Chapter 1
Are You In Or Out?
As day turned to night and the moon rose above the heavens, many of the inhabitants of the Mushroom Kingdom were turning into bed to get a good nights sleep. Night has always been the time to rest and rejuvenate, but not for one inhabitant, for he was expecting company soon.
He gazed out a window at the full moon above him. "How long has it been since I caused some mischief," he asked no one in particular, "A month? Two months? I've already lost count. My newest plan will take up even more time, even if my guests agree to help. The people of this kingdom will surely forget about me, but no matter. It'll make it all the more sweeter when I rain fire down on their puny heads. Soon everyone around the world shall fear the name King Bowser Koopa!" The villain broke into a deep, hysterical laughter, filling the halls of his castle with the bone-chilling punctuation of his evil.
If any of you are even the least bit game-savvy, you know who Bowser is. If you don't, look him up. He's not hard to find. This giant koopa has been causing trouble for Mario, the hero of the Mushroom Kingdom, for years.
When he finally stopped laughing, the corridor became quiet enough for Bowser to hear the pitter patter of little feet coming down the hallway. From out of the darkness came a drowsy, miniature version of Bowser, i.e. his son, Bowser Jr. He looked a lot like his father, except he had a red ponytail instead of a mohawk, small black beady eyes, and only a single sharp tooth in his mouth. In contrast to this little devil's villainous behavior, he was wearing blue footy pajamas and carrying a teddy bear with horns. Obviously, he was supposed to be asleep.
"Daddy, do you have to laugh so loudly? You woke me up," he said, rubbing his eyes. "Sorry Jr. Didn't mean to wake you. Daddy was just having an evil moment," Bowser replied. Jr yawned, "Why are you up so late anyway?" Bowser turned back towards the window and said, "I'm expecting some company very soon. I've come up with a fool-proof plan to rid ourselves of that pest Mario and take over the Mushroom Kingdom, but I'll need their help to make it work."
As Bowser gazed out the window, he noticed movement along the grounds. "Good. They've arrived," he said. As he turned to leave, Jr asked, "Can I come with you? I wanna help." Bowser scratched his chin as he thought about it, "I don't know Jr. You're supposed to be in bed." "Evil never sleeps Dad," Jr replied. "I like your attitude! C'mon, we've work to do!" And with that, Bowser started towards the foyer of his castle, with Jr following at his heels.
Meanwhile, in the foyer, all but one of Bowser's guests had already arrived. In the dwelling of the Koopa King stood five of the most terrible villains ever to walk the Mushroom Kingdom; Sir Grodus, King Boo, Tatanga, Petey Piranha, and Wario. All of these criminals, including the one yet to arrive, were all there because Bowser had requested their presence to discuss a plan for world domination. Although they were a little reluctant to come, since it was Bowser who came up with this idea, they still could not pass up an opportunity to do some bad and get back at the Mario brothers.
"Where is this guy," Wario yelled impatiently, "I'm missing 24 for this!" King Boo said, "Patience my robust friend. I've worked with Bowser before, and he has been know to be a little "late to the party", in more ways then one," he stated, afterward bursting into a cackle, though no one else laughed. "I heard that, you little turd!"
Everyone turned abruptly to see Bowser and Jr looking down at them from the top of the stairs, clearly annoyed by King Boos remark. The ghostly king nervously inched away from the steps. Bowser cleared his throat, and said, "I'm glad you all could make it here tonight. I assure you, you will not leave here disappointed. Now, to begin, we should…," but that's when Bowser noticed something wrong, "Hey, wait a minute!" He did a quick head count, and soon realized, "We're short one."
But as if on cue, Bowser's missing guest burst through the front doors, accompanied by a strong gust of wind that made her presence known. Standing there in the doorway, with an annoyed, but evil glare in her eyes, was Cackletta, the Beanbean witch. Next to Bowser, she was the most feared out of the villains. "It's about time you showed up, old lady," Bowser yelled across the room. "Be glad I'm here at all," she yelled back at Bowser as she joined the other villains. Bowser sighed, "Well, since she's here, I can talk to you all in full about the plan I cooked up."
"This oughta be good," Wario whispered to Grodus. Bowser continued, "Now, here's what we're gonna do…"
Twenty minutes later…
Bowser was just wrapping things up. "…and there you have it! That's all that in a nutshell. So, what do ya think?" All of the others villains stared blankly back at Bowser, mouths agape in shock. None of them could believe what they just heard. There was an awkward silence for a few seconds, until Tatanga yelled, "Are you out of your cotton-pickin' mind!?" The other villains enthusiastically agreed. "You know not the powers you are meddling with Bowser," Grodus said. "So what? Scooby-Doo and those hippie kids meddled all the time, and everything worked out for them in the end. I think this could work, but I'm gonna need all of your help. If we team up, we'll have all of the Mushroom Kingdom cowering in fear in no time," Bowser responded.
"You seem to be forgetting something Bowser," Cackletta said, "In order for this to work, you require 7 of them, but there are only 6 in all! It'll never work!" Surprisingly though, Bowser just chuckled at her remark. "That's where you're wrong, my friend, for there is a 7th one," Bowser said, grabbing everyone's attention, "…I just need help in finding it," he said quickly. This shattered everyone's confidence. "You mean you don't know WHERE it is," King Boo shouted. "I have a…pretty good idea where, but I'm sure our resources combined can find it," Bowser replied. Everyone groaned. "Forget it Koopa, it's just not worth it," Wario said. The villains turned around and started towards the door.
Bowser sighed. He thought for sure he would win them over. He looked down at his son, who had a disappointed look on his face. Bowser couldn't stand the sight of his son disappointed in him. Despite his reputation as the big, bad Koopa King, Jr meant more to him then anything else in the world, except maybe actually conquering the world. He quickly brainstormed on how to win the villains approval before they left. Finally, he got an idea. It was a long-shot, but he had to try something. As the other bad guys reached the door, Bowser snapped his fingers, and dramatic music started to play. Before anyone knew what was going on, Bowser broke out into song.
Bowser: I remember a time,
When crime was sublime.
There was plenty of loot in the lair.
We'd plunder and pillage,
And ram sack a village,
With nary a worry or care.
Then along came Mario
With his soft-hearted gleam,
And he ratted us out in the end!
So rally the troops!
We were meant to regroup,
And return to out roots once again.
Are you in or out?
Gotta know with outta doubt.
I'm the one you need,
For a dirty deed.
I'm the best! Success is guaranteed!
Are you men or mice?
Take a slice of my advice.
You want a fearless leader,
One who's strong and stout?
Better vote for me!
Are you in or out?
Cackletta, Grodus, Wario, King Boo, Tatanga, and Petey stepped away from the door and thought more in depth about what Bowser had said. He had a point.
Cackletta: We used to be smart, yes.
Grodus: Horrendously heartless.
King Boo: In ravaging raids, we were rough!
Wario: We knew that we had
To be blissfully bad.
Tatanga: Without any sensitive stuff.
Villains: But we strayed from the path
On our rigorous wrath.
Now we're taking a bath in the dust!
But we'll reclaim our winnings,
Our humble beginnings.
In turmoil and torture we trust!
Villains: Are you in or out?
Bowser: Double crossers or devout?
Put your faith in me,
Pretty soon you'll see,
I'm the King of Generosity.
Villains: Are you foe or friend?
Bowser: Here's the path I recommend.
You want the ride to fame?
I've got the fastest route!
What's it gonna be?
Are you in or out?
It seems that Bowser succeeded in gaining their confidence, as well as restoring Bowser Jr's. Bowser hoisted Jr onto his shoulder, who proceeded to hug his dad's neck. Jr always knew he had the coolest dad in the world, and here was proof.
King Boo: We'll go robbing in all the right places,
Wario: From Toad Town to the Boggly Tree.
Grodus: Imagine the fear in their faces,
Petey: When we drop by for cookies and tea!
"Come along boys! Follow me," Bowser cried.
Villains: Are you in or out?
Bowser: If you're with me, give a shout!
Villains: YEAH!
Bowser: I'll lead you all the way,
Into the glory days.
King Boo: We'll begin a life of crime that pays!
Bowser Jr.: Are you out or in?
Make your choice now, sink or swim?
Bowser: You can stick with me,
Or stay behind and pout!
Villains: What's it gonna be?
Bowser: Consider carefully!
Everyone: Are you in…or…OUT!?
Authors Notes: Wow! This took a long time to write! I hope you guys like this one. I think this'll be my best fanfic so far. Remember, when the next chapter comes along, keep in mind that Bowser needs 7 of something, but I didn't reveal what they were. If I did, that would be just plain stupid.
Before anyone asks, I didn't make up that song (but I wish I did). I borrowed it from one of the Aladdin movies. It just seemed to fit into the situation so well, so I had to do it. Plus, I think it was pretty well written (not my version, the real one).
All characters and locations in this chapter are owned by Nintendo.
The song "Are You In Or Out?" is owned by Disney.
