As the heroes entered the tomb, they could only hear the sound of breathing and stepping. They looked around, only seeing two dim torches.

"Alright, Dork-ankoopa! Come on out and show yourself!" Kevin barked, gripping his wrench tightly in his hand.

"Yeah, we're not buying your act anymore!" Eddy added in.

"Keep it down, you guys! He might have a trap waiting for us!" Nazz scolded in a hushed tone as Eddy rubbed the back of his head sheepishly.

"Sorry."

Suddenly, Jimmy let out a frightened cry as everyone looked up to see eyes and an Egyptian crown with a Chain-Chomp.

"Holy moly!" Ed said, gasping. "He is a ghost!"

Eddy scoffed. "What was your first clue?"

The area began to glow brightly as the ghost levitated to the top of the perch. Pieces of fragments flew around until they materialized to the ghost. It was a Koopa Troopa dressed as a pharaoh. He scowled at the team and pointed at them.

"You! All of you!"Every one of you ignored all of my scary warnings!"

"Except Eddy and Jimmy in the beginning," Goombario added while everyone else snickered at the two. Jimmy blushed in embarrassment while Eddy growled.

"Don't you have the common sense to be scared and run away?!" Tutankoopa snapped.

"Ed here doesn't have common sense," Eddy said. "Neither does Johnny for that example."

"Hey! Plank and I resent that!"

"You shall regret this!" Before anyone could react, Tutankoopa threw a Buzzy Beetle to Double-D, but Jimmy ran in front of him and blocked with his shield.

"Well, Jimmy, that was a truly courageous act!"

"I-I don't know, my legs just moved on their own!"

"Tally-Ho!" Johnny exclaimed as he tapped his Hamme Throw Badge and threw his new Super Hammer at Tutankoopa, causing the phony pharaoh to stumble from the blow.

"Chompy! Come here, boy!"

"Chompy?" Everyone said in confusion but suddenly, the gate that was below the perch opened up. A real black Chain-Chomp came out, snapping its teeth ferociously as Jimmy cried and hid behind his shield.

"Maul the intruders!" Upon its owners' command, Chompy threw himself forward to Jimmy. Jimmy's shield absorbed the impact, but he was sent flying to the wall.

"Jimmy!" Sarah cried before angrily gritting her teeth and tapping her D-Down Pound Badge and slamming it down on Chompy, harming him greatly. Mario then tapped his Shrink Stomp Badge and jumped to Chompy. On impact, the Chain-Chomp shrunk down.

"Alright, that should make this easier!" Kevin smirked as he used his wrench like a golf club, sending Chompy flying at Tutankoopa, who blocked with a Buzzy Beetle shell as a shield.

"Chompy!" Tutankoopa said in an angry tone as his pet landed back on the ground and returned to normal size. "What is the meaning of this?! Do not attack your master!"

The Chain-Chomp glared and growled silently ay Tutankoopa. This did not go unnoticed by the compassionate members of the team, Nazz, Johnny, and Double-D.

"I think I can guess what kind of relationship the poor creature has with its master."

"BANZAI!" Eddy yelled as he swung up towards Tutankoopa with his Yo-Yos and prepared to deliver an aerial attack but Tutankoopa threw another Buzzy Beetle shell, nailing the short boy in the stomach and sending him sprawling as Bombette caught him.

"Eddy!"

"Phew! That smarts!" He groaned while rubbing his bruised stomach.

"You hurt Eddy!" Ed said angrily as he inserted a Modify Card into his Star Caller. Kooper activated his Koopa Blade and lunged towards Tutankoopa, who waved his hands and blocked the blade attacks with a quick barrage of magic spells.

"No good! He's got a good defense!" Kooper grunted as he jumped back down. Nazz lunged forward at Chompy and picked him up with the strength of her gauntlets before throwing him back, the Chain-Chomp letting out a grunt of pain as it struggled to focus.

"Chompy!" Tutankoopa said. "How could you let that attack beat you?! You're the worst pet I own!"

Chompy whimpered sadly as Parakarry glared and flew up towards the phony pharaoh.

"Hey, that's not nice!"

"Treat others the way you want to be treated!" Jimmy said and, with as much strength as he could muster, threw his shield like a discus, hitting Tutankoopa in the forehead as he stumbled back.

"Ouch! You'll pay for that!"

Tutankoopa said an incantation as magic radiated off his hands. Soon, a giant inanimate Chain-Chomp materialized into existence as everyone quickly got on guard as it landed. However, it soon vanished but the tremor it left behind caused some bits of the ceiling to fall down. Jimmy held his shield up after catching it and used it to block the rubble falling down.

"Not good!" Double-D grunted, slashing away some rubble with his sword as Tutankoopa laughed before a piece of rubble hit him on the head, causing him to fall off his perch and flat on his face. As for Chompy, the poor creature was starting to wheeze as Johnny looked at it sadly before carefully approaching it and offering it a Super Mushroom.

"Here, pal. A gift from me and Plank."

The Chain-Chomp looked at the mushroom before gobbling it up in one bite. Its wounds then healed as it happily barked before snuggling Johnny as he laughed and pet its head as Parakarry smiled.

"Wow, that was compassionate of you, Johnny."

"I may have bashed a few enemies on this quest but I can tell when there's a creature that has feelings!" Johnny replied to his soul partner. As for Jimmy, the boy got a crafty idea on how to defeat Tutankoopa.

"Double-D! Give me that Thunder Bolt you got!"

"Alright!" Throwing it to the frail boy, Jimmy caught the item and then read the incantation before raising his shield up, lightning striking it as it became empowered with electricity. Jimmy winced in pain as the lightning hit his hands but he refused to let go as he threw his shield once more at his enemy.

"SHOCKING SHIELD!"

Tutankoopa was both bashed and electrified by the attack, causing him to collapse in pain and defeat before looking weakly at Chompy.

"Chompy, come here, boy!"

However, his pet growled at him in menace as he bit Tutankoopa's butt. He yelled out in pain and ran away out of the room. Chompy barked with joy, knowing he was free from his master's hold.

"Rolf barely did anything in this fight!" Rolf complained as Kevin patted his friend on the shoulder to console him. Suddenly, A ball of light began shining in the middle of the room. A card appeared with a Star Spirit in it and floated to Mario, which he grabbed.

"STAR SPIRIT GET!" Ed announced dramatically just like last time when they rescued Eldstar. The rest of the kids gave him looks.

"You're gonna do that for every Star Spirit we rescue, aren't you, Lumpy?" Eddy flatly said as his dim-witted friend proudly nodded. Mario just gave a good-natured chuckle as the Star Spirit was freed.

"Two down, five to go."

Tutankoopa had escaped Dry Dry Ruins and was gasping for breath as he rubbed his sore behind, lamenting his defeat before the smell of fire and brimstone filled his nostrils and he turned to see Velhallen Beo there, but the Demon did not look pleased.

"How could you lose to those children...? The Koopa Bros., I could forgive due to their incompetence but you had magic and deceit and a GIANT CHAIN-CHOMP!"

Tutankoopa shook like a leaf as the tall monster approached him. "L-Lord Beo, please, I did everything I could!"

"Well...you will have to do something to compensate for this failure."

"Anything, Lord! Anything!"

"DIE."

"W-Wha-?" Tutankoopa couldn't even finish as a pair of sharp claws was raised and then brought itself down on him. A scream echoed through the desert as the sound of blood spilling from a freshly slain body was heard gushing outward...

Princess Peach was looking out into the sky from her perch before her door opened up and Bowser approached her.

"Good evening, Peach, You know, you can make me happier if you turn that frown upside down."

She turned around and crossed her arms with a pout. "Well, tough luck!"

"Don't you mean 'tough love?'"

"No! Like I said before, you have caused havoc and mayhem across the Mushroom Kingdom. I'll smile when everything goes back to normal and you stop trying to take it over!"

He just chucked from her statement. "It's a shame I can't do that. Right now, Mario and his kids just beat up two of my guardians. They may be wimps like Mario, but they were still loyal to me. I have someone who can pulverize them because this guardian, Tubba Blubba, is invincible! Well, except I'm stronger than him, of course!"

Peach looked away with a pondering expression "Invincible?"

"Your Nastiness!" Kammy Koopa called, entering the room. "We have a problem." She whispered to Bowser as his eyes started to get wider.

"WHAT?! TUTANKOOPA IS DEAD?! AND TO MAKE MATTERS WORSE, THE STAR SPIRIT ESCAPED TUBBA BLUBBA'S CASTLE?!"

Bowser stomped out with Kammy to talk some more as Twink popped out of his hiding space.

"The 'Invincible' Tubba Blubba..." Peach said with a worried look.

"No one can be that invincible," Twink pointed out. "Every person, creature, or thing has a weakness, you know. I suggest we have to find a weak point or Mario and his friends will be in trouble."

"Right. Let's use the secret passage like last time." And so, Peach and Twink pushed the button so they could get access through the fireplace. Once they reached the room where Bowser kept his diary, they were ready to open the door.

"Remember, Peach: there will be guards patrolling the area," Twink warned as the princess nodded and opened the door. It was dark inside this giant room. Three guards were walking around the room. Peach decided to use the nearest door to her right, which she recalled was the library. They quickly entered there without making too much sound. There were shelves filled with books, and there were guards nearby. The two quietly navigated through the library while being careful of the shelves. Some of the shelves did not have books. While navigating through, Peach found a Power Rush Badge with a "P" on it. Peach gave the badge to Twink to deliver to Mario. Finally, they reached the end where two Koopatrols were having a conversation.

"I heard that Tubba Blubba is invincible," the first one said.

"Invincible?" the other one scoffed. "You believe in that stuff? King Bowser is the strongest of all."

"Well, yeah, of course. By the way, I heard that he eats ghost for breakfast, lunch, and dinner."

"Ghosts such as Boos, right? The only Boos I know is in Forever Forest that's east of Toad Town. Tubba Blubba must be the one who's guarding his Star Spirit."

"Yeah. He also lives in a castle at the top of Gusty Gulch. He resides more eastern from the Forever Forest. Boos lived in a mansion and a poverty village. Imagine him devouring a Boo in one gulp!"

"S-stop it! You're giving me the shivers."

"Tubba Blubba is invincible, which means no one in the entire world can scratch him."

"Well, he must have a weak point, right? It's just common sense."

"You...may be right. I heard that he has a secret that will ruin him if it ever got out. I bet it has to do with his past because he wasn't strong before."

"So he does have a weak point," Peach whispered to Twink. "You must tell Mario and his friends now."

"I'm on it," Twink whispered, escaping through an open window. As for Peach, she knew she had to leave now. However, a clawed hand covered her mouth as she tried to let out a scream but a shushing noise was heard.

"Naughty girls need a SPANKING~...!" Velhallen Beo whispered. Peach couldn't place it, but she could faintly smell fresh blood on his claws as well. The princess continued struggling as the Demon Lord teleported back to her room and threw her onto the bed.

"I'd love to destroy your pureness...but I'm afraid Bowser and the Star Rod will have my head if I step out of line...don't worry. I'll have the high-ground soon enough."

Beo vanished in a puff of dark smoke as Peach, shaking like a leaf, pondered on what he meant by 'high-ground'.

"I have a really bad feeling about this..."

Next Time: Champions of the Desert!

[The Heroes rescued Mamar!]

-Current Badge Collection-

Mario: Power Jump, Shrink Stomp

Ed: Close Call

Double-D: Refund, Damage Dodge

Eddy: Feeling Fine, Money Money

Kevin: Smash Charge, Quake Hammer

Rolf: Dizzy Attack

Johnny: Hammer Throw

Nazz: Power Bounce

Sarah: D-Down Pound

Jimmy: Pretty Lucky, Spike Shield