Mario and Bowser's New Frenemy Adventure
From Bowser's Castle, With Love (Chapter Ten)
Disclaimer: Mario and co. belong to Nintendo.
Author note: See bottom notes.
Events happening during Mario and co.'s trip to and from Lichen cola:
Larry and Wendy still sat in the den, Larry nodding along to music from his laptop and Wendy preoccupied with the Playstation when the pop hit, 'I'm a Koopa Girl' played from Wendy's phone.
"Hello?… No way, sugar! Okay bye." Wendy hung up, covering her mouth in shock as she turned to her brother. "That was the debate team. My friend just called and Fungus Up went down-"
"I know of such things, now come here!" Ludwig said that the door, jolting them both and making them wonder why he seemed so disheveled suddenly.
The two koopalings followed their eldest brother to the back yard of the castle where their fleet of koopa airships rested. All of the other koopalings were there as well.
"What's the hold up, nerd?" A disgruntled Roy who still wore his number 4 koopaball jersey asked.
"You know that Kammy has trouble seeing, navigating, and remembering where her teeth are," Morton said.
Lemmy checked his wrist watch. "Good news everyone. There's been exactly zero minutes since we've been standing here."
"Lemmy-sama, your watch is drawn on your wrist with crayon. Hey, I should invent a watch that can freeze time like yours!" Iggy said, sounding reasonable for once and then unreasonable in that exact order.
Ludwig growled in annoyance as he stared at the evening sky. "Where is she?!"
"Where's what?" Larry asked. "I forgot to check your stupid builtin thing."
"Kammy! She is in possession of our family's personal airship."
Wendy giggled. "Oh, yeah. She's probably hitting all of the posh shops around town. I'd been with her if her taste wasn't so… I don't even want to think about it or I'll get fashion nightmares. Can we go back inside now? I'm getting a tan."
Ludwig tossed a balled up piece of paper at the female koopa's face, much to her annoyance. "Enough of that, or I will be sending you to go find her! Someone pick up that trash."
"I'll do it!" Lemmy sang as he rolled on his ball to get the scrap. He tossed it like a basketball into the nearest grimy overfilled trash receptacle but it bounced off of the top and hit the floor again.
Ludwig facepalm. "That reminds me. Where is our garbage collector?"
Iggy waved a hand. "Oh that! He's the one we sent with the soda's right? He hasn't been back in the castle if you check the time clock."
"Does that matter, huh?" Roy asked.
"Yes it does," Ludwig replied sharply as he marched up to Roy. "There are enough complications with news of Fungus Up going down. We need to head to the princess's castle and make our ransom case now!"
Once again, the muscle bound Roy grabbed Ludwig in a choke hold to give him a noogie.
"Lame. I'm going back inside now." Larry turned his back to leave when a large shadow appeared over him.
"Everyone run!" Morton shout.
A large doomship dove towards the ground from the skies above with a smoke trail. Everyone promptly evacuated as the ship bumped a tower on top of Bowser's Castle and crash land in the yard, digging deep into the ground and sending red dirt high into the air.
Ludwig coughed violently and shook the dust off himself. "What in Eldstar's name is wrong with that crazy woman?!"
"She shopped till she dropped!"
Ludwig tossed another scrap paper at Wendy as the door of the airship was kicked open and out came the old magikoopa woman with arms full of merchandise. She clumsily strolled where they were, the random shopping and gift bags so large they couldn't see her under it all.
"Ooh ooh ooh? Did you get me something?" Morton begged right away, following her around.
She dropped a little pink bag on the ground for him and he scooped it up instantly, ripping it up to get to it's innards.
"Bubble Candy brand eyeliner in a shade of luscious blue? Well my style is usually more dark, black, and masculine but no one ever gives me anything so I will accept, graciously, eagerly, heartily!"
Wendy's eyes were popping out of her head and not just because some dust had got in them. "Kammy girlfriend, you actually went to some neato places like Banana Bird Republic?! Zomg!"
"More alarmingly, why is the airship still on fire?" Lemmy asked.
"Blast it! Blast it all!" Ludwig ran ahead to dash inside he airship, making Kammy spin in place and drop the rest of the bags.
"The oil had not been changed before the trip!" everyone heard him yell.
Kammy adjusted her bifocal lenses and shrugged. "I knew I had forgot something. Oh well, I have an overnight spa reserved for tomorrow, dearie. I'll be needing the ship again later tonight."
Ludwig exited the ship fuming so much his face, cheeks, and everything else was red hot. "Tonight?! You have all sensors on red, the furniture wasn't nailed down so they are now strolled everywhere, and it smells like takeout. You have delayed our departure by at least several hours!"
"Yay!" cheered the six other Koopalings and one old Magikoopa who wasn't sure why she was cheering, but did it anyway to spite her pompous blue haired grandson.
It was evening in Toad Town when secret agent Jelectro Bond and the ace reporter Kylie Koopa returned to Mushroom Kingdom East hospital to get to the bottom of what was really going on. With their backs against the wall, Bond made sure the belt was secure around Kylie. The trek straight up was simple enough, aside from the spotlights that move left and right as they swept across the sides of the building, and the laser guided alarm systems which would alert the hospital's security personnel instantly.
"Thanks, Bond. This is only the fifth time I've done this in the search for a scoop. Least I don't see armed guards this time or hungry chomps. Just in case, I do have a juicy steak in the purse though."
Bond smiled at her preparation for the task at hand, but not the view upwards, because he was the one walking on the side of the building above her, providing HER the view of his butt. All of a sudden, disaster struck when a blinding spotlight caught them half way up the wall.
"Oh snap!"
"I got this, mon ami!" Bond spun while keeping one hand on the rope and shot at the spotlight with his pistol. It burst and spark, casting darkness over them once again.
"Now let us hurry before they investigate!" Bond said, pressing forward in their gravity defying stunt.
On the roof, the EMT Emery turned down her radio to hear the latest announcements on the intercom. The fog lights had just cut on moments ago and she sat lazily in a lawn chair.
"And now the total amount of Case X patients have come to sixty," the emergency dispatcher downstairs stated. "Also… this just in: We have lost a spotlight on the west side of the building. Over!"
Emery sighed. She wished something would happen since there had been no airlift patients brought in all day, and she wasn't permitted to meddle around, though she certainly had anyway. She found that the Case X patients were held in their rooms, some alone, others in groups and all tied down to their beds. All had in common the consumption of various sodas right before the fall out. Emery was so distraught she went straight to her mother but was told to shut up essentially. Little did that matriarch and head nurse know, mostly due to not spending much time with her daughter outside of work, Emery lacked the air of obsequiousness of other toads and did the logical thing. Untie several at once and cause rampages until Emery was caught herself and restrained.
Now she was back on the roof alone and not fired only because no one wanted to replace her job position, shackled now with a ball and chain. She was suddenly startled by noises near edge of the roof.
"Who goes there?!"
"It's me and we're here to investigate stuff!" Kylie said as she and Bond climbed over the edge. Neither showed any signs of exhaustion as they quickly abandoned the ropes and belt evidence they had to espionage. They joined her at her station, consisting of the chair, radio, laptop connected to the hospitals' mainframe and big bulls-eye target for airships to land if that could be counted.
"Case X? Guys, I already figured it all out!" Emery beamed proudly.
"You.. have, mon ami?" Bond asked, eyeing her curiously. "I am Jelectro by the way, and I see you and Kylie know each other already."
Emery shook his outreached hand. "Uh huh, we went to college together. Sir, you look like a noki to me rather than a jelectro, but I won't judge. Not even the sunglasses at night part. I like your style actually, like are you from around here?"
"Yes and no," he answered truthfully. "What have you found, miss?"
Emery described what she saw in her own words. By the time she was done talking, Bond was already heading down stairs.
"Bond?" Kylie called.
"I will meet back up with you!" he said, not turning back.
Emery sat in her lawn chair. "Whoa!.. That was weird. Who is he again?"
"Just.. a dude that really needs to see a relative I guess." Kylie could have sworn that he once told her that he didn't have any family…
"Oh okay. I would have found out more if I didn't get myself stuck up here until midnight when my mom gets off work. See?" She pointed to the ball and chain. "Gosh, this sucks!"
"It does." Kylie knew a way out of that sort of thing but thought it best to not get the youngster in anymore trouble. "If you say it's soda, I'm thinking contamination." Kylie flipped back a few pages in her notebook. "It hasn't happened in a while but me and that ol' Mitch back in the day exposed a few companies who tainted their sealed foods and such, but that was a bit before your time. We couldn't even afford cellphones then."
"When was that?!" Emery gasped. "The stone ages?"
"Close. The 90s, whatta era. Anyway, I doubt these big businesses have fallen into that trap again. Maybe someone on the outside has done it. Think about it. What unites us all together? Young, old, whatever?"
"Watching the Mushroom Bowl on tv?"
"After that."
"When Zip T. comes to town?"
"No, sis. It's soda," Kylie said in a tone verging on annoyance. "They're super popular and sponsor Mario sports. If don't care about your health you drink it. If want to pretend to care about your health, you drink it, just in diet. If you're rich and fancy, you still drink it but you call it 'pop' so you don't sound like us normal poor folk. You said you didn't notice a pattern among the sick, so someone wanted to target mass amounts of people, and knew exactly how to do it."
"Wow! That was awesome, but I'd already figured that out because that's all we drink at school! I even know how the mystery assailant did it. By means of a teleporter to teleport the germs in the can."
Now Kylie was the one eyeing the young girl curiously. "Umm, well we still need to figure out what's up with this hospital. You haven't already figured that out, have you?"
"No, I'll leave it to you guys. You should probably leave. Like, we have cameras."
Then, Kylie thought she heard a low growl of a hungry guard chomp.
...
Bond was on the third floor of the hospital in search of Agent N's niece. The hall was lined with doors and he'd surely be detained before he could search them all. A nurse was came around the corner pushing a cart with a laptop on it playing a video of the Koopa Winfrey show. "You get a new kart!" she said to a goomba family. "You get a new kart!" she then said pointing to a homely looking hammer brother. "And YOU get a kart!" she finally said to a toad family of five who looked like bums with dirty patched together clothes and unkempt hair. (They would later be revealed as professional con artists in post production.)
"I gotta get on this show!" the shy guy nurse said, so preoccupied with his viewing of the magnanimous talk show host that he walked past Bond as if he was invisible.
"Excuse me sir, I'm looking for a young yoshi girl," Bond said.
"Room 888," the nurse droned, never turning away from the computer.
"Excellent." Bond thought, knowing his powers hadn't failed yet.
Inside the dimly lit room were five people strapped down to beds. Bond inched closer. Some lay motionless while others squirmed around moaning, with Agent N's niece being one of the latter. It became obvious by sight and smell no less, that patient in the room had been tended to for at least several hours.
Bond rubbed between his eyes, feeling sick suddenly. He slipped out of the room and marched straight to the elevator before hesitating.
"Merde," he lament.
Kylie was also having second guesses. She went straight downstairs to speak to Emery's mother, but stopped short when she saw the dark mushroom behind the glass receptionist window. It was certainly the right toad, but Nass was looking baleful in the unlit office with only the screen of her computer casting shadows on her normally flat features, now seeming to be permanently contorted into a scowl.
Biting back reservations, Kylie pressed on. She knocked on the glass and Nass's white face met hers.
"You again?!"
"Well, since I'm in. You might as well answer stuff."
"You are not a patient and I am not obligated to share any of our secrets."
Kylie thought she must have imagined she heard that last word. "But, I am actually. You see, my back still hurts from when your two Glitzville rejects tackled me like a pancake! Why aren't you treating anyone?"
"We are only following protocols from our superiors!"
"Who? Cause it ain't the princess. I saw you kick her out with my own eyes and I took pictures too, so don't try nothing funny!"
Kylie didn't know what was going to happen next with the glare she received.
"...Why don't I refer you to Doctor Professor Koopa? He's right around the office, thank you," Nass said icily.
Kylie shrugged it off. "I will. Thanks..."
She found Dr. Professor Koopa's office locked up and empty, not that she was expecting anything else. Back near the lobby, but out of sight of Nass was Bond sitting down when she returned.
"The relative is here," he said with an edge in his voice before Kylie was close enough to sit down.
"Good?… Or is that bad?"
Bond grabbed her arms suddenly but kelp his tone down. "Can I trust you to not reveal to anyone my association with this matter? Someone has hired members of the staff to hold the Case X patients here without treatment!"
Kylie froze. "How the heck did you figure out that crazier than a dayzee plot?!"
Bond drew a blank for an explanation. Somehow, I used by special alien brainwave technique to read it off of a nurse in passing (telepathy), didn't seem like an appropriate reply.
"It can't all be traced back to me, right? I never thought about cameras.."
Zoo Diddley then hummed along to the radio for a moment, as if that brief panic attack never happened, while his cab cruised through Toad Town. He was actually the driver, and the cabbie his passenger, but it still was his cab. He'd paid for exactly seventy percent of the tab earlier after all. By the way, his passenger was actually stuffed in the trunk. The windows were rolled down and cool breezes blew that neck tie in the air, now attached to its original owner and hanging out of the back of the car.
"I mean, like yeah, I did deliver it to the two freaks uh, what's even their name?" Zoo slapped his forehead. "Whatever, I delivered two sodas at the tennis game and then left one at a house. The rest I dumped all at this free drink stand."
After a while of swerving in and out of lanes, Zoo laughed wildly.
"You know in Dark Land, this could have never worked. Everyone would have known that a free soda must be poisoned or something.."
He'd always loved how the city looked at night and it went alone perfectly with the talking to himself like a loon. People aimlessly walking the streets, the businesses selling over priced power ups, bums living in boxes, that sort of deal was one thing he missed about living in Toad Town before getting a job at Bowser's Castle. But, it would be time to get back. He was still on the clock…
Trying to figure out where to go next, Zoo stopped the car where Starman Lane met the far end of Royal Raceway for a moment apparently too long. He saw in his rear view the honking car behind him. The dark boo got out as the driver of the muscle car did. The purple pianta wearing a blue jacket towered over Zoo, being at least six feet tall.
"What's da hold up?!"
"The hospital must have gotten up and moved since I last lived here," Zoo said, more to himself than the burly pianta who then shoved him down to the pavement with ease.
The pianta's passenger in the car, another just like him only with blue skin tossed a two foot long wrench to his partner. Zoo shot up from the ground just in time to be cracked over the head with the over sized tool.
"We bust him up something good, eh?" the wrench carrying pianta gloated before seizing suddenly. The wrench fell from his hands as he grabbed his neck. His face became a pale pink and his black eyes began to bulge. Zoo took that moment to pick up the wrench and bash him in the face one good time. The giant fell backwards, now holding his face and crushed nose.
"Oh s-" The guy in the car didn't get to finish the expletive before Zoo broke out the windshield with the wrench, making glass rain on him. The pianta dashed out of the car and ran aimlessly down the sidewalk, shoving past people who didn't seem to notice or care of what had transpired. Zoo simply tossed the new weapon in the backseat into the cab and drove off as another song he liked began to play.
"So, yeah. Have you even owned a phone before? The Mushroom Press had this cool one." Zoo frowned as he heard an imaginary reply. "Screw you, then. That's why you're stuffed in the trunk. Oh, look! Tourists! I'll ask them."
With the sound of something scraping, Zoo pulled on the sidewalk of a playground that was in Toad Town's park. In the late hour two toad children were sitting around looking bored in the play ground with no parents in sight. Zoo began to smell leaking oil, so he abandoned the car just as the cab's engine caught on fire.
"Mister?" The little boy from the sandbox lips quivered in view of the inferno.
"Hey, uh, where's the hospital?"
The boy pointed to the left. "Are you okay?!"
The other kid who was older frowned. "Do we need to call someone?" she asked.
Zoo's head was killing him to the point of seeing black spots in his vision. "Nah, I feel fine. Why are you kids just standing around?"
The two kids looked at each other for a brief second, then the boy pointed again, this time to the broken swing set on the right. It was part of a neat play area with jungle gyms and nets to climb. Almost like a circus...
"One second." Zoo rescued the bloody wrench from the backseat and only got slightly burned. "Have fun." Zoo tossed it to the older girl who could barely carry it.
Not far from the hospital, Zoo simply walked as the kids thanking him became inaudible in the distance.
"I should try this prank again if I ever get a job where I have a phone. I mean, I could have pretended to be something a lot cooler I guess but, oh whatever.."
In the hospital's parking lot, Zoo spotted Mitch's Lexus. He knew it was the one. It had that dent Zoo put in the passenger rear door with his motor bike that morning. To think, that green mushroom noticed the trailer he pulled along with it and knew what was really up along with that Susie Que persona, yet here Zoo was all most getting away with all if he could tie up one loose end. Or one in a half. Cowards like Mitch didn't deserve to be considered obstacles.
"Hi, Mitch." Zoo grin inches away from the rolled down window and the toad let out an ear piercing screech of horror. Off it sped out of the lot to Zoo's not at all surprise.
Just as soon as he walked in, someone was up in his face scrutinizing him for a moment and then giving a thumbs up to the person in the reception window. Nass. 49? Not married. One kid that was birthed late. Red underwear, always. Zoo was never the best cold reader but he got what he needed, namely that he'd have to do something about the broad along with the guy he actually pulled the prank on that morning...
Doctor Professor Koopa had a folder full of contracts and checked his phone every five minutes for news of what was to come. His heart ache both from the constant running around he'd done to avoid the many questions and concerns of his fellow staff, but also out of guilt. He was fully aware that he might not have a job once this was over. Thing was, with the one million coins he'd earn, he wouldn't need one.
The doctor pulled on the door handle of his office to find it wouldn't open. His blood ran cold as he pulled again and again.
"Let me assist," said a short little man, pushing the door open with ease to allow the doctor in.
"Thank you," Doctor Professor told the man and his companion.
"No problem, fella. In fact, we've been waiting for you," the companion said. Right behind the doctor, she closed the door and locking herself and the man in. They stood with their backs against the door watching him take his seat. In that moment, Doctor Professor knew he'd mucked up.
"Who hired you?!" Kylie questioned.
Doctor Professor put his hands up. "I don't know exactly. He was anonymous until tomorrow when he would give-"
Bond flipped open the folder, making the papers fly all over the office. One landed right on his head. "He worked for a rival hospital in Giant Land and wanted to ruin the reputation here? You would really put dozens at risk for that reward?"
As Kylie thought something about that sounded familiar, Doctor Professor sunk beneath his desk. "It was only for today," he said feebly. "I've even arranged for a partner hospital to pick them all up tomorrow and Nass ealier sent for a special agency to pick up two of the more influential that were sick. With our superiors making us drop the Princess's support, it was only a matter of time before we were out of business any way!"
Kylie went around his desk to drag him up roughly. "You're the one who dropped her, but as if that matters at this point. You agreed to conspiracy and we caught you."
A badge emerged from Bond's flowery shirt pocket. "And now you will be fixing this."
"CODE RED:: ALL STAFF REPORT TO FRONT!" the radio said.
Kylie spun towards the intercom. "What the heck?"
"Watch him!" Bond said, speeding back out the door.
Kylie stood near the doctor who shook in fear for a moment. "Now I remember, someone heard of a rumor that they wanted to sabotage you guys at the press and Steve was so proud the newspaper clips are still posted up in his office. People from Giant Land are such jerks. You ain't from there, are you?"
"O-oh no!"
Kylie was getting annoyed at the constant whimpering. "Aww, keep your tears to yourself. We exposed it and it turned out false. Or… not. Wait, you ARE sure they contacted you, right?"
Doctor Professor leaned up in his seat just enough to point to a memo on his desk, not far from the computer. Kylie saw the number of his conspirator felt herself quake. It was the public phone at the Mushroom Press! Still staring in disbelief, she heard a scream from a young lady not far from the door. She peek outside just in time to see two nurses have to drag a hysterical Emery away. Kylie quickly followed.
"What happened?!" she asked to get no reply. The front lobby was filled with many members of staff crowding around the window where Nass was stationed.
"Oh my goodness gracious!" one older nurse exclaimed, having to fan herself.
A blue shy guy that was nearest to the window ran away from it, mentioning that he was going to be sick.
A whomp doctor in white coat and with a stethoscope around his neck waddled around the corner holding a heavy set of keys. He unlocked the door into Nass's office from the side and immediately began to grumble in distress.
Kylie slipped around the nurses to see for herself. Emery's mother was head down on her keyboard with a dark crimson pool of blood originating from somewhere under her black hair. Still on the computer screen were charts and graphs like this happened abruptly while she worked. Bond came up behind her.
"She has suffered brain trauma, I feel it, but-" Bond paused. "Wait, go back to Doctor Professor Koopa's office. Now, mon ami!"
Kylie followed his orders somewhat reluctantly. Surely the blundering doctor hadn't gotten the slip so soon. Kylie checked inside to see the doctor also slumped across his desk. She shook him a few times as he just seemed sleep until some blood began to pour from his nose. A chill went down Kylie's spine as she gasped and backed up. Just then, the door opened and closed like something invisible had step out. She wasn't sure if her own brain was working at that point when she followed it outside to see the door right next to Doctor Professor's office open and close. In she barged into the other office, which had a window that was currently opening and closing itself. She heard a curse from a voice and then a whooshing sound. It was a boo.
Kylie didn't bother with locks, she hurled herself out of the window to land in the bushes. Déjà vu she thought, feeling the prickly leaves and shrubs scrap against her skin. Apparently the assailant thought so too.
"Ouch," she heard a low voice say.
Kylie sprung out of the bushes just in time to face… 'Susie Que'.
"Hey, Kylie." Zoo's smile faltered. "Oh, dang..." The dark boo ran into the darkness just as police sirens began to blare coming down the street. Before Kylie could give chase, he was gone and she didn't even get to snap a picture.
In the darkness Princess Peach opened and closed the castle doors as quietly as she could. She ran up to hug Mario, who was just dropped off the bus along with Luigi and Bowser. Boo, Alagold, and Buckenberry were dropped off earlier to their homes and Yoshi to a subway station.
"I'm so glad you are safe, but..." she let her words trail off when she saw Bowser lingering in the back.
Mario pointed a thumb. "Oh, him. We can explain."
"Yeah, he personally knows who might be responsible for the disease knocking people out at your hospital," Luigi said, feeling great until the Princess frowned.
"It is not my hospital anymore," she said quietly.
"What did we miss?" Mario asked.
"We can forget that for now, who was responsible?"
"Bowser? Come on." Mario motioned.
Bowser still stood back with his arms crossed. "How do I know I won't get shot?"
Peach pretend to be offended. "Bowser, I would never resort to such violence! You may share what you have to say." Behind her back, she gave a sign to the toad that was on the roof belly down, just itching to use his old trusty war issued super scope, but alas it wouldn't be tonight. Or would it?
Bowser came up clumsily. "Uh, yeah so I'd fired two people in the castle who'd been ordering things from Fleabay and shipping it to my castle, stealing, and caught texting too much. Their names are Sam and Slam koopa, two sumo brother twins, and we saw them on security cams doing something with soda."
Peach nodded thoughtfully. "But what did they do to soda?"
Luigi showed her his can of Lichen Cola. "See that smooth seal on the top? It's a reproduction. We could never discern a motive however."
Mario shook a fist. "Doesn't matter. We have names so now we can start our witch hunt- I mean, our justice enforcement league against them, starting tomorrow!"
"Yeah!" Luigi raised his fist.
"I agree!" Peach was suddenly into it as well.
Bowser stared in bafflement for a moment, but then submitted his own gesture involving his fist, only directed into Mario's side which sent him spiraling into Peach's sandy pathways. Bowser guffawed. "So... we're all 'cool' right now? I mean, at least until the next game or sport or whatever, right?"
"Sure." Mario said annoyingly getting up. "I know we butted heads at times, but we managed to make it work. Hey, is that your ride coming to get you?"
Bowser turned towards the sky, seeing his very own airship heading their way.
"We really wouldn't have gotten to this point without Bowser's soda tip."
"But I'm the one that collected most of the other clues!"
"I get that, little brother but-"
"I am sure you contributed well, Luigi."
Luigi smiled smugly. "Thank you, Princess. At least one person appreciates me."
Now the airship was above them. Bowser stood in one place waiting for the rope to be lowered, though he didn't remember calling for a ride in the first place. Ludwig Von Koopa appeared from over the edge of the deck with his blue hair and black jacket flowing in the wind.
"It is I, Ludwig Von Koopa, representing the masterful Koopa Troop!" he announced loudly.
Other Koopalings and even Kamek peered over the edge with him but it didn't have the effect they thought it would. Mario and Luigi and even Peach were waving back up at them with smiles.
"I want to express my gratitude to the work of your King today!"
Ludwig stared at Peach like she'd grown another head. "Whatever are you talking about? Have you noticed what has been going on today, or are you plumb stupid?"
Mario laughed dryly. "He's my favorite with those empty threats."
"Wendy is mine..." Luigi giggled and waved making the female koopa on the ship flirtatiously wave back until Kamek glared at her.
"Why ain't you picking me up already?! Am I supposed to jump?" Bowser growled.
"Ah, well uh, we wanted to announce that.. your friends and others around town have the Mushroom Flu and.. uh, if you do not hand over the princess-" Ludwig slap his forehead in frustration.
"Excuse me? I cannot understand you very well with the way you are stumbling in your speech!" Peach said like it was friendly reminder.
"Yo, they sick cause of us! Now give us the princess so I can go home!" Larry shout in desperation. The others nodded.
"Because of… wait..." The cogs in Mario's brain spun as the jovial mood on the ground began to go sour as quickly as the time limit in New Super Luigi U. "But the hospital…"
"We created the virus in our lab and used soda to distribute it out. If you do not hand over the princess right now, you will never get the cure you so desperately need!" Ludwig clarified. "I know nothing of whatever is going on in your hospitals. Why would I?"
Mario slowly spun on his heels to face Bowser, who had been just as surprised as Mario and the gang. "Umm. Bowser, did you know about this?"
The hero and villain shared no words as they stared each other down in a mix of shock and confusion, before Bowser's features contorted into a deathly ferocious look. "-What my brats meant was, you have until TOMORROW!" he roared.
Murmuring came from the airship.
"You heard me! You Mario freaks have until TOMORROW… morning to do something. Now wheel me up, stupids!"
Ludwig was about to protest before Kamek whacked him in the back of the head. "You have heard Lord Bowser. Drop the ladder!"
"See you losers!" Bowser grabbed the chain that was dropped down. The Koopa King was lifted higher and higher into the night sky. Luigi ran Peach inside the castle while Toadsworth, who was the gunner on the roof, fired to no avail. Only Mario stood still, staring into the night sky...
To be continued.
Author note: The revamp changes a few key points that will be very much worth it once you see season two.
Originally created: 3/31/18 – 4/15, 5/22, 5/29
Revamp: 8/19/18, 8/21, 8/23