18C - A Star-Powered Showdown

"Please, God... Please help Mario and Luigi..." Peach begged silently with her eyes closed. "Help everyone... Give them what they deserve... We deserve peace... Not tyranny... Please..."

Meanwhile, Bowser kept his eye on the depressed Mario and Luigi as they continued to struggle in their metal casings.

"Are you just gonna give me the silent treatment? Huh?" Bowser asked. After three more seconds, he spoke again. "I guess that's a 'yes', then. And I'll choose myself! Gwahahaha!"

Bowser leaned his head back with some flames licking the corners of his mouth. "But first, I'd like to make some sausages out of you! I haven't had dinner yet!" Mario and Luigi closed their eyes tight.

"Goodbye, bro...!" Mario cried.

"I'll miss you too...!" Luigi responded between sobs.

"Two Italian sausages, coming up!" Bowser declared. Just as he started breathing fire, he was hit in the mouth by two giant ice balls, temporarily freezing his lips and knocking him on his back.

Mario and Luigi, who had been bracing for their deaths, became confused at why Bowser was knocked over until their metal casings were shattered and they fell on their stomachs.

"What the freak...?" Mario muttered while looking to his left and right. Suddenly, a hand with a blue glow grabbed Mario's arm and pulled him on his feet. Mario looked up and became surprised instantly. It was Jim, who had acquired a Super Mushroom and an Ice Flower at the same time. His black eye was also gone.

"I told you you needed help," Jim said in his Super form's voice. Mario started crying tears of joy while Luigi was helped up.

"You... You came for us..." Mario whimpered. "Thank you..."

"Did you...break the metal...we-" Luigi started to ask; he wasn't crying as much as Mario.

"Yes. I did," Jim answered. "Are you okay?"

"Kind of..." Mario said before taking a deep breath. "One of our partners was killed."

"She was too young to die," Luigi added in.

"GRAAHHH! WHO FROZE MY MOUTH?!" Bowser roared while getting back up; his mouth healed quickly due to his invincibility. Jim stepped forward a couple steps.

"Take a guess," Jim replied. Bowser looked at him for a couple seconds before realizing who he was.

TEN YEARS AGO

Jim turned to Mario and said, "Let's end this now," His voice was a bit deeper as a result of his Super form.

Mario immediately got up and ran to the last remaining Mechakoopa while Bowser resumed shooting Bullet Bills. He was able to dodge them while throwing the Mechakoopa to Jim.

"Game over, Bowser!" Jim yelled. He proceeded to toss the Mechakoopa at the Koopa Clown Car's propeller, which immediately broke into small pieces since Jim's throw was mightier than everyone else's. The Koopa Clown Car began spinning very fast and flying in random directions. Jim waited until Bowser went under the hole leading to the SS Koopa's deck and leaped underneath the Koopa Clown Car before punching it upwards.

"GAAAAH! FOILED AGAIN!" Bowser screamed as he was launched through the deck door into the sky.

PRESENT DAY

"No... Not you..." Bowser murmured with disbelief.

"Oh, yes. It's me, Bowser," Jim boasted. "I'm the third Super Mario Brother!" He did a backflip and landed between Mario and Luigi. "Look what I have for you two."

Jim took out two Fire Flowers and handed them to Mario and Luigi, who used their respective powerup to turn into their Fire forms. Both felt motivated to defeat Bowser again now that they had another ally to help them.

"I have another one for me later on," Jim said.

Suddenly, Twink's voice called out from above, "Mario! Luigi! Use that Star Beam again!"

Mario wasted no time and activated the Star Beam again; this time, the beam was slightly larger and it was colored pinkish white. Three seconds later, the shield surrounding Bowser broke apart like a glass window shattering to pieces. His Star Rod power was officially gone.

"What the flip was that?!" Bowser yelled upon seeing his invincibility was blasted away. "Did you just...?"

"No time for questions!" Mario declared. "We're cooking you for OUR dinner!"

To start the next phase of the final battle, Luigi took Mario's hammer and set it on fire before Mario leaped toward Bowser's head and whacked it three times. On the third hit, Bowser began to fall back before Jim shot an ice ball at his mouth again, freezing it almost instantly.

Bowser managed to stand back up, but couldn't breath fire for now due to Jim's attack. Bowser tried to charge the group to claw them, but Luigi double-fist punched his skull, knocking him to the ground head-first. Jim then grabbed Bowser's head and pushed him forward toward Peach.

"Watch out!" Mario yelled before Peach ducked. Bowser hit the north invisible barrier and got back up after a couple seconds; the ice in his mouth melted simultaneously. He proceeded to jump back in front of Mario and friends, but Jim acted quick and hurried to Peach before smashing her metal casing and taking the tape off her mouth. His Super and Ice forms wore off a few seconds later.

"Are you okay, Princess Peach?" Jim asked as Peach picked herself up. The next thing he knew, Peach hugged Jim tight, relieved that he saved her life this time. "Oh geez! Not that tight!"

"Thank you, Jim!" Peach squealed while Jim hugged her back. "You're just as Super as Mario and Luigi!"

"It's okay. Calm down," Jim said softly before letting go of Peach. "You're getting too overexcited."

"I know! I just can't believe you're here!"

"No problem. Sit tight, Princess Peach," Jim said before running back to Mario and Luigi. As he approached the Mario Bros, Mario tossed his hammer into Jim's hands before he threw it over his head into Bowser's chest. Bowser was knocked back a small bit, but didn't fall over.

As soon as Mario retrieved his hammer, Jim took out his Fire Flower. "Is it okay if I turn on another burner?" he quipped before crushing the Fire Flower in his hand. As a result, a bright red orange glow surrounded his body and his palms were set on fire.

"It's done, Bowser!" Luigi announced as he took a battle pose.

"Oh yeah!" Mario exclaimed as he prepared himself before Jim did the same.

"Together!" Jim shouted.

All three of them threw their hands forward, screaming, "HEE-YAHH!" A giant fireball the size of Bowser emerged from their palms and rocketed toward him.

Peach braced herself at the same time Mario and friends unleashed the finishing attack. The fireball engulfed Bowser completely, thrusting him off the Power Platform with the Star Rod flying out of his hand. Since Bowser had his Koopa Clown Car keypad with him, he waited until he was out of sight before summoning his Koopa Clown Car and boarding it. He then divebombed toward the ground in an attempt to escape as quick as possible.

Mario, Luigi, and Jim ran to where the Star Rod was falling before Jim jumped up and grabbed the Star Rod with his right hand. Their Fire forms wore off after Jim landed on the platform.

"What a battle that was..." Mario panted, having been exhausted from the intense battle.

"Thanks again, Jim," Luigi thanked Jim. Before Jim could acknowledge Luigi, the Power Platform began shaking violently and loud explosions sounded from below.

"What the heck's going on down there?" Mario asked. Luigi and Jim rushed to the edge of the Power Platform and saw Bowser's Castle was being blown up.

"Mario! Bowser's Castle is blowing up!" Luigi called out, prompting Mario to run toward Peach and carry her to where Jim and Luigi were standing. Seconds later, the Power Platform also began exploding, frightening the group even more.

"What do we do?!" Peach cried. Jim scanned the area below for a quick second before setting his eyes on Peach's balcony.

"We have to jump down there!" Jim yelled.

"Are you serious?!" Luigi exclaimed with fear. "We'll die!"

"No, we won't, Luigi! There's no other way!"

"Please trust him, bro!" Mario urged Luigi. "Jim knows best!"

"Listen to him, Luigi!" Peach pleaded. Luigi grabbed Mario's right hand while Mario held Peach in his left arm. A few seconds later, Bowser's Castle exploded into millions of bricks, steel, and metal. Right as Mario and friends jumped toward Peach's balcony, the Power Platform also blew up, creating a giant shockwave. All but Mario and Peach avoided the shockwave and made it onto the balcony. Mario managed to grab the railing with his right hand, but Peach clung to his left arm, scared about falling to her death.

Luigi helped Mario up onto the balcony, but Peach's hands began to slip off Mario's arm, causing her to scream with terror.

"Grab her!" Mario ordered Jim, who quickly leaned over and grabbed Peach's left arm with both hands before pulling her up safely. She immediately hugged Mario, Luigi, and Jim at the same time, but couldn't say anything because she was crying hard.

"M-Mario...!" Peach sobbed before Luigi and Jim let go of her. She then embraced Mario tight and kissed him on the lips before Mario did the same.

"We should leave them be for a while," Luigi told Jim.

"Yeah," Jim replied before both went through Peach's bedroom toward the castle's front yard. Mario and Peach kissed and hugged each other for a couple minutes before they were ready to catch up to Jim and Luigi.