Chapter 1-3: Retaking the Capital

A few minutes later, Toadsworth arrived in the cafeteria with a group of four toads. They were wearing blue coats with scarves of the same color. One of them, who wore a special badge, was the captain. The old toad stood up on a table.

"May I have your attention, please?" The toad said.

Everyone looked at him.

"As the princess' advisor, I will go back to the castle with the blue rescue team to retake the castle from the dry creatures. I wish I could bring all of you right now but, to avoid needless casualties, I will ask you to stay here while we secure the castle. Once done, we will move all of you into the castle." The old toad explained

Once his speech done, he approached Larry who was sitting next to one of the further tables.

"You said I had to stay to avoid needless casualties." Larry jokingly said with a grin.

Toadsworth chuckled. He was used to Larry's odd sense of humor. In fact, he was used to the punk in general. The latter had been living in Grassland since the peace treaty and would often go to the Mushroom castle. He occasionally visited him and the princess.

"Come with me. I know a secret passage that leads directly to the castle." The old toad replied.

As soon as they left the cafeteria, a voice called for them.

"Wait! Can I ask you a favor?"

The doctor rushed in to the meet the group.

"Can I get a blood donation from one of the two vaccinated patients?" He asked.

"I would like to but my type is AB+." Toadsworth announced.

"I can donate. Mine's O." Larry gladly answered.

The doctor was overjoyed when he heard Larry's type. His type allowed to donate blood to everyone but could only receive from the same type. They headed into a makeshift clinic where the koopaling donated blood to the doctor.

"Thanks for the donation, sir. You action will save many people in the future. However, due to your specie, I need to rework the sample you gave to make it safe for toads." The doctor told him.

After that, the koopaling received a lollipop. Larry then followed the group to the basement. He soon realized that he was in a courthouse will all the bookcase containing folders on different cases that went on trial. There also a huge safe door at the end of the room. Toadsworth went to it and turned the wheels. After a few spins, the safe opened, revealing a tunnel.

"Do any of you have brought light?" Toadsworth asked to the group.

The rescue toads searched in their backpacks to pull out flashlight. The captain ordered his team to check their batteries. All seemed fine. Larry, however, did not bring a flashlight but had an idea on his own. He pulled the orange wand and waved it around. The wand provided a stronger light than all the flashlights together. The toads were amazed by what the koopaling could do with the royal artifact. It was then decided that Larry would provide light while the group travelled through the tunnel.

"Say, old man, how did you get out of the castle?" Larry asked.

"Well, it's a bit embarrassing. Before the meeting, the princess and I got locked into the princess' room by some of Bowser's minions. We could not open the door because something seemed to be holding it even if we unlocked it. We fell asleep for unknown reason and, once we woke up, it was complete silence. We tried to open the door again and it worked but we quickly closed it when we saw all those monsters roaming in the next room. We had to come up with a plan to escape so we took the blanket from the bed and some clothes and we made a rope. We threw it out the window and I climbed it down. Peach wanted to come too but she was pulled away and released the rope making me unable to climb back up. Good thing I was almost done climbing down the rope but I fear that something might have happened to her." Toadsworth explained.

"Do you think Bowser is behind this incident?"

"I doubt it. Bowser would never go that far. If he wanted to do something "evil", he would just kidnap the princess and try to marry her."

They kept walking until they reached a dead end. The old toad pushed a brick and the wall opened itself. The group found itself in the dungeon. The cells were obviously empty. They went to the only door the dungeon had. The stairs led to a set of corridors where many dry creatures were wandering around. Those ones used to be toads, guards and servants, but they did not have the mushroom-like head. Their head was much smaller without the mushroom on it. The rescue toads pulled nightsticks out of their backpacks.

"I would like to help you secure the castle but, with my old age, I lost my fighting spirit." Toadsworth declared.

The group discussed about a plan. The rescue team was to secure the corridors up until they reached the main hall while Larry and Toadsworth would explore the castle to check on the princess. The plan was set in motion. The rescue team started fighting the toad while doing so safely to not get hurt by them. If it happened, it was done for them. There would be no turning back and they would turn into dry monsters. The two others left the corridors and climbed many stairs. On the way, they encountered dry creatures but it was no big deal for Larry's fighting skills. They suddenly started hearing fighting that came from upstairs. They followed the sound until they reached a large blue room with a giant grandfather clock. Many of the dry creatures inside were already defeated. They noticed that someone was fighting more of those monsters. Once it was done, the person turned back and saw the two other survivors. This person was a princess: she was wearing a long and beautiful pink robe with a cyan gem necklace around her neck. She had long blond hairs and was wearing a crown on the head. She also wore long white gloves that covered her arms entirely.

"I remember… Princess Toadstool… Peach…" Larry whispered.

I was late at night, only a week after their adoption. The koopalings where playing in the living room with various toys when they heard voices. They recognized Bowser's voice but could not tell who the other person was. They suddenly stopped playing and listened to the voices.

"I can't believe my dad forced me to see you after you kidnapped me years ago."

"I know. It's a bit ridiculous from your father to ask you such thing but you'll notice that the atmosphere around here changed a lot."

"Oh really? Let me guess. You bought more soldiers to kidnap me again."

"Nope!"

"You kidnapped the Mario brothers?"

"Nuh-uh!"

The footstep came closer to the door. The koopalings stood up and gathered around the closed door where the voices came from. They were curious to see who the other person, the one their father was talking to, was.

"I would like you to meet…"

The door opened with both Bowser and a princess entering the room.

"…my CHILDREN!" Bowser said.

The princess gasped after seeing the seven kids gathered around them. Bowser moved behind his children and sent the blue haired one with a single tooth coming out of his mouth.

"This is Ludwig. He's my oldest child at ten years old."

Ludwig did not say anything but he bowed down to the princess. He preferred that over just saying hi. Bowser sent the kid that stood on a ball.

"This is Lemmy. Despite being the shortest, he's nine years old."

"Hi!" Lemmy said while waving both hands.

Lemmy did not have orange lines tattooed on the back of his head or a ponytail when he was younger. The king sent the big kid with the sunglasses.

"This is our boy, Roy. He's eight years old and the strongest of his siblings."

"Hey!" Roy said while tipping his sunglasses.

It was one of the very few times where someone could see his eyes but Roy did not remove them long enough to allow anyone enough time to see his eyes color. Bowser then sent the kid with the big glasses.

"This is Iggy. He's seven years old and the smartest of my kids."

"Hello!" Iggy nervously said while waving a single hand.

At the time, Iggy had the same haircut as Lemmy with the same coloration too. Bowser sent his only daughter.

"This is Wendy. She's six years old and my only daughter."

"Evening!" Wendy said.

Bowser sent the kid with a darker skin than the others.

"This is Morton. He's five years old."

"HI!" Morton shouted.

King Bowser sent his last child. Larry was timid and scared. He used to be a victim of his siblings and was still afraid of them. He slowly walked to the princess and looked at her face. This beautiful sight reassured him. He smiled at her.

"At last but least, this is Larry. He's the youngest at four years old."

Larry had four fangs coming out of his mouth and no star tattoo on his head. Despite his age, he was not able to speak so he only waved at her.

"Alright, kids, this is Peach, the princess of the Mushroom Kingdom. I wish she could spend some time with us but we have things do to. Keep playing with your toys while the princess and I discuss about adult stuff. Maybe if it's not too late you can play with her." The king said.

The two adults left the living room. The koopalings returned to their toys but Larry had to go to the bathroom. After that, he heard voices, one of them he recognized as Bowser's. He followed the voices until he reached a closed door. He stood next to it and eavesdropped on the conversation.

"Where did you get them?"

"I saw them while doing a play. I went to their orphanage and decided to adopt all of them."

"What are you planning with them?"

"I only plan to raise them as my children like any other parent would do."

"Don't play stupid with me! You obviously know what they are."

"Indeed, there are children in need of love and I intend to deliver them what they need."

"Don't you dare fool me, you big fat turtle! They are the members of the royal families thought extinct."

"I do not know what you are talking about."

"Don't pretend you've been living under a rock for all those years!"

"I will have you know that I was not raised among society, far away from any civilization, so there are still many things I do not know about the world. Also, I never had any real parents of my own. I was raised by Kamek but I could never see him as a father or at least a father figure. He only cared that I would ascend to the Koopa throne so he did not raise me as his child. You have to understand that I only want to bring to them something I never received in my childhood: love."

Someone quickly stood up inside. The door abruptly opened almost crushing Larry behind it. He withdrew in his shell, afraid to be crushed. He saw the princess walking away fast. She turned back.

"One day, I'll expose you and your plan on retaking the continent! You'll see!" The princess furiously said as she left into the corridor and vanished.

Bowser slowly tried to walk toward her while Larry was still hiding behind the door. He stopped walking. The princess was already too far for him to catch up anyway but he did not mind. He had something else in mind. The punk slowly emerged out of his shell without making any noise.

"How much did you hear?" The king randomly asked.

He was not directly looking at the koopaling but the latter knew that he was speaking to him. He started trembling. Even if he could speak, he would not be able to. The king slowly turned back and went toward his child. He picked him up.

"It's time to go to bed." King Bowser sighed.

They went to the bedrooms where all the other koopalings were already in their bed awaiting Bowser to kiss them goodnight. Bowser entered Larry's room and put the child in his bed.

"When you'd be able to speak, I'd have some jobs for you." He said out of nowhere.

Larry was not sure what he was talking about. Why would his father offer a job to him at such a young age? Maybe those jobs would just be chores like tidying his bedroom or helping the servants to wash the dishes. The king kissed him on the forehead and went to the doorframe.

"Goodnight, my little koopaling." He whispered.

He turned off the light and closed the door. The room went pitch black. Larry was still concerned about what Peach said regarding him and his siblings. It took him some time before he could get to sleep.

It took a while before Peach was finally convinced that Bowser finally changed for the better and that he was raising the koopalings as his own children. Over the years, she occasionally visited the king and his family. Those visits however reduced in frequency when Bowser had a new child. The princess walked toward Larry and Toadsworth thanking them for coming to her rescue. The group went downstairs to meet up with the rescue team. Everyone was fine which was a miracle considering how easy it was to get infected.

"We secured everything from here to the basement." The captain reported.

"Very good! It's now time to escort the toads from the courthouse to here. Use the secret passage to do so." Toadsworth replied.

The rescue team left the main hall. The old toad looked at the punk.

"To hold my side of the bargain, I'll tell you everything I know about athleans."

"Are you sure it is a good idea?" The princess asked.

"He has to so he can understand why he is able to wield and use the orange wand. He is old enough to know the truth. To start out, Athlean is one of the eight royal drakoopa families that descended from the Creator. They used to rule the seven lands and the Koopa Kingdom a long time ago. Your family was ruler of Grassland which explains why you are able to use the orange wand. Athleans are also known to be very athletic and know a unique sign language that they use to communicate confidential information. No one was able to fully translate their sign language since it derives significantly from the standard one. They mastered at least one sport and were expert at many others. Athleans often worked as spies starting at a minimal age of five."

"What happened to them? Why am I the only one around?" Larry asked.

"A conflict erupted between the royal families causing them to fight each other to death. The weakened ones were betrayed by the people of their own lands thus ending the Era of Drakoopas. I am still not sure how Bowser, you and the others survived and I am even more confused that Bowser has a pure-bred child. That is all I know."

The koopaling nodded. His curiosity was finally fulfilled but this added more questions to his mind. Though Toadsworth already told him everything he knew, maybe someone else in Amarioca would be able to answer those new questions. Was he always named Larry? What caused the drakoopas to fight each other? The princess approached him.

"To thank you, I want to offer you a place to stay for the time we successfully rebuild our kingdoms. You can choose the room that you like the most."

The princess showed the koopalings all the rooms she could lend him. In the end, Larry chose a door with a star on it. Unlike the others doors, which also had the star as well as a number, his choice did not have one. Inside, the room had a king-sized bed placed under a giant portrait depicting marching bob-ombs. While he was installing himself in his room, he overheard a conversation between Peach and Toadsworth. Larry went to his door and slightly opened it.

"Toadsworth, I want to thank you for all the help you brought through all those years."

"You're welcome, your highness, but I am only doing my job."

"I know that but you're growing quite old and I feel that you should slow down a bit."

"I'm sorry, your highness, I wish I could but the job of an advisor does not stop at saving her highness. It goes far beyond that."

"I know but you've been working for the kingdom since my father was on the throne. I simply wish that do you not risk your life too much. You don't have to do everything for me. At your old age, you should just be at my side."

"But who will be out there to supply us? Who will go to protect and serve the ones in need?"

"Toadsworth, we have plenty of people that can do all of that."

"I presume you are right, your highness. I guess I could step down a little bit and leave the harder tasks to the young ones."

They both left upstairs. The koopaling decided to go upstairs too. The second floor was just a balcony for the main hall. Three doors were on the second floor: One to the left led to a kitchen, one to the right had a dining room behind it and the double door in the middle led to the third floor. Larry took the double door and went up some spiral stairs. The third floor contained a big room with two doors and more stairs that led to the princess' throne room and bedroom. The first door led to a barrack where visitors and guards could reside while the other door was Toadsworth's room. The koopaling spotted Toadsworth sitting down on a chair next to a chess table while reading a book. The punk sat down on the other side of the chess table.

"Wanna play some chess?" Larry asked.

The old toad chuckled. He played chess many times against anyone that dared to underestimate his skill due to his old age. He put the book away and looked at the punk.

"Sure thing but I'll have you know that I'm a champion at chess." He replied.

They started a game of chess that lasted for dozens of minutes. Toadsworth was expecting to finish the game with a few moves but his opponent proved to be cleverer than he anticipated. Never in his career as a chess champion has he played against someone that made him struggle so much and rethink all his strategies. His opponent always seemed to have the perfect counter against the champion. Eventually…

"Checkmate!" Larry declared.

Toadsworth was baffled. He was beaten at his own game to someone he played against for the first time.

"How did you do that? How long have you been playing chess?" The old toad asked.

"I don't rely on my chess experience to play because I barely played chess in my entire life. I instead analyse my troops and yours and rely on those two factors to take action." His opponent answered.

"It all makes sense then. The way you play chess does not reflect on the experience with the game but on your leadership. You used the strategies that you learned from leading your siblings and put them against me. I never though a mere game would reflect so much on real life things. I'll admit defeat but one day I'll beat you and claim back my title of champion."

"You never lost your title. We were just playing a friendly game of chess."

Larry stood up and headed downstairs. The old toad followed him. The rescue team came back with a few toads and was about to lead them to the barrack upstairs. The koopaling headed to the main entrance.

"What are you doing, Master Larry?" Toadsworth asked.

"I'll first clean the courtyard a little bit then take a walk in town. Besides, someone has to step up to resupply the people, right?"

The old toad was surprised that someone overheard his conversation with the princess. The koopaling left the castle.