The Koopaling Carnival
Chapter Twelve: Operation Rescue
"M-m…"
Dot tried to speak, but just burst into tears again. Pete put his arms around her, trying to calm her down.
Chris turned a deathly-pale face to them. "Mario…Luigi…What do we do?"
Mario and Luigi exchanged serious looks.
"What else?" Luigi said.
Chris gasped. Pete lifted his head. Dot actually stopped crying.
"Y-you mean…"
"Yep. It's-a the only thing-a we can do," Mario added.
Chris shook her head. "But you can't…You can't! You can't give yourselves up!"
Luigi smirked. "Who said we'd do that?"
"But…you said…" Pete trailed off, confused.
"What-a else would we do…" Mario said, smiling encouragingly, "than-a go and rescue Kate?"
"The biggest problem is Kate. We don't want to risk her getting hurt while we fight the Koopalings, and they're bound to use her as their safeguard." Pete closed his eyes and thought. "We need to get Kate out of there before the Koopalings know we're there, and without alerting them."
"So, we'll split up into two teams," Luigi proposed.
Mario snapped his fingers. "Exactly! We'll-a distract the Koopalings, and you guys go-a save Kate. But-a how are you gonna do-a that?"
"There's a back entrance to the fun house," Dot explained. "Maintenance purposes. You guys draw the Koopalings to the front, and we'll get Kate out through the back."
"Yeah!" They all exchanged high-fives.
"So, Operation Rescue's a go!" Chris cheered.
"Right. Now-a, Chris, Dot, Pete, and-" Mario stopped.
"Where's-a Art?"
"Oh, no!" Dot cried. "Art's gone!"
They looked all around, but there was no trace of him.
"I don't get it," Pete muttered. "What happened? We definitely would've noticed the Koopalings come over…But that means…No…Why would he leave on his own like that?"
There was a pause.
"Art loves Kate," Chris said at last. "He'd want to save her."
"But why run off?" Luigi wondered.
"He loves the park, too. He's, like, part of our family. He wouldn't want any of us to get hurt." She frowned in the direction of the fun house. "And he knows about the back entrance."
"So Art went to rescue Kate by himself?" Dot gasped, horrified. "We have to follow him, or he might get hurt, too!"
Art had decided to save Kate the moment he'd known she was in danger.
Not by giving up the Mario Brothers; goodness, no. He knew Kate. She wouldn't want to be saved that way. Besides, he just couldn't do something like that.
When they'd started talking about the back entrance, he'd started sneaking off. By time Chris had started cheering for the mission's success, he was already gone.
He had to save Kate.
He had to…because…
He loved her.
Slipping in through the darkness, he made a silent promise.
Wait for me, Kate. I'll save you.