"Banish Bad Fortune with Mario's Miracle Elixir!" The man with the green cap, overalls, and mustache enthusiastically called out, showcasing a small bottle of yellow liquid. "Step right up, my friend! Come one, come all, to witness the grandest fortune teller in all the land! The legendary Man in Red, a hero to the Mushroom Kingdom and beyond! Don't miss your chance to secure a prosperous future with his extraordinary Miracle Elixir! Gather 'round, everyone!"

Count Bleck held his staff in his right hand as they passed by the salesman, who had set up a small stage and was attracting a crowd. Count Bleck's attire underwent a transformation, now adorned with a stylish top hat, a monocle, and a flowing white cloak. 

With a raised eyebrow, Bleck pointed at the man with the green cap. Dimentio responded with a nod.

"That's him," the jester whispered, his voice barely audible. "He and his brother make their appearance every Thursday without fail."

Count Bleck's expression turned sour as he examined the sign displayed before the stage. It claimed that this Mario fellow was not only a sorcerer and psychic, but also a hero to the Mushroom Kingdom's Princess. However, in the streets of Flopside, it's often difficult to discern fact from fiction when it comes to street vendors and their claims.

"He's Italian, too," Dimentio chuckled. "Everyone adores his accent. I'm not sure if your French charm can compete. Who can tell, though? People can't resist a captivating accent, so it just might work."

"I won't need it," the count stated. He had no intention of relying on something as silly as his accent to win the crowd over. He planned to capture their attention with his true talent and power. If everything went according to plan, by tomorrow, people would forget all about that Mario person and rush to his new establishment, the vacant building above Dimentio's Performance and Pie. After all, if he wanted to seek revenge, he needed to ensure his survival, which meant he needed money, a job, and plenty of customers.

Count Bleck couldn't help but be intrigued as more and more people gathered around, drawn in by the charismatic call of the man with the green cap. Amidst the growing crowd, his eyes landed on a face he recognized - the familiar visage of Merlon. Bleck's good eye twitched slightly as he observed the scene unfolding before him. With a swift motion, he adjusted his monocle, ensuring it sat perfectly over his bad eye.

"Hey, calm down, my friend," Dimentio whispered reassuringly. "Don't forget our purpose for being here."

Count Bleck nodded solemnly, his gaze fixed on Merlon as the show began. Merlon, the very monster who had banished him in the past, just as he had done to his father when he was just a vulnerable young boy. It was because of Merlon's actions that Bleck had been stripped of his family, left with nothing but a void in his heart. And worst of all, it was because of Merlon that his beloved Timpani had been taken away, forever out of his reach.

"Ladies and gentlemen," the man in green grinned, snapping Count Bleck out of his slowly spiraling thoughts. "May I have your attention, please? My name is Luigi, and do you ever wake up to discover you've been hit with bad fortune?! Well, worry not! A hero by the name of Mario has the solution for you! He can bless you with good luck! With just twenty coins, you can possess his extraordinary Miracle Elixir and watch as good fortune follows you wherever you go!"

Luigi proudly displayed the tiny bottle, earning gasps from the surrounding crowd. However, Count Bleck remained unimpressed. It was evident to him that the elixir was nothing more than a clever trick. Perhaps just plain water with a touch of food coloring. Or maybe the water itself had that peculiar hue. Either way, it was undeniably fake. True magic didn't work like that. Plus, Luigi appeared entirely human. Count Bleck doubted he had any magic in him at all. 

Luigi continued his enthusiastic sales pitch, spinning tales of extraordinary transformations brought about by Mario's Miracle Elixir. He bombarded the crowd with stories of customers facing the direst of circumstances, only to find their problems vanishing like magic after using the elixir. He even claimed that lost pets miraculously reappeared with just a drop of the elixir. 

Count Bleck couldn't help but recall Dimentio's cautionary words about O'Chunks' pie shop. If what Dimentio said had been true, then he highly doubted Luigi's tale. He couldn't help but shake his head in disbelief as the crowd eagerly flocked towards Luigi, willingly offering their coins, completely entranced by his deceptive performance. 

It was at that moment that the count realized he had to intervene and take matters into his own hands.

"Excuse me, sir," he called out loudly to Dimentio while crinkling up his nose in disgust, "but what on earth is that dreadful smell?"

Dimentio responded with a mischievous smirk, his eyes glinting with amusement. He nonchalantly shrugged his shoulders and lifted his nose into the air.

"Oh, yes, it's TERRIBLE! We must be standing over a sewer or something," Dimentio exclaimed loudly, his voice carrying through the crowd and capturing the attention of many curious onlookers. "Grambi, what IS that awful smell?"

Luigi glanced over at Count Bleck and Dimentio, a hint of confusion in his eyes. However, he quickly regained his composure and focused on maintaining the crowd's attention. He extended the bottle towards the eager onlookers, offering free samples to anyone interested when Count Bleck swiftly approached, snatching a bottle and cautiously opening it to take a whiff of the elixir's scent.

"What is this?" the count asked.

"What is this?!" Dimentio repeated, looking up at the bottle. "Why, it smells disgusting."

"It smells like garbage," Count Bleck agreed.

"Like rotting eggs on a midsummer day!" Dimentio quickly added.

A few individuals in the crowd furrowed their brows, their expressions turning slightly puzzled as they directed their gaze toward Luigi.

"Um, he says it smells bad," a small boy said, his eyes widening as he pointed toward Count Bleck. 

"Looks like garbage, too," Bleck mused. "Why is it yellow?"

"Oh, I wouldn't touch it if I were you," Dimentio laughed. "Not if you don't want to get sick." 

"Don't get it on your boots, sir," Count Bleck chuckled, nudging the random citizen right next to him. "It'll eat right through."

The two of them were definitely putting on quite the spectacle, all for the purpose of luring away unsuspecting customers from Luigi and stealing them for Count Bleck. Luigi saw right through their act, and to be honest, he wasn't exactly thrilled about it.

"It smells just fine!" Luigi nervously exclaimed, his voice quivering with uncertainty. "I-it's fine! Don't listen to-"

"We don't want that garbage!" a random woman yelled, her voice filled with frustration and disdain. The crowd murmured in agreement, their dissatisfaction evident.

"Yeah!" someone else agreed, their voice filled with determination. "We're keeping our money!"

"NO! Never mind this crazy man," Luigi begged. "Please! H-he doesn't know what he's talking about! Mario is a professional! A hero to the Mushroom Kingdom and all the surrounding worlds! This is the best of the best we're talking about! Honest!"

"Say, where IS this Mario person, if he's so great?" Dimentio asked with a smirk.

Much of the crowd nodded in agreement, demanding to see Mario. After all, if it was HIS Elixir, then why wasn't he there? 

Luigi desperately tried to ignore them all and get the show back on track. He shakily forced a smile and kept holding the elixir out, begging people to just buy it. He cut the price in half. Offered free samples. He tried everything in his power to convince the crowd.

But it was too late. The crowd grew restless, their voices rising in unison, demanding to see Mario. They were adamant that Luigi step down from the stage with his sham product.

"Come on!" Luigi begged, his voice filled with desperation. "Just try it! I promise you won't be disappointed! People really love it!" 

"I bet flies do too," Dimentio pointed out, his words dripping with sarcasm. The remark elicited uproarious laughter from half the people surrounding them, while the other half remained angry with Luigi. The crowd slowly approached the man in green, drawing closer and closer to the stage as they demanded to see Mario.

"Um, ah, well," Luigi nervously stuttered, his voice trembling with anxiety. "Um, ALL FURTHER QUESTIONS GO TO HIM!" 

The man in green quickly tore the curtain at the back of the small stage aside, revealing a man who looked quite similar to him, though he was shorter, and plumper, and he wore red instead of green. The crowd gasped in surprise as they laid eyes on the unmistakable figure of Mario himself, ready to captivate them with his presence.

Ah, so this is Mario, Count Bleck thought to himself. 

He looked human. Not special in the slightest. Just like Luigi.

The crowd was all riled up and upset, but unlike Luigi, Mario didn't let it phase him. He simply smiled, then stood up and bowed to the crowd, introducing himself as the greatest psychic in the world, Mario. His accent was thicker than Luigi's, most definitely on purpose. In fact, it was so thick that it seemed practically fake. 

"Calm down, calm down," Mario said with a smile, straightening his back and looking out at the crowd. "Now, who was it that had the nerve to say my Miracle Elixir was trash?"

The way his smile didn't fade sent chills through most of the crowd. Bleck wasn't afraid, though. He proudly raised his hand, undeterred by Mario's intimidating presence.

"I did," Bleck stated. "And I do. I have seen your Elixir and it's very clear that it's nothing more than dirty water and ink.  You advertise yourself as a psychic, yes? Though I have serviced no princesses, I wager that I could tell fortunes and perform spells far better than you ever could."

Mario raised an eyebrow and crossed his arm, interested and amused by the proposal as Bleck held up his staff.

"See this staff?" Dimentio asked the crowd, nodding at Bleck. "It is none other than the finest magic article in all of the land. Created from light magic, of course."

"Yes," Bleck agreed, glaring at Mario with determination. "I'd wager it against ten coins. Do you accept, or are you afraid to put your so-called psychic abilities to the test?"

Mario's eyes never left the staff, or, more specifically, the glowing gem sitting atop it. Never before had he seen a diamond so large, so pure. 

"Let's-a-go," Mario nodded, waving his hand and gesturing for Bleck to join him on stage. Bleck nodded in agreement and quickly rushed up to Mario's side, ready to face the challenge head-on. Mario then called for two volunteers from the audience. Luigi eagerly stepped forward to be part of Bleck's fortune-telling experience. Dimentio, with a mischievous smile, volunteered to be the one to receive Mario's fortunes. As the crowd buzzed with excitement, Merlon raised his hand, offering to be the impartial judge. Bleck couldn't help but sneer slightly at the idea of his fate being in Merlon's hands, but he knew he had to keep his composure. Thankfully, Merlon hadn't recognized him, so Bleck concealed his true feelings of hatred. 

Count Bleck nodded, then motioned for someone to fetch him a chair. Luigi, ever eager to assist, quickly ran off and returned with a simple wooden chair. Bleck gave him a small appreciative smile, acknowledging Luigi's efforts, and instructed him to take a seat.

Meanwhile, Mario began to circle around Dimentio, putting on quite a spectacle, even more than Luigi had done earlier. He started going on and on about how he saw fame and fortune in Dimentio's future, blah blah blah. Mario mentioned lots of fire, passion, and smiles, along with a multitude of vague things that could apply to practically anyone. With a dramatic flourish, the man in red dramatically grasped Dimentio's hand and began chanting under his breath, his voice loud enough for the entire audience to hear.

"Oh yes, of yes indeed. I see a loving wife in your future-"

"I'm gay," Dimentio stated.

"HUSBAND, I meant husband, obviously," Mario laughed. "I said that on purpose. And-"

"The winner is him," Merlon interrupted, nodding over at Bleck, who was kneeling in front of the man in green. He had said not a word, but Luigi was watching him with wide eyes, almost seeming hypnotized. 

"Wait, what?!" Mario exclaimed, his voice filled with shock and disbelief. 

The crowd erupted into cheers, celebrating Bleck's triumph.

"The winner is him," Merlon repeated, his eyes shifting towards Bleck. "What is your name, good sir?"

"That's Bleck!" Dimentio exclaimed, a grin spreading across his face. "Count Bleck! And if you want to know more about your future, head on down to Main Street in Flopside. He owns a cozy little spot just above Dimentio's Performance and Pie!" 

Bleck nodded, extending his hand towards Mario, demanding the ten coins. Mario scoffed in response, casting a glare at Luigi as he reluctantly handed over the money. However, Luigi seemed oblivious to the tension, lost in deep contemplation. A sense of unease seemed to settle upon him.

As Bleck descended back into the crowd, a swarm of people flocked to him, eager to know his opening hours and pleading for his mystical abilities. The crowd grew larger and more enthusiastic, captivated by his presence. In the midst of it all, Dimentio hurriedly joined Bleck's side, ready to revel in the excitement. They had been so focused on their victory that they hadn't even noticed Mario harshly grasping his brother's arm and shoving him backstage.

"Well, Mr. Bleck, congratulations," Merlon exclaimed, his voice filled with admiration as he offered a slight bow. However, a hint of confusion crept into his eyes, and he couldn't help but express his curiosity. "...Forgive me for saying this, but you look familiar..."

"Who, him?!" Dimentio laughed. "Oh, no, no, you must be mistaken. He's my uncle's cousin's roommate's best friend's girlfriend's brother. Recently shipped over from Sarasaland."

"Ah, a foreigner," Merlon nodded, his smile now appearing slightly forced. "Main Street, above the pie shop, correct?"

Bleck nodded.

"Well, Mr. Bleck, you will certainly see me there sometime within the next week," Merlon stated, turning on his heels and striding away confidently.

Bleck watched with wide eyes as the old man left, his heart pounding with anticipation. Gripping his staff tightly, he felt a surge of determination coursing through his veins.

"I'll be waiting," he muttered. 

Bleck and Dimentio then wandered off, the crowd dispersing in their wake as Mario returned to the front of the stage, now without Luigi, and watched, his smile still present as his eye twitched.