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Mushroom Wars: Koopa Storm
Chapter 2: Yoshis at the Border!
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By the end of August, the Mushrooms had unleashed their reprisal movements to the south and an infuriated Bowser ordered his sons to return from the front.
"Why aren't you defeating the Mushrooms? We have so much more power! You are wasting our frugal economy by dragging on this war!"
"You, alright, Dad? We're doing this job gingerly. No need to rush. We will lose if we speed up preparations." Lemmy Koopa tried to explain.
"Quiet, fools! I am glutting you all with extra weaponry and reinforcements. Do not fail me!"
"Hey, now you're just going ecstatic."
"Ecstatic? You wait till I..."
"Hold up! We're sending incognito spies across the Beanbean Kingdom into the Mushroom Kingdom. They will provide us with the intelligence we need to advance to the central mushroom villages. From there, we can invalidate their industry and march on to Peach's castle." Larry Koopa quickly added.
"Fascinating. Go on with it."
At the mushroom lines, the Mushroom Armed Forces were anything but legendary. Mario's own brigade had been maimed from the previous Koopa assault, and only through sending in the Mushroom Air Force was Mario able to minimize the heavy casualties they were suffering.
"Luigi! What the hell is that?" Mario gestured to his brother a wave of unidentified units coming from the southeast.
"Whatever it is, it's not something we want to run into. I suggest that we pull north to the hills and fire down on them with the terrain advantage. The oblique slope will help veer away Bowser's armies."
"You're right. Let's give the order to the troops." Mario exclaimed. He quickly pulled out his Com-Link and entered in the order to retreat north.
Venerating to their heroes, Mario spotted the movement of the tired Mushrooms northward. It would be a long trek back, but Mario was sure Toad was able to keep the momentum going...
Roy Koopa stared off in the distance. Where'd the foes of the Koopas go? Not a single wanton in sight, Roy thought. The Koopas were already alloting the territory taken amongst themselves. They had amassed in front of the Koopa field marshals, who had not made the decision whether to attack up the hills or wait for air support.
"The audacious, proud Koopas march northward towards Peach's castle and under the banner of freedom, they will be able to capture the war criminals to the north."
What? Roy Koopa looked around and found a Koopa listening to the news radio of Koopaland.
"What are you doing? Aren't you going to comply with our advance?"
"Look, Field Marshal Roy, I would. This desert is an awful place to camp in. Don't you see that we really don't want to invade the Mushroom Kingdom just for extra territory? It's not worth it." The Koopa replied sheepishly.
"That was uncalled for. If you are devoid of water, we will supply it to you. You know as well as we do that us Generals are the elite of the Koopa Kingdom. If you would like to complain, go home and starve. It is time you learned to grapple with the might that the Mushrooms have in store for us." Roy Koopa replied furiously.
Simultaneously, a small band of Koopa forces had spotted the Mushroom force perched up on the hills, firing down on unknowing Koopas.
"Fire back!" Roy Koopa exclaimed, pulling out his own KP-72 rifle. Aiming at the mushrooms firing down, he pulled the trigger. It was right on target, incapacitating the Mushroom and instigating a Koopa strike on the hills.
Not surprisingly, the KAF, or the Koopa Air Force, had arrived. With Yap-97 fighter jets honing down missiles at the Mushrooms, the longevity of the Mushroom position would not be long. The myriad of Koopas inched forward. From a given neutral perspective, it was clear the Koopas would take over the heights by the night.
The Mushrooms were prepared for this scenario, however. To perturb the invading force, experienced Mushroom gunners grabbed their rocket launchers and began them at Yap-97s soaring through the sky. A prodigious amount came tumbling down to ground, incinerating all in its path.
"Good job, everyone! Bring out the artillery!" Luigi exclaimed.
The Mushroom artillery, pulled out from dismantled position, began honing down a barrage on the Koopa armies below. Though the Koopas were relevant in their motive of taking out the defenses on the hilltop, they were too little and too late to attack without warning. Skittish Koopas were quick casualties.
"Plan B!" Iggy Koopa ordered from the Koopa front, hoping to tether down a better plan. The Koopas began to rein artillery fire in unison on the Mushrooms. Vying for victory, the Koopas entered their shells and aimed themselves at the Mushrooms. Flying willfully at the enemy, there was no way of stopping this strange but effective tactic. Before long, the Mushrooms fled the hills and the Koopas finally gained a foothold across to the northern half of the Mushroom Kingdom.
The Mushrooms were now strictly on the defensive. Outnumbered in everything, the little Yoshi aid was not enough to help turn the war over. The Yoshis themselves were preparing for a possible attack, and Toad knew that there was no way the Mushrooms could drag the Yoshis into the Koopa war.
Over the next month, rain poured down on both armies. Neither relented in the fighting, but neither wanted their armies to be annuled by the weather. By the end, the Mushrooms were ready to hit the bloody, muddy battlefield.
"I'm really blasé about all this warfare...what's it good for, anyway?" Lemmy Koopa muttered to himself.
As the Mushroom Air Force sent out its massive new jet fighters, moving at Mach 3, the Koopas bolstered their navy with powerful missiles.
"Mario here, Princess Peach. Our forces are holding but I think they may need to fall back."
"Mario, I hope you do not deplore for this situation. It is frivolous to be pessimistic. We have everything to gain by staying optimistic and mustering our forces at the choke points to the north."
Mario turned to the Yoshi divisional group that was being led by Kool Yoshi, Yoshi008, and Yoshi348.
"We really need your help badly. Do you think you can get more reinforcements from the Yoshis?"
"The Aiyee Yoshi combat forces are fighting a massive enemy to the east. I'm sorry, but no reinforcements can come." Yoshi348 replied. "Besides, they wouldn't fight with a nonentity."
"I'm afraid that can only stay as an obsession. I believe our best bet at this point is use our navy in the two oceans surrounding us to blow Koopa ships and coastal defenses to oblivion." Yoshi008 responded.
"Yes, let's show them how ornate Koopa defenses can be once they blow up! Hopefully we can even deploy a secret group to oust the Koopa leader. That'd serve him right." Kool Yoshi responded.
Peach was pleased with the new plans and quickly, without perusing them, put them into effect right away. The Mushroom Navy sailed quietly towards Koopaland.
The land war was still going poorly for the Mushrooms. The porous formation of the Mushroom army made certain that the Koopas would advance even farther up. By early February of the next year, 2004, the Mushroom Kingdom had lost two-thirds of its territory and the Koopas had cleared a route to the capital itself. Only a promontory remained uncaptured, and that was where Toad set up the final Mushroom defenses.
"I, as the chief of the general staff, Toad, believe that we need to reach some alliances with other powers to aid us. There is not much of a way we can hold back if we don't get aid."
"Who will ally us, though?" Peach asked thoughtfully.
"I hear that the Koopas are prone on their border with the Shy Guys," Mario interrupted. "General Guy wishes to take back regions of Shy Guyland that were annexed by the Koopa Kingdom in recent years. I also hear the Beanbeans want to enter the war on our side. Perhaps we can do some...persuading."
February 12th, 2004. Mario and company move on their plan for a fierce and swift blitzkrieg of Koopaland, with alliances signed with the Beanbean Kingdom and Shy Guyland. All are ready for this glorious adventure, but a qualm hits Luigi.
"General Guy, this is Luigi. As a recourse, I hope we can plan out this counterattack with style. When will you declare war?"
"I'm thinking the 14th would be a great day. The Koopas won't sense it at all. I shall be pulling back those three divisions to hit the Koopa capital. What about the residue of the Mushroom force?"
"I know you're solicitous about our front, as it is the main front fighting against the Koopas. However, the Beanbeans are now entering the war on our side. We shall be able to swiftly strike them out of the Mushroom Kingdom and into Koopa soil."
"Excellent, we shall be hearing from you."
Even as they were talking, Mushroom naval and air force in the seas began their drive towards Koopaland. Staid sailors ran to open fire on the Koopa ships and sunk many of them.
With the Mushroom Air Force ready to do battle and sustain heavy casualties, dive bombers at 35,000 feet up in the air began their decline. Pouring down thousands of tons of bombs on the Koopa capital, the three armies struck back with amazing tenacity.
In the highlands to the south, the king of the Koopas' silence helped fill the Koopa ranks with aghast faces. Without ample warning, the vast armies of the Beanbean and Shy Guy nations had struck deep into Koopa territory, and Bowser was at a loss for words.
"How could this be? We were winning just days ago..."
To the other Koopas, their leader had now looked like an apparition, one who had asserted the power of the Koopa Empire by attempting to put Hesperia under the influence of Koopaland, but now had cowered in the edge of his own castle. Looking at Bowser with disdain, Larry Koopa went up to Bowser.
"Don't worry about it, Dad. We've sent our reserves to the front. We will hold until we can call upon some allies. There is a rumor that the Aiyee Yoshi Republic is fighting Mushroom forces in the northeast. We shall connect with their armies and form alliances with their armies. It is not over yet."
"Why must we get allies? It is like writing your own epitaph. We do not need allies! If we have the right ethical attitude, we will triumph!" Bowser growled, starting an uproar in the Koopa camps. It would not be that facetious for the Koopa side.
At the same time, the Mushrooms had their own discussions in an inaudible format.
"Mushroom divisions have been counterattacking Koopa divisions inside TMK with Beanbean help, and we have started a front against the Koopas' allies, the Yoshis." Toad reported to Peach.
"The Yoshis?" Peach yelled indiscriminately. "You think you are being intrigue by backstabbing our allies? Why must we turn on the Yoshis?"
"You see, Princess, it is under the jurisdiction of warfare. By forming an alliance with the Shy Guys, the Aiyee Yoshis have been sending supplies to our enemies. Though it may not sound plausible, they do not wish us to win the war anymore. Their plebeians do not wish for our victory anymore, either."
"This is ridiculous. I ask that we sign a peace with the Yoshis. We cannot fight a two-front war! It is prodigal on the Mushroom treasury!" Peach argued.
"It may be as it is. The Yoshis are in close proximity. Maybe we can make peace."
The Mushroom and Beanbean army divisions, vastly outnumbering their Koopa counterparts, began their drive back across the Kalimari Desert. Trapping Koopa divisions near the sea, Mario's army went on to pulverize the pocket of resistance.
"General Luigi, I have reliable intel on the current situation. The Goombas are going to fire on us." A top lieutenant in Luigi's army said.
"Why?"
"I have heard that the Beanbeans invaded their territory on the 15th when the Koopa armies were split into three. It seems that the Goombas are ready for a sequel and are ready to support the Koopa-Yoshi alliance."
"OK, I've got what you said. I think I see some Goomba forces ahead. Fire on them, troops!" Luigi ordered.
As Luigi's soldiers advanced in a flank position, brand-new T-93 Chinu helicopters began to fire on the Goomba positions. MK-37 tanks soon followed. Before long, the Mushrooms' superior firepower drove the volatile Goomba forces into retreat.
"Do not let them escape! Fire at will!" Luigi ordered again.
The columns of Goomba laser fighters were aloof, but not finished. In desperate style, the Goombas aimed for the helicopters with a few flak cannons and were able to shoot down a few before they themselves fell.
"Excellent work, troops. We shall advance towards the Goomba capital. Raize has not heard the last of us!" Luigi exclaimed.
Lemmy Koopa peered out of his makeshift tent at the anguished Koopa Army. It was February 18th, 2004, and things were looking horrible for the Koopas. They had lost contact with the northern factions, who had been sandwiched by Beanbean forces from the north, and Shy Guy forces to the south. The Shy Guys were within several miles of the Koopa capital.
"Why must the Koopas lose every single war?" Lemmy articulated to himself, thinking slowly, while his own brother, Iggy, basked in the warmth of the sun.
"Why? We have defects in our armies. Dad doesn't understand that finesse matters even in the privates of our Army." Iggy responded, as he continued to adjust his position on the ground, flaunting at the limelight.
"I think it's forthright that the Shy Guys wanted revenge on us for taking their land in the past wars. Why did we do that? I don't comprehend."
"What a genial place to bask in the sun..." Iggy sang dreamily.
"We're at war, Iggy! How will I instill that thought into your thick brain?"
"Quiet, you! While I am ostracizing my army to defend, you should be doing something too."
"Fine, have it your way. I think I sense a premonition...war is going to reach the capital. I fear it may be too late..."
The Yoshi divisional group continued its retreat towards Aiyee ground. Being forced back to the sea by surprise from Mushroom forces, they found shelter with the Aiyee Yoshi army divisions.
"Why did the Mushrooms backstab us? They're such damned idiots!" Yoshi008 exclaimed.
"I think the same way," Agent Alpha muttered, having his pseudonym more popular, which was Kool Yoshi. "We need to purge our command and improve the effectiveness of our division. And our nations are at war against the Beanbeans to the west. That could be lethal."
"We should make contact with the Aiyee Yoshi generals, me thinks," Yoshi348 replied. "There are so many generals that can help us. I think one of them can direct some supplies over to this region of combat."
"I agree with both of you! "I think it's time we rehabilitate this army, and send in repercussions to the Mushrooms! We will prevail!" A resolute Yoshi008 exclaimed.
Deep in the heart of Goombaland, Raize looked at a map of the Kalimari Desert. Retentive of the surroundings, the supreme commander noticed that there was a river that could be used to defend against the Mushroom advance.
"We can't be the scapegoat of this vile war. At the acme of Mount Sonji, we have installed defenses. We can attribute that to our Yoshi allies. While as the Koopas are failing in the south, I believe we can hold them off until Ewok Yoshi forces arrive with reinforcements in a few days," Raize informed his troops.
"How I see it is...we are great fighters. The Goomba Army has always been able to resist enemy invasion. However, the Beanbeans are still powerful. They belittle us as weak. It is true we are not numerous, but we definitely can hold back their superior firepower. So let's do it!" Goombario, the leading Goomba general, exclaimed.
After 15 minutes of quiet discussion, the Goomba Army sprang to action and began to organize a determined counteroffensive against the might of the Mushroom-Beanbean divisions. Goomba G-58 tanks began rapid-fire on the Mushroom infantry. Pilots of the Goomba Air Force ran into their jets, drifting them into the orange sky of the sunset.
Goombario climbed into his own jet and began starting up the jet. In doctrine, pilots needed to put on oxygen masks, but he did not and hurried to bring his fighter to the air. A few squadrons followed in suit.
Suddenly, taking everyone by surprise, Beanbean V-12 fighter jets darted towards Goombario's squadron, unleashing a volley of gunfire. Goombario was furious.
"They caught us unprepared again!" He radioed in. "OK, here's the plan. We will excise their air power with help from our flak cannons. Their exotic-looking jets may look powerful, but it's camouflage. Let's take them out with all means necessary!"
The Goomba U-85 fighters dived at the Y-12s, with helicopter backing in close pursuit. The haggard Beanbean pilots, taken completely by surprise, searched frantically for their guns and began firing. The jaunty Goomba pilots continued their assault, juncturing in a flank position and surrounding the hopeless Beanbean jets. In menial order, the Goombas had defeated an entire Beanbean squadron in minutes and was ready for the next assault.
"Excellent! Bwahahaha...I think our next step should be to mobilize our Z-99 jets." They were given to the Goombas by Aiyee Yoshi forces determined to keep the Goombas alive. "Parry our planes until they arrive. Then we will shoot all of them out of the sky!" Goombario ordered.
The arrival of Z-99s gave the Goomba Air Force a boost. The predatory jets, flying at Mach 3.5, jetted across the sky, firing down their Beanbean counterparts before the Beanbeans could even react. Within half an hour, the Beanbeans were defeated. The Goombas had won a crucial victory!
In the calm waters west of the grand capital of Koopa City, the Mushrooms had prepared an amphibious invasion fleet. The troops were ordered to land, and then to march east and to ravage the Koopa capital before the Shys Guys did.
The remnants of the Koopa navy had taken refuge in the shallow bay, taking a strictly defensive stance. While it seemed to be little more than a tawdry, the Koopa navy was still a menacing threat. It still had better weaponry than the Mushroom Navy. Toad, who was to lead the invasion, had to neutralize this danger before he could advance.
Toad was really pleased with the turncoat status of the Yoshis. He believed that in a war against the Aiyee Yoshis, the Mushroom Kingdom would be able to regain all Yoshi lands on the western continent of Hesperia. Not unassuming, he had sent Luigi's armies to attack Yoshi targets on the northern part of the continent and were driving Yoshi348's forces nuts.
"The Koopa forces have spotted us. Fire at will!" Toad exclaimed. The Mushroom battleships had opened fire on the wallowed Koopa ships, and the Mushroom aircraft carriers sent a wave of assault fighters into the air. Wavering to the side, Toad gestured the Mushroom subs to begin their rapid-fire on unsuspecting Koopa ships.
There was little support of any kind coming on the Koopa side. The bulk of the Koopa force abutted the Koopa resistance against the Shy Guy advance. In attire, Toad availed from this move and landed on the Koopa beaches with five divisions. Toad christened the name of the operation: D-Day.
As the Mushroom and Shy Guy armies closed in on their prey, General Mario led the combined army groups to the lair of the Koopas itself. Bowser had fortified the area, bringing in thousands of Koopa troops that made every house a fortress. A group of crony supported Bowser in this harsh time.
"Kamek, what should we do? Our Northern divisions have moved into Yoshi territory, linking up with Aiyee General Yoshi002 at this time. Should we make a breakout to that area?" Bowser asked his closest advisor. Kamek held a somewhat cryptic role to the people, and as a Magikoopa, he was divergent from the other Koopas who had now taken control of Koopaland.
"I think our best bet is definitely to break out. This capital cannot last a full-blown siege. We can organize a resistance force in Yoshi territory. However, it's going to be tricky. We're going to have to blow apart a section of Mario's armies. Their enmity against us is major."
"I will do as you say, Kamek. After all, the Koopa Empire must rise again. Let's use our entire army to blow a path to the north. We will prevail!"
Surprising even the gaunt armies of General Guy, Roy Koopa led the counterattack against the armies led by Mario himself. Roy Koopa was a brilliant strategist, and before long, the Koopas blew a path through the Mushroom-occupied areas within days and had retreated to the mountainous Yoshi land to continue the liberation struggle. Koopa agents infiltrated Mushroom bases and set them on fire, nullifying any Mushroom attempt to advance up the mountains. By the end of February, the Koopa capital had fallen, but the Koopas did not.
With the Koopas reduced to fighting as partisans, the Mushrooms turned their attention to the fight against the Aiyee Yoshis, which had backing from diehard Goomba patriots that fought on after the homeland fell. Supreme Commander Yoyo Yoshi had yet to send much of the Yoshi divisions to fight against them, so the Mushrooms planned to strike swiftly before General Taboo could react.
General Taboo, supreme commander of the Red Leaf, or Aiyee Army Group North, had been perceptible to the Mushroom moves, and was trying to secure more supplies for the two divisions. The Aiyee war machine had plummeted due to a war in the East. Taboo proclaimed that the Aiyee were to hold the lands in Northern Hesperia at all costs.
Taboo's fierce tenacity was matched by Luigi himself. Luigi had armed up four divisions, and was given eighteen more divisions by the Beanbeans. Luigi had the power to launch a blitzkrieg, or use a proxy and starve the Yoshi garrisons to death. He chose the first option, which rankled the Yoshis.
The Mushroom navy navigated towards the Yoshi garrisons, isolating the shrunken Yoshi navy and surrounding it in the Bay of Iglo. As scavengers, the Beanbeans sent a part of their navy to aid the Mushrooms. Before long, Taboo's navy was outnumbered four to one.
"Make battleships and subs! Quick!" Taboo ordered. "There's only naval units out there." The navy quickly understood this order and stinted all work to ships. Stoical feelings from the Yoyo himself brought an air squadron to the rescue.
With unflagging devotion to defend their shoreline, the Yoshi navy fired back, with the help of Z-99 fighters. The rapid fire was far too fast and accurate for the Beanbeans and Mushrooms to fight back. A week later, the Mushroom and Beanbean navies were found at the bottom of the bay. The Yoshis had won the crucial naval battle.
Frustrated by a lack of progress on the Yoshi fronts and by Beanbean domination of Northern Hesperia, Toad turned his attention to the southern front against the Koopa resistance. The mountainous region was apt for the Koopas to thrive on, and they had held out, fighting for every inch of ground. Even with their supplies dwindled and under a siege, the Koopas and Yoshis' confidence never dwindled. They had kept Mario's troops completely awry. Bludgeoning some sense into Mario, Toad sent in artillery strikes to aid the advance. While as Luigi was able to conquer the Yoshi lands in the north by the May 1st truce for the 2004 Red Leaf Olympics, Mario was not able to complete the conquest of either garrison, led by Admiral Yoshi002, General Yoshi1466, General Simu, Roy Koopa, and Supreme Commander Yoyo Yoshi. They would not capitulate to the Mushrooms.
