful items throughout the fight.

* Dull Bones: You won't be able to get Star Power from them normally, even with
  Stylish Moves.  Appealing to them will get some reduced Star Power from them.

* Bulky Bob-omb: These will take up two seats in the audience, reducing the
  Star Power you get.  Also, sometimes their fuses will light, and they
  explode, scaring away nearby audience members and all Punies in the audience.

* Shy Guy: Sometimes these guys will jump out of their seat and head backstage
  to create some mischief (usually dropping something on Mario, his partner, or
  a foe).  If this happens, prepare to guard--though the mischief might be 
  against the opponent.  According to Testaros25, sometimes the Shy Guy will
  activate the nozzles--this has been confirmed by my own observations; if a
  Shy Guy does this, it will do this *instead* of causing backstage mischief.

* X-Naut: Usually if there's a bunch of them in the audience, they'll prepare 
  to throw a bunch of rocks at you.  Getting rid of one of them by hitting X 
  will discourage the others for a bit, but they may try it again later.

* Puni: I'm pretty sure they're always cheering for you, but if there's a loud
  noise (such as a Bulky Bob-omb exploding, or something falling into the
  audience), they all leave en masse.

* Dayzee: Occasionally this one will cause all the audience members around it 
  to fall asleep, greatly reducing the Star Power you get from the audience.

BusterBlader64 also notes the following audience member tendencies:

* Koopa: This audience member is weird; it can help you, or throw cans at you.

* Boo: This audience member can turn Mario, his partner, or a foe invisible for
  1 turn. 

And Testaros25 also has one last observation:

* Goomba: Throws rocks/items


------------
b. The Stage
------------

Ah, the stage.  The platform for each of these epic battles.  And yet, who knew
that the stage was such a dangerous place?  Not only is the audience a problem
for the fighters, but the very set can be just as dangerous!

As Mario levels up, the stage changes a bit.  When he's a Rising Star (Levels 
1-9), the stage is small, and fewer things can go wrong (or right).  When Mario
hits level 10 (and later, 20 and 30), the stage grows larger and more complex.

Like with the audience list, I've probably missed a few details, but here are
the observations I (and others) have made so far.

Rising Star (levels 1-9) stage and up:

* Items can drop from the ceiling suddenly.  I've not yet found a pattern,
  except that they seem to drop just after an attack by Mario or his partner.
  Some are electrified, and make it so that the person it hits will deal damage
  to his attackers.  Some will make Mario or his partner Dizzy.  Sometimes they
  drop into the audience, causing many of them to scatter and leave.  A 
  properly timed Guard action can prevent damage here.

* The scenery can wobble and fall over on top of the combatants.  This is
  usually triggered by something that shakes the theater, such as a POW block,
  Power Smash, or Quake Hammer.  (These are not the only possible causes.)  A
  properly timed Guard action can prevent damage here as well.

B-List Star (levels 10-19) stage and up:

* Water can suddenly fall from the ceiling.  If it does this, it "washes away"
  many non-permanent status effects (such as poison) from anyone it touches.  
  If it falls into the audience, it causes many of them to scatter and leave.
  According to BusterBlader64 (and my own testing), Mario and his partner can
  Guard against it, and it will prevent it from removing status effects.  Note
  that it cleanses only NON-PERMANENT status effects--for example, if Mario is
  wearing Zap Tap, the Electrified status will not be removed since there is no
  timer on the effect.  Water can be either a good, bad, or indifferent thing
  depending on the circumstances.

* There are fire-extinguisher-type nozzles in the stage that occasionally shoot
  a cold mist upward.  Normally the mist doesn't affect the combatants, but an 
  attack that shakes the stage can make the nozzles point at the combatants.  
  If it shoots in this position, it causes the combatants to be frozen.  I
  believe that a properly timed Guard action can work here.

* Sometimes before or after Mario or his partner attacks, a fog descends over
  the stage.  This causes attacks by both sides to sometimes miss.  If you
  perform a FP-using move, it has a chance of missing the target, and the FP
  will be wasted.  It has a bizarre effect on AoE attacks like Quake Hammer--
  the attack can damage some of the foes on stage, but leave others unaffected!
  Fog can be dissipated by an explosion (thanks, Testaros25, for the reminder).

A-List Star (levels 20-29) stage and up:

* Thanks to BusterBlader 64.  The nozzles that first appeared on the B-List
  Star stage will now occasionally shoot fireworks in addition to mist.  This 
  deals 4-5 damage to all the combatants unless Guarded.  (Testaros25 says that
  if the fire goes unGuarded, it can also burn for 10 turns.)

* Occasionally some bugs will fall from the ceiling onto the contestants.  
  These will do fairly constant damage, so you will need to keep pressing that
  Guard button.  They can also fall into the audience.

Superstar (levels 30-99) stage and up:

* Now the nozzles from the B-List Star stage will shoot streams of fire, in
  addition to the fireworks from A-List Star stage and the mist from before.
  I've never had to deal with the fire hitting my characters or the opponents,
  so any descriptions of what happen here would be helpful.

* I've seen this happen only once, but once a giant rock fell onto the stage
  and hit the opponent for heavy damage.  This happened on the Moon, so I don't
  know if that is peculiar to the Moon or if it can happen in any battle.
  Whatever the case, I'm reasonably sure that the rock can fall into the
  audience as well.


------------
c. The Slots
------------

As you pull off Action Commands, you will see icons form in the upper right
corner of the screen, underneath the indicator you have for coins and Star
Points.  After the first Action Command you pull off, one random icon shows up.
The next Action Command reveals another random icon.  If the icons don't match,
they disappear and the slot display starts over.  If they do match, then the
next successful Action Command (if it does not end the fight) will make you
play a minigame like a slot machine.  The first two slots are stationary, and
you have to make the last slot match the first two (unless the first two are
Poison Mushrooms; then you want to *avoid* matching them).

The slots have various effects.  If you match all 3 icons, then you get the
following effects:

3 Shine Sprites:    Recharge all HP, FP, and Star Power, and your audience is
                    completely filled.

3 Mushrooms:        Recharge all HP, and your audience is completely filled.

3 Flowers:          Recharge all FP, and your audience is completely filled.

3 Starmen:          Recharge all Star Power, and your audience is completely
                    filled.

3 Poison Mushrooms: Your remaining HP, FP, and Star Power is cut in half, and
                    your audience leaves.

AVOID THREE POISON MUSHROOMS AT ALL COSTS!  IF YOU GET THAT RESULT, ESPECIALLY
AGAINST A HIGH SEED, CONSIDER RUNNING OR RESETTING!


--------
d. Items
--------

When fighting your way through the ranks, you'll see some of the other fighters
use items occasionally.  If you see this, you might want to change your
precise order of attacking to keep them from using the items.  

However, if you see someone carrying a Life Shroom, don't try to kill him 
immediately, because that will make the Life Shroom kick in.  Instead, try to 
get him to use it by wounding one of his partners slightly, if you can.  If 
it's not worth it to do that, go ahead and go for the foe with the Life Shroom,
as long as that particular foe is not the toughest.


=============================
7. Special Thanks/Legal Stuff
=============================

Special thanks to blaiken used peck, for confirming that it's possible to fight
Sir Swoop and the Wings of Night, and the Destructors as well.  

Special thanks to Ake for providing the intervals for Yoshi colors.  May the
great god Mangon live in our hearts forever!

Special thanks to BusterBlader64 for the info on the Koopinator and in several
other parts of this guide.

Special thanks to Wave Snake for confirming Clock Out as an attack and
expanding on the first cake.

Special thanks to Testaros25 for his contributions to the Stage section of my
guide.

This strategy guide is (c)2005 Mars Jenkar.  Any and all content in this guide
may not be published, reproduced, distributed, sold, or reposted without the 
express permission of the writer.  Any downloads of this guide to personal 
computers must be for personal use only.

No website may use this guide except for GameFAQs.com.  Any other site that 
carries this guide or any portion, in anyone's name, is in direct violation of 
U.S. copyright law.

Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door is (c)2004 Nintendo and Intelligent 
Systems, and all content within, including characters, game elements, and 
related marks, are the property of Nintendo and Intelligent Systems.  All other
trademarks and copyrights in this guide belong to their respective owners.

This guide has not been authorized by Nintendo or Intelligent Systems and 
should not be considered "official".

If I've missed something, please contact me at: 
pizNO_SPAM_PLEASEman2000@yahoo.com.

(Oh, and in case you didn't get my little hint above--NO SPAM, PLEASE.)

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