Chapter Forty-Seven: Showdown
Let me clarify something...this story is not dead. It hasn't even been too long since I've last updated. I've read fanfictions where there are months in between chapters. I intend to finish this story, I really do. I imagine it'll definitely be finished before this year's over. However, I have several writing projects I'm working on and this one isn't my top priority. As such, when I have time to write, I'll usually end up working on something a little more serious than this, which is the reason why I've been updating slower than you're all used to. However, I am still planning to finish this story and hope to have as short of a wait between chapters as possible. Please understand this and be patient...I won't leave you all hanging, never knowing how the story ends!
The wind whipping at his face, Cobal leapt from the Clown Car he had taken from the battleship's hold. He landed firmly on the platform made of solid, golden light Princess Peach was hovering over. It was smooth, almost like glass. On either side of him, he could see the two huge fleets, which had paused in their fighting, and below him was the strangely calm sea, strewn with the wreckage of the destroyed vessels.
Cobal and his friends' flight to the princess had happened without any difficulty. Both the Bowser loyalists and the Neo Empire soldiers were probably waiting for their superiors' commands, although Cobal knew he'd have to deal with them eventually. Speaking of his own commander, what was Luigi thinking right now? He was up on the bridge of the flagship with Bowser Jr...yikes. That couldn't be good. Cobal forced himself to put it out of his mind. He had to do his duty right now. Worry about Luigi later.
Strike, K Rool, and Peasley hit the ground next to him, their feet making a slightly metallic ping. Just what was this platform made of, anyways? Pure magic? Above them, Princess Peach was still in the energy bubble she was trapped in, her eyes closed as if asleep. "Is she even alive?" Cobal dared to think.
Suddenly, there was a flash of blue light. Cobal stepped back. "Get ready..." Strike shouted, igniting a fireball around his fist. As the light faded away...there was a large, spike-shelled Koopa with a blue mohawk and two long fangs standing in front of them, a smirk on his face.
"Ok, pals." the Koopa said. "I want you all to step away, nice and easy. The princess is coming with me."
"That's Larry Koopa!" Strike exclaimed.
K Rool curled his hand into a fist. "What's a prince to a king?" he laughed. "It's four against one, we can take em'!"
Larry laughed lightly. "Aww, you're too cute." he chuckled. "Come on, end this poor Koopa's game!" he spread his arms open wide, inviting them to attack.
Cobal knew something was up. But what could he do? Princess Peach was right above him! This was his chance to restore hope to the Mushroom Kingdom, to show the empire that they were undefeated.
"Come on, let's take em' down!" he shouted, charging forward. K Rool and Peasley joined him; only Strike hung back. Cobal leapt into the air just how Luigi taught him, preparing to deliver a crushing blow to Larry's head. Peasley pulled back his arm to prepare for a powerful sword thrust, while K Rool wound up his fist to smash into Larry's stomach.
All attacks hit at the same time...only where Larry had been just a moment ago, there was now only air. Caught off gaurd, Cobal stumbled to his feet, nearly being crushed by K Rool, who had toppled over.
"Heh, heh." Larry laughed. Cobal turned around...the Koopaling was now behind them, standing right where they had been when they'd launched their attacks. "Works every time." he stretched out his hands, which glowed with power. Bolts of lightning fired from his fingertips, streaking through the air and hitting Cobal and his friends. Cobal felt as if his skin was being fried...electricity covered every bunch of his skin, numbing his sense of feeling and making pain cut through every inch of his body...
Cobal fell, his skin smoking. His friends collapsed alongside him, a few stray electric currents flashing over them. Cobal strained to keep his eyes open as Larry sneered, clapping his hands.
"Yeah, great work, guys." he said.
Out of the corner of his eye, Cobal saw that Strike was to Larry's right, readying a fireball. Larry hadn't noticed him yet...
With a flash of orange light, Strike launched the fireball at Larry. The Koopaling hadn't noticed it, so there would be no way for him to teleport away! Cobal felt a surge of hope...until a shield of geometric Magikoopa runes appeared, covering exactly the right space necessary to protect Larry from the fireball, right before it could hit Larry's body. There was a bright explosion...and the runes disappeared, leaving Larry completely unharmed.
"A magic shield!" Strike realized, flaring fireballs in both hands.
"That's right!" Larry exclaimed, opening his right hand and summoning his wand, still with that smug smile on his face. "I make sure to cast a few protective charms on myself every time I go into a fight. Fire, ice, electricity, magic of all kinds...yeah, I'm immune. It's dirty, but hey, that's why they call me Cheatsy Koopa!"
As Strike rose his hands to launch his fireballs, Larry lashed out with his wand, sending out a magic blast that flew with unprecedented speed, hitting Strike with a blue flash knocked the Fire Bro back, nearly off the platform. Strike lay motionless.
"Now, let's get the girl." Larry chuckled.
Forcing himself to his feet, Luigi shook the dust off his overalls. Splintered wood lay around him as he stood in a corridor nearby the bridge of Bowser Jr's flagship. He could see the Koopa Prince stomping out of the gaping hole right now, casting a massive shadow before him that covered Luigi. A fear that Luigi had not felt since that last time he had faced Bowser covered him, and he shuddered.
"Uhh...c...can't we talk this out?" Luigi stammered. "We both love Princess Peach! Can't you see she'd be happier in her own kingdom?"
"NO!" Bowser Jr roared, letting out a massive gust of flame. With a quick step, Luigi side-stepped it, wincing as the red-hot blasted roared blast him, flying down the corridor into the hallway took a bend. The flames crashed into the wall, blowing a whole though it and causing a wild wind to whip at Luigi as the ship's inside was exposed to the elements.
Without wasting any time, Junior ducked into his shell and spun himself at Luigi, coming at the plumber like a whirlwind and eating up the floor beneath him, sending wood shavings flying through the air. Luigi turned around ran, as fast as his feet could carry him. The hole leading to the ship's outside was right in front of him, but Bowser Jr was gaining...
Just before the Koopa prince could strike Luigi, Luigi put all his energy into a Long Jump that send him out of the corridor and onto a gunning platform jutting out of the hull, it's Bill Blasters silent for once as the fleets waited to determine what would happen with the Princess. The nearby propellers spun rapidly, threatening to blow off Luigi's cap. He turned around and grit his teeth, tightening his hand into a fist as the wild wind blew at him. If Bowser Jr really wanted a fight...well, he really didn't have a choice, did he?
Bowser Jr reached the hole. "Don't you try to escape me, Luigi!" he shouted, charging forward into the gunner platform. He ran at the plumber with the force of a charging bull, swinging his meaty fist at his face, which Luigi quickly leapt over. Growling, Bowser Jr spun around, sweeping his heavy tail through the air. Just as it was about to strike Luigi's side, Luigi, tensing up his legs, leapt into the air, to Bowser Jr's shout of annoyance. He stomped down on the Koopa's green-scaled head, before vaulting onto a Bill Blaster, only for Junior to send a scorching fireball careening towards him. His reflexes kicking in, Luigi leapt off the Bill Blaster as the fireball blew it to bits, ducking under a second fireball Junior sent at him that must've singed his eyebrows. As the fire struck the side of the hull, leaving a big scorch mark, Luigi stood up and faced Bowser Jr.
"It doesn't have to be this way, Junior!" he pleaded to the huge, furious Koopa. "While we're out here fighting, Larry could be kidnapping Princess Peach! Do you really want her to fall into the Neo Empire's hands!"
"Them, you, it's the same thing!" Junior hissed, steam coming out of his nostrils. "The only person Peach belongs with is Dad!"
Bowser Jr stretched out his right arm. With a burst of magic, a long staff appeared in his hand. It resembled the Magic Paintbrush, only it was clearly a new model better suited for the adult Junior's larger size. The E Gadd logo underneath the brush was replaced with that of a Bowser head, surrounded by a ring of spikes. With a roar, Junior slashed his paintbrush through the air, splattering paint all over the hull. Goopy, liquid piranha plants burst from the ink spots, stretching their necks at Luigi and trying to catch him between their jaws. Luigi leapt, rolled, and ducked underneath the piranha's striking heads, before turning around and leading towards Bowser Jr, intending to land a punch of his face. Anticipating the move, Bowser Jr gripped his paintbrush with both hands and held it defensively. Luigi's boots hit the paintbrush and he vaulted off the staff, landing back on the ground and sliding a feet feet away from Junior.
"Hmmm..." Luigi realized, as he stared at at Bowser Jr's firey red eyes. He was really going to have to go all out in this fight, wasn't he?
Luigi tightened his arms into fists and he felt them get tingly and he focused electricity through his body. "Get him!" Junior roared, and every Piranha Plant struck as once. Luigi stretched out his hand just as all five Piranhas reached him, sending out an electric blast. Drops of ink rained down around Luigi as he readied himself, blue lighting flickering around his fists.
"You think that's enough to stop me?!" Bowser Jr shouted, pulling his paintbrush back to ready a massive swing.
"I'm sorry, Junior!" Luigi shouted, running towards the prince trailing lightning behind his fists. "But this is for the Mushroom Kingdom!"
Thunderhand fist and magic paintbrush met in a clash, sending out a sonic boom that reverberated throughout the fleet. Every window on Bowser Jr's flagship simultaneously shattered.
Every bone in the Great Gonzales Jr's body felt as if it had been shattered. His skin was bruised as his body was battered, but still, even though he hadn't felt this exhausted since his champion match with Rawk Hawk at the dawn of his career, Gonzales forced himself to persevere.
His teammates were in similar levels of distress. Ms. Mowz was lying on the ground; she looked barely concise. Goombella's face was once huge bruise, and the purple clouds that made up Flurry's body were misshapen from all the blows she'd taken. Vivian was in the best shape out of all of them, since his Veil technique had allowed her to dodge several of the attacks send her way, but the Shadow Siren had never been hearty and the repeated attacks were starting to take their toll upon her.
In the centre of it all, his white shoes placed firmly upon the blue hull of the futuristic warship they were fighting atop, was Koops, his face calm and emotionless. Nobody had managed to land a single hit on their former teammate since the battle had begun.
Gonzales made a fist, wincing as pain shot through his body. He'd tried to keep in shape in Stoneshell Prison, he really had. He'd done exercises, even practiced what fighting moves he could, and, considering he wasn't down for the count yet, he thought he'd done a darn good job of it. But the gap between Koops and the rest of Mario's old Rogueport companions had become too large. They stood against a seemingly unbeatable foe.
Forcing himself forward, Gonzales ran at Koops. If he was fast enough, he'd be able to catch him with his tongue and trap him in the egg, which would at least let them get a few good hits in...
Like a bullet, Koops launched himself at Gonzales, slamming into him and knocking all the wind out of his body. Gonzales fell to the cold metal ground, out of breath. Koops' green shell spun around behind him, before Koops emerged out of it, looking down at Gonzales with a cold look in his eyes.
"Koops...come on, buddy!" Gonzales joked as he struggled to rise. "You don't have to do this!"
"That's where you're wrong, Gonzales Jr." Koops said in a voice that made the Yoshi shiver. "I hate what Bowser has done to the world. I hate Ludwig's ambitions, and all of Larry's schemes. But, as I said, you're wrong. I do have to do this."
Koops advanced forward, stepping across the shiny blue hull with his polished white shoes. As his shadow loomed above Gonzales, Gonzales summoned the last of his strength and rose forward, gripping Koops by the shoulder so fast the Koopa didn't even have time to react.
"KOOPS!" Gonzales shouted at his old friend's face. "SHUT UP!"
"E...everyone!" Goombella's voice was weak, but there was the slightest hint of hope in it, one which made Gonzales' ears prick up. "I can see something...some sort of magic rune of Koops' back!"
Koops' eyes widened as Goombella quickly leafed through her green tattle log, desperately trying to remember where she had seen it before. At the sight, Goombella gave a little hop and a cry of excitement. "The Slave Seal!" she exclaimed. "It's an evil curse developed one thousand years ago by the servants of the Shadow Queen, to control the people they enslaved! Listen to this...when one is marked with the Slave Seal, they retain there will, but if they do anything that goes against their master, they will immediately die. What's worse...anyone who's bonded to them is also magically marked, meaning their loved ones will perish, too!"
"What did that creep do to you, Koops!?" Gonzales growled, swinging his fist at the Koopa. Koops caught Gonzales' arm with his hand and flung him to the ground.
"It doesn't matter." Koops said, standing over Gonzales with the ship's command tower looming over both of them. "Nothing does."
"Vivian!" Goombella croaked. "Follow my lead!"
Goombella ran towards Koops as fast as her little legs could carry her. Koops immediately abandoned Gonzales, sliding into his shell and slamming into the Goomba's face before she could even prepare a headbonk. Out of the corner of his eye, Gonzales saw Vivian disappear into the shadows. Flurrie flew through the air, preparing a bodyslam, but Koops' shell shot at him, knocking the wind out of the cloud spirit and making his slide of the ground.
For the last time, Gonzales urged his body forward. Pain shot through it with every step as he carried himself towards Koops, pulling back his fist.
Koops launched himself in his shell, striking Gonzales hard in the chest. There was a final flash of pain, and the yoshi felt all the strength go out of his body.
Vivian appeared behind Koops, pointing her finger right at Koops' neck as Koops appeared out of his shell to look down at the defeated enemy. Her finger hovered directly over the glowing blue Slave Seal. Vivian grimaced...and shot forth a focused, thin, glowing laser-like beam of fire.
The fire hit Koops' neck and Koops screamed. The Koopa collapsed to his knees, still screaming, as smoke and the smell of burning flesh emitted from the wound. Vivian's face contorted, but she kept on firing her condensed beam. A look of pure agony covered Koops' face...and then Vivian cut off her attack. With a final gulp, Koops collapsed and fell to the ground, a massive red burning wound on his neck. For the first time since the battle had began, all was silent under the shadow of the Cheatsy's command tower.
Then Koops opened his eyes.
Bowser Jr ferociously came at Luigi, swinging his fist like a wreaking ball. Luigi dove out of the way, leaping over Junior's swinging tale as the two entered into a dance of punches and leaps. Lightning trailing from his fist, Luigi drove it into Junior's side with a flash of blue light, causing the prince to roar with pain, bringing his Magic Paintbrush around and stabbing the bottom of the staff into Luigi's stomach.
Luigi went flying off the gun platform, pain reaching throughout his body, and he only just managed to grab onto the side of the platform. He heard heavy footsteps above him as Bowser Jr loomed over, fixing him with his fiery eyes.
"You're finished, Luigi!" he roared, sparks flying from his mouth. "Give up!"
"No!" Luigi shot back, tightening his grip. "I won't abandon the Mushroom Kingdom!"
Focusing his Thunderhand, Luigi leapt up, driving a lightning-powered fist into Bowser Jr's chin, making him stagger back as Luigi once again regained his position on the platform. Bowser Jr managed to recover sooner than Luigi expected, sending a massive blast of fire in his way which Luigi vaulted over. Both of them warn out, they paused, staring each other done as they caught their breath.
Luigi panted, sweat dripping from his body. He couldn't afford to keep this up. He had to finish this battle...soon.
Larry crossed his arms, staring down smugly at his enemies who were still attempting to fight back. Cobal's body was scorched and burned, but he kept looking at Princess Peach, trapped in the golden bubble of light, her eyes closed. He had to move forward. The Mushroom Kingdom...the entire world depended on it!
"Everybody still ready to fight?" Strike asked seriously, flaring a fireball in his right hand.
"This body hasn't given up yet!" Prince Peasley said, propping himself up with his rapier before pointing it at Larry.
"L...lemmie at him!" K Rool gasped.
Larry yawned. "Mannnn...you guys must really have a death wish." he said lazily. "You're just not on my level. Go back to school, kids."
"Ain't got no time for that, pal." Cobal said, forcing his face into a confidant smirk and charging at Larry. He leapt into the air with his Luigi-style jump...
Crash! A jolt of blue light knocked him to the ground. Cobal felt as if every bone in his body was broken. It was like his skin was burning and his legs had collapsed...
Larry casually threw his wand up in the air and caught it, before pointing it at K Rool and sending another magic bolt whipping through the air, catching the Kremling king in the chest and knocking him down.
"Peasley, let's take him from both sides!" Strike shouted, running to Larry's right.
"An excellent plan!" Peasley agreed, charging Larry from the left.
Larry's wand vanished in a puff of smoke and he stretched both of his arms out, each palm facing the approaching attacker. Thwomps made of blue light whizzed into existance, launching themselves at Peasley and Strike and bowling them over before disappearing. "I told you...it's useless." Larry sighed. "Even I'm getting tired of this now, seriously."
Propping his body up with his arm, Cobal stared at Larry through his dark shades. Had they even landed a single hit on the koopa prince? This was an enemy the Mario brothers had defeated time and time again...but he'd grown much more powerful in the last twenty years.
"Would even Luigi be helpless against him?" Cobal wondered.
Cobal forced himself to get back up. Larry's eyes seemed to shine in the golden light.
"I'm...not...done...yet!" Cobal shouted defiantly at the Koopa.
"Yeah..." Larry grinned, closing his eyes and raising his arms up. "You are."
Countless flashes of blue light erupting around the floating golden platform like fireworks. As Cobal watched in horror, Bill Blasters made of light popped into existance, surrounding the arena. Larry snapped his fingers.
Chaos erupted around Cobal. Glowing blue Bullet Bills were flying every which way. Cobal leapt over one, only to be struck down by another. He fell hard, and as he fell, he saw three crash into King K Rool, downing the kremling king in an explosion of blue fire and magical runes. Strike and Peasley fared better, dodging the first onslaught, but the chaotic movements of the bullet bills moving in countless directions was impossible to counter. They were struck again and again, until...
Suddenly, and quite simply, a shadow siren clutching a Koopa close to herself appeared behind Larry. Larry glanced around and noticed them, willing his Bill Blasters to disappear. The Koopa stepped away from the shadow siren and fixed Larry with an expression of pure hate. Cobal noticed (although it was tough to notice anything, considering he'd nearly passed out), that the Koopa appeared to be moving stiffly, as if injured. The Shadow Siren quickly vanished down into the shadows, leaving the Koopa to face Larry alone.
"Well, well, well, if it isn't my good friend Koops!" Larry laughed, clapping his hands together. "What, is your loyalty to old, dead Mario too great, buddy? Don't you know what'll happen if you betray me?"
Koops winced from the pain. "N...not anymore, Larry. Your seal is gone. I'm done being your slave."
Larry stretched out his arm and summoned his wand. "Then, Koops...I'm afraid you've ran out of lives." he sneered. "Say hello to our mutual friend Mario for me, kay?"
Koops closed his eyes. To Cobal it looked like he was going into a zen-like state, shutting out everything else but the battle.
Larry stretched out his arm, launching one of his lightning-fast magic bolts. Koops ducked into his shell so fast that Cobal could barely see him. He zoomed out of the way, causing Larry, with a scowl, to fling another enchanted fireball his way. Koops' shell rapidly changed directions, dodging Larry's attack, which only made the Koopaling even more angry.
Larry began to fire his wand like a machine gun, shooting out magic bolts with such speed Cobal knew that anyone without the mobility of Koops would be crushed instantly. Koops continued to spin in his shell, generating sparks from the friction, always one step ahead of Larry's rapid-fire assault.
Then, as if by some unspoken signal, Koops launched himself at Larry. The force of his shell was like a cannonball; too fast for Larry to avoid magically, and strong enough to knock him across the arena. Larry cried out and dropped his wand. Koops went out of his shell, and the two Koopas, both injured now, stared each other down with Peach hovering between them.
Larry made a sound that was somewhere between a high-pitched yell and a dragonic roar and launched a storm of lightning bolts at Koops. Koops ducked back into his shell and dodged the electric tendrils with zig-zagging movements, striking Larry again...then again...and then again. As Koops launched himself at Larry a forth time, Larry rapidly put up a magical shield, causing Koops to bounce off it; but that did nothing to slow the smaller Koopa down, as Koops spun to the centre of the arena and began to rotate rapidly. Cobal sensed he was building up to something big.
"All right, fine!" Larry yelled, saliva flying from his mouth. He raised up his arms, which glowed with blue light. "I'm gonna crush you with everything I've got, you stinkin' traitor! And then I'm gonna deal with your family, too!"
Koops continued to rotate in his shell. He was spinning so fast that all Cobal could see was a green blur. Banzai Bill Blasters made of blue light warped into existence around the area, just like in the attack Larry had used on Cobal and his friends. This time, though, rather than pointing in random directions, every single one was trained on Koops...an attack with enough force to level Peach's Castle to the ground! Whether Koops was aware of it or not, Cobal didn't know...he just spun faster and faster in place, generating a wind that whipped at Cobal's face.
"In the end..." Larry grinned smugly as he brought his fingers together, preparing to snap them, "Those who play dirty always come up on top."
There was a sound like a gunshot and Koops, with a sonic boom, launched himself at Larry for a final time. It happened so fast Cobal couldn't even see Koops' shell. Larry's eyes bugged out...and then he was sent flying, blasting off the platform as if shot by a cannon, spinning through the air as he hurtled towards the ocean.
Koops got out of his shell, watched as Larry hit the water with a splash in the sea strewn with the wrecks of both sides' airships...and collapsed.
Cobal attempted to get himself up so that he could help him, but Peasley got there first. "I'll tend to the fallen hero!" Peasley exclaimed, reaching Koops' body. "You, Cobal, rescue the princess!"
Cobal managed a weak nod as he dragged his body to the floating bubble, forced it up...and touched the smooth, glowing surface. There was a melodic pop...and Princess Peach, her eyes closed, floated into his arms.
Luigi backwards-soumersaulted out of the way of one of Bowser Jr's punches, ending up on one of the warship's upper turrets, leaving Junior below him.
"Come down and fight, you coward!" Bowser Jr roared.
Luigi was warn out. He hadn't fought this hard since Roy, but that time he'd been prepared for a fight. This time, he'd been nursing a slight, slight chance that he and Bowser Jr could collaborate, just this once.
Luigi looked back at the shining golden platform. Princess Peach...the bubble...it was gone! He could scarcely make out who was on the platform, but...his heart soared! It was Cobal! Cobal, Prince Peasley, and the others he'd picked up when they'd been separated!
The outcome of this battle didn't matter anymore. Now that Princess Peach was in Mushroom Kingdom hands, they'd scored their greatest victory yet.
There was a rumble like thunder in the sky. Luigi turned around. It was the sound of engines, massive engines that dwarfed even the ones on the ship they stood on.
A terrifying face broke through the clouds. It was the face of Bowser when he'd undergone his "Giga Bowser" transformation, but it seemed to be the size of a mountain. A gigantic ship was moving through the sky...one that was covered in guns like an urchin with spikes, one that bathed the entire fleet in it's shadow, and seemed to have Bowser's entire castle on it's deck as a superstructure. Surrounding it were ordinary Koopa warships, identical to Bowser Jr's in every way except for the decorative red stripe on the hull.
"T...that's Dad's flagship!" Bowser Jr exclaimed. "He...he's actually joining the battle!?"
When Bowser Jr wasn't looking, Luigi leapt away. This battle was already over. Princess Peach was safe...it was best to leave quietly before Bowser was able to gain control of the situation. Luigi took one last look at the humungous dreadnaught, surrounded by a fleet of warships which seemed tiny on comparison. Bowser...it had been so long since they'd met. If the Emperor of the Koopas himself was finally involved...things were really getting serious.
