Bowser Jr. opened his eyes. He yawned briefly before becoming visibly alert. His eyes began to darted around the room, trying to determine where he was. This did not lead to a conclusion, so the Koopa prince decided to move. Grunting, he lifted himself off the ground. Bowser Jr. appeared to be in some sort of closet.

There was a mop that was leaning against the wall, and beside it leaned a large, wooden broom. A huge rake was laying in a messy heap on the floor. All of its extensions were laying in various ways around it, detached and chipped. Astonished for several moments, Bowser Jr. walked over to the broom. He tried to lift it, but it was too heavy, even with both of his hands going at their fullest. He gave up, and attempted to lift the mop. The dampness of the water was giving the mop more weight than it truly had, and Bowser Jr.'s arms soon became sore. This wasn't because he was weak, over course. It was because of what had happened the last time he was conscious.

He and his father, Bowser Koopa, Senior, had been walking underground, using their fiery breath to guide them on their journey. This was because of the lack of light they had expected from Ludwig, Roy, Wendy, and Larry, who had been trailing behind them, discussing their plans of treason. The four siblings had whispered in order to make as little noise as possible. Bowser and Bowser Jr. had just kept walking, completely oblivious to what some of their most trusted minions were discussing.

Eventually, the dimness had gotten bad to the point where even the royal Koopas' flames weren't working. To top that off, Bowser Jr. had been exhausted to the point where he couldn't breathe fire, as he was not the most experienced. Bowser's throat had become clogged thanks to all of the mysterious substances in the cavern, so his breathe went away.

Right when Bowser and Bowser Jr. had turned around to make a request to the Koopalings, the two of them had immediately noticed that the siblings were gone. Not only had the Koopalings disappeared, but they had taken their magic wands, their light source, with them. Bowser had yelled loudly in anger at the Koopalings' treachery.

"Junior...when I find them, I'm gonna rough them up to the point where they can't breathe fire anymore!" Bowser yelled, clenching his massive fists as tightly as he could. Bowser's eyes then changed shape. Bowser placed his hands over his head, and held the latter body part down. Bowser Jr. got closer to him, and could hear his father sniffing. "We're never gonna see Peach again...," Bowser began, turning away from his son. He knew it was a bad idea to show his son his empathetic side, so he avoided eye contact and covered the tears. "And it's all because of those damned KOOPALINGS!"

Bowser had then fallen on his stomach, covering his face. The heir to the Koopa Throne sighed passively as he watched his father sob on the ground. Giving a slight smile to no one in particular, Bowser Jr. had knelt down to sit at his father's side. Bowser's face had lifted as soon as he felt his son's hand on his shoulder. Bowser Jr. sadly looked into his father's eyes.

"Don't worry, Dad," Bowser Jr. stated. He replaced the sad expression for a brighter one, and smiled. "We'll see Peach again. I just know."

Bowser's body visibly reacted to the statement. Bowser's rhuemy eyes darted towards his son. Bowser Jr. nearly jumped at his father's visible flexibility. "Oh yeah?! Do you now, Junior? Of course you DON'T! You don't know anything besides all the tricks and techniques I've taught you! Without me, you wouldn't even EXIST in the first place!"

Bowser's statement had visibly upset Bowser Jr. The younger Koopa looked sadly at the ground, water dripping from his cheeks. Bowser immediately felt remorse for his actions. He quickly reached for his son. "Junior! I'm sorry! I shouldn't have said-!"

"Dad...I'm not the same kid you tricked into believing your crush was his mother. I've matured since then. It might not be much, but I now have the skills to perform my own plots. I say this, Father, because I want to thank you for teaching me everything you know. This is why I want to take over the Koopa Troop when you step down."

"Hearing you say that cheers me up a little, but it still doesn't hide the realization."

"Dad, what are you talking about?" Bowser Jr. had asked.

"I'm talking about the fact that I'm a terrible father, Junior! I've put my interests and goals before my own son! You always end up having to face two grown men that I'm not strong enough to defeat! My ambitions always lead to you getting hurt in some way!" Bowser had then paused. He had put his hands over his face in order to cover his eyes, which by now were glistening with moisture. "I first met those two pests when I was still a baby. This was back when the true leader of the Koopa Troop was Kamek! At this time, the Koopa Troop was nothing more than a few collections of Goombas, Koopa Troopas, and Shy Guys. Anyways, Kamek kidnapped Luigi and brought him back to the castle. Mario, as a baby, had landed on Yoshi, who then proceeded to help him get Luigi back. For our fight, Kamek transformed me into a huge version of myself...,"

Never heard that one before, Bowser Jr. thought sarcastically.

"Even as a giant fighting a dinosaur and a raisin-brained baby, I lost. This turned into an intense hatred between him and I. We've battled for decades!" The mood there had then intensified. "And now, I put my son, my own flesh and blood, into the fight. Do you see it now, Junior? I'm a failure as a father," Bowser had said.

"No you're not, Dad. You've accomplished many great things, and I plan to do the same once I grow up!" Bowser Jr. had yelled.

Bowser's eyes were filled with both pride and remorse. He had turned away from his son, trying to think of what to say. Bowser Jr. had done the same, sitting with his shell to his father's. Bowser had then thought of what to say. "Look, Son. I know you may have different thoughts of people. By that, I mean less intense hatreds."

"Dad, I just believe we can make it out of here. The Koopalings did, and you're stronger than all of them put together," Bowser Jr. had said, attempting to raise his father's spirits.

"You really think so?" Bowser asked, still not facing his son.

"Well, yeah!" Bowser Jr. had exclaimed. He had then walked over to his father. He extended his arm towards him. Bowser looked at his son with newfound respect. "C'mon, Dad. We've got a princess to find!"

Bowser Jr. had been separated from his father for quite some time now. He wished to reunite with him, but the latter was nowhere in sight. The two had parted waves when they came across two pathways underground. Bowser had trusted Bowser Jr., so he had told his son to go one way while he went the other. Unbeknownst to Bowser Jr., Bowser had been placed in captivity since his fight with Lemmy and Larry.

Well, then. Sitting around isn't gonna get me anywhere. I should probably go find Dad, and the Koopalings too, Bowser Jr. thought. He then walked over to the closet door. He pushed it open, and walked outside. He glanced down both ends of the stone hallway, and saw nothing. He glanced upwards, and saw a large chandelier hanging above him. Don't people usually put those in important rooms?

Bowser Jr. then shurugged, and started to walk down the right hallway. He traveled at a steady pace, just moving enough to the point where his ponytail slightly waved to the left, and then to the right. The floor was checkered with tiles that were of the colors gray, and dark gray. The walls held various emblems and insignias. Coming to the end of the hallway, Bowser Jr. spotted a large green door.

He opened it, and saw a large room. It seemed to resemble a living room, as there was a couch and a T.V. in the room. Bowser Jr. looked around around for quite some time before leaping onto the couch. T.V. first, Dad and the Koopalings later, he lazily thought. Bowser Jr. laid there, lazily viewing what was currently on the T.V. station.

"Hip? Hop? Is that you?"

Bowser Jr. froze, trying to maintain a steady heart rate. He made no sound except for the tiny sound he made when he both inhaled and exhaled. The owner of the voice appeared to be growing agitated as his question was unanswered. Bowser Jr. had a rustling sound, and his eyes nearly leapt out of their sockets when he heard the sound of reptilian feet slapping the floor.

The sounds stopped just seven feet from where Bowser Jr. laid. The Koopa prince listened breathlessly as the person's breathing seemed to pick up. The mysterious person emitted a sound that appeared to be them yawning.

"Or is that you, Cheatsy?" The mysterious person's voice had a hint of scorn in it, as if the person had some sort of negative history with Cheatsy. The person sighed again. It was a heavy exhale of air that made Bowser Jr. regret making the decision of procrastinating on a rescue mission.

"If it is you, you better come out now. I've getting tired of all your little pranks and jokes. Just because I gave you your allowance, you assume I can't take it away."

Bowser Jr. refused to move once again, and the person stomped their foot on the floor. Using his peripheral vision, Bowser Jr. could see a large, green fist being waved into the air. "I'm not kidding, Cheatsy. Come out and show yourself, if you're man enough to do so, that is. I will ground you as well if you don't come out quickly enough, so time is of the essence," the mysterious person said.

"Alright, that's it!" the person yelled. They then walked steadily towards the couch. Bowser Jr.'s muscles stiffened. Although he knew he could outrun the person due to their large footsteps, how would he fare against the person in an actual fight? Bowser Jr. didn't want to find out. The person reached the fpur-feett marking, and continued to walk. Bowser Jr. need to be ready. "Three-feet marking...two-feet marking...one-foot marking. The second the person reached the left side of the couch, Bowser Jr. was already quietly crawling up the stairs. As the person continued to search, dumbfounded, Bowser Jr.'s pace quickened into a silent sprint. The second the person redirected his attention, to the stairs, Bowser Jr. was already around the corner. However, the person had heard his footsteps.

"Hey! Get back here, you coward!" the person yelled.

The person neared the stairs, and ran up them as quickly as he could. Bowser Jr. was running down the carpeted hallway when he heard the person reach the top of the stairs. The person took a breather for a few seconds before resuming the chase. He had lost sight of Bowser Jr., but he still knew he was in the general area.

Bowser Jr. knew this too, so he needed somewhere to hide. Glancing around, he saw that the hallway was filled with quite a few doors. He decided that he could hide in one of these rooms and wait until the person left. Bowser Jr. then bolted towards a door, punched it open. He then closed it quickly. Bowser Jr. inhaled and exhaled several times while leaning against the door.

"Bowser Jr.? What are you doing here?"

Bowser Jr. quickly turned his head to see Princess Peach standing in a large cage next to a large bed. Her facial expression showed that she was very tired and stressed out. She also showed that Bowser Jr.'s arrival greatly surprised her.

"Well...my Dad, the Koopalings, and I came here to rescue you, I guess," Bowser Jr. said, rubbing his shoulder. "Although, it feels weird to be rescuing someone. Usually, I'm the capturer."

"Yeah, yeah, don't remind me," Peach said, ending that part of the conversation. Bowser Jr. then turned to face her in order to "apologize", but instead noticed various bruises and burns that were littered across her face and dress. His eyes widened in shock as the Princess looked out him with a semi-friendly grin.

"What happened to you?" Bowser Jr. asked, pointing at her face.

Peach frowned again this action. "Um, Bowser Jr., pointing at people like that is considered rude. Especially to someone like me. I'm someone who treasures formalities," Peach said, holding her left arm over her chest.

"Sorry, Peach, but manners ain't exactly my specialty," Bowser Jr. replied.

"Ugghhh, you're forgiven," Peach responded. She then turned her head, and Bowser Jr. saw a large scratch on her neck. Bowser Jr.'s eyes widened once again. "If you're wondering what these scars are, just know that they're punishment for whenever I refuse to give King Koopa what he wants."

Bowser Jr. gasped. "Wait, you don't mean-."

Peach nodded. She then sighed. "Yep. A kiss."

Bowser Jr. breathed a sigh of relief. One day in the past, Bowser had dropped Bowser Jr. off at the Koopalings' house while he went off with King Boo and Petey Piranha to "take care of business". That day, nothing fairly interesting happened. At least, that was what Bowser Jr. thought. That day, he, Lemmy, and Larry had spent the entire afternoon watching movies and eating popcorn. At four o'clock that afternoon, Ludwig came down the stairs. Since no one else was going to, Ludwig had decided it was time to talk to Larry about something. Ludwig signaled to Larry, and began to slowly walk up the stairs. Bowser Jr. excused himself from Lemmy's movie spree. Lemmy had said it was alright, then got into a gaming marathon with Iggy. Bowser Jr. waited until Ludwig and Larry went into Larry's room. By the time the two brothers exited the room, Larry's pupils had shrank. Ludwig walked back downstairs, while Larry stayed upstairs. Bowser Jr. walked out from behind Larry's door. He had the same expression as Larry.

The door to the room opened, and King Koopa entered. Bowser Jr. jumped backwards. Due to his amateur status when it came to breathing fire, he still didn't have the spark needed to melt Peach's cage. Both he and Peach stared at King Koopa as the latter stared at them.