Pi'illodium

"Scanning foe potential... Chance of my victory: 120%."

- Pi'illodium

Pi'illodium is a boss from Mario & Luigi: Dream Team. It is the fourth robotic boss in the game. Making its appearance in Somnom Woods, it acts as a defense system for the Pi'illo Temple and is an obstacle the Mario Bros. must unexpectedly face to use the Ultibed and proceed to the area of Dreamy Somnom Woods where the Zeekeeper dwells. Its name is a portmanteau of "Pi'illo" and "podium". Pi'illodium looks like a floating statue with wings that has a disk-shaped head, with red eyes that look angry in its normal form. Pi'illodium appears when Mario and Luigi attempt to place the Ultibed in the middle of the Pi'illo Temple, hammering down a button where it would go to do so. This sets off the alarm and causes the boss to attack.

In battle, Pi'illodium has two different forms. In its normal form, Pi'illodium floats in mid air and is immune to Mario and Luigi's hammer attacks. It's also much more aggressive in this state, attacking more often than it would in its other form. It can attack by turning into a hammer, floating up off screen as a timer on the front of its body goes down, coming down on Mario or Luigi (depending on whether its eyes flash red or green when it starts the attack) when it reaches 0. If hit, this may cause the dizzy status. This attack can be dodged by hammering Pi'illodium as it is about to strike.

It can also fly into the background and chase the Bros. while firing missiles consecutively in a line; the Bros. have to jump over the missiles at the proper time or else they will take damage. On occasion, it will charge into either Mario or Luigi, and must be jumped over to avoid it. Jumping on Pi'illodium causes it to crash onto the ground, ending the attack.

Pi'illodium may also fly into the background and smack one of its Mini Pi'illoids at Mario and Luigi, who must smack it back with their hammers whenever the robot hits it back. After keeping up the rally for long enough, Pi'illodium will fail to smack it and it will explode right below it, sending it back to the foreground and causing it to take damage. If either Bro. is hit by the Mini Pi'illoid they may acquire the Dizzy status. The target for each of Pi'illodium's swing is implied by how the Mini Pi'illoid arcs towards them.

If its wings are destroyed, Pi'illodium drops to the ground enters a second form. In this state, Pi'illodium's expression becomes a frown and its battle speech sounds depressed. In addition, its attack and defense are lowered, and it is vulnerable to ground-based attacks. The Mini Pi'illoids in the background will heal Pi'illodium's wings each turn, each one healing 45 HP of either wing. A wing will remain disabled until all of its HP is restored.

In both forms, Pi'illodium can shoot lasers at Mario or Luigi. The Bros. have to look at where the laser paths are traced beforehand, then memorize the pattern and dodge the shots when it fires. It may also release one Mini Pi'illoid from its insides at a time if there is less than four in the background.

When near defeat, Pi'illodium initiates its self-destruct mechanism, exploding after a forty second countdown. It will no longer be able to attack in this state, but failure to defeat the boss within the time limit will result in the Bros. receiving a devastating amount of damage, which is enough to result in a Game Over if they are under-leveled. The Bros. will still earn EXP and Coins if this happens, provided they survived the explosion.

Pi'illodium's battle is similar to the Queen Bean and the final Cackletta battles both in Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga.

Quotes

 * "Scanning foe potential... Chance of my victory: 120%." (American English version)
 * "Analysing foe potential... Chance of my victory: 120%." (British English version)
 * "Boot: Self destruct."
 * "Close call."
 * "Challenge: lacking."
 * "Uncertainly rising."
 * "Cue beg mode."
 * "Chance of victory: slim."
 * "Activate: regret."
 * "Query: self-worth."
 * "Return in: 1,000 years!"
 * "Query?"
 * "Foe still active: Why?"
 * "Foe ID: slow."'
 * "Laugh! Victory!"
 * "Awaiting: Mercy plea."

Trivia

 * In Mario & Luigi: Paper Jam, King Bob-omb uses the same sort of timer as Pi'illodium does, only that his timer starts at the beginning of the battle with a four-minute countdown that is extendable, and his explosion hits each Bro nine times instead of just once.
 * Should the player use a Boo Biscuit or Guard Badge to make themselves immune to attacks just before Pi'illodium explodes, they would survive and win without taking any damage.
 * It is possible to defeat Pi'illodium before it can activate its self-destruct timer on certain occasions.
 * If the player manages to take out Pi'illodium's wings while airborne and on the same turn it is supposed to self-destruct, the wing breaking overrides the self-destruct, preventing it from exploding and leaving it unable to attack.

Guancialdium