Author's note Hey guys, I'm back and I hope all of you have had a great week so far. Here's the next chapter here for you guys. Since we're at the halfway point of this story, I would like to give a special shoutout and thanks to everyone who favorited, followed or by even viewing this story since it now has reached sixteen favorites, eleven follows and over seven hundred and fifty views!
Thank you all so much for the support, you guys are the best.
Special thanks go to animegamefanatic, TGN, The Sensational Spider Dom321 and Tsukimine 12 for leaving reviews, so as usual; thank you for your support and giving me the motivation to continue this story.
A special shout out and thanks go to Red. Rosessss for leaving a favorite on this story. Thank you for your support. I'm glad you're enjoying the story.
Special thanks go to The Sensational SpiderDom321 for helping me out with a scene in this chapter. He is a great writer and has written some great stories on the site such as Awakened, A Super Mario Odyssey Adventure and Sonic Heroes the Atom Bomb. If you get the chance to check out his stories, they're great reads.
Without any further ado, I hope you guys enjoy the chapter.
Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters, settings or locations in general everything in this fic is copyrighted to Nintendo.
The rays of the early morning sun filtered in through the palm fronds which caused Cappy to stir from a restful slumber. Within the small clearing, the Bonneton looked up at the thick palm fronds which acted as a barrier preventing the Klepto from reaching him.
"The Klepto is probably still out there," Cappy said. "I can't believe three days have passed, ever since I got separated from Mario. No, I refuse to accept the fact he could be dead."
Nervously Cappy hovered closer to the edge of the small clearing. Peering out from behind the palm tree, it didn't take long for him to spot the hunched form of the Klepto still fast asleep on a branch its talons digging into the wood keeping itself upright.
Cappy felt nothing but relief the bird was still asleep before he left the safety of the clearing. Hopefully, with any luck, his pursuer would remain asleep allowing him the chance to sneak away undetected hoping to resume his search for Mario so the two of them could continue their search for more Power Moons and finally escaping the desolate Lost Kingdom.
Several minutes passed until a flap of wings caught the Bonneton's attention. Feeling a sense of dread overcoming him Cappy turned around seeing, the Klepto was already taking off into the sky heading towards Cappy within seconds diving towards the Bonneton, extending its forelegs talons opened ready to grab Cappy.
"Not this time you fiend!"
Cappy ascended into the air, seeing the smirk on the Klepto's face vanish, as it realized its mistake. Due to how fast its dive was, the Klepto couldn't pull up in time before the bird crashed into the hard earth sending up small clods of dirt, and rocks until the Klepto came to a stop splayed out on the hard ground gasping for breath, stunned from the unexpected crash landing.
"Take that, you bag of feathers!" Cappy exclaimed in joy.
Wincing, Cappy's tormentor rose to its feet, turning to glare at Cappy. The Bonneton froze unable to shake the feeling he'd made a mistake. A loud shriek confirmed his suspicions, the Klepto rose into the air, before shrieking again resuming its pursuit of Cappy who was already hurrying towards the trail leading up to the mountain.
Within the doctor's office at the clinic, Mario sat up on the table, feeling the cold steel of the stethoscope being pressed against his chest, the doctor silently listening to the gentle rhythm of Mario's heartbeat. Much to everyone's relief, Mario's injuries weren't serious as everyone had assumed, they were. The doctor removed the stethoscope from Mario's chest with a small smile on his face.
"You appear to be in perfect health, Mr. Mario," The doctor said. "Over the course of the last three days, your burns healed remarkably well. Just make sure you don't overdo it. You're free to go."
"Thank you for everything, Doctor," Mario said warmly. "I promise once Luigi and I rescue our friend; we're going after Bowser. We will rescue the Princess, bringing her safely back to the Mushroom Kingdom."
Mario slid off the table with Luigi silently placing an arm around his shoulders, helping him walk out of the doctor's office down the hallway leading into the reception area with the Toads already waiting for them.
"So, did the doctor give you a clean bill of health?" One of the Toads asked.
"Yes, he did," Mario replied. "It may have taken three days for me to recover, but Luigi and I are heading out into the jungle to search for Cappy."
"We'll come with you too!" One of the Toads exclaimed sliding out the chair eager to help both Mario and Luigi.
"I'd appreciate your help since you did help Luigi save me," Mario replied. "But I'm afraid I'll have to decline your request. You two have done enough for Luigi and me. I don't want to put you in harm's way."
The Toads turned to whisper to each other until one of them faced Mario nodding reluctantly. "Alright then, Mario, if you say so. We're going to help out here at the clinic for a while just in case anyone else had a run in with those beetle monsters."
"Thank you both, for understanding," Mario said with a warm smile. "Come on Luigi, let's go teach that featherbrain a lesson it won't forget in a hurry."
"Of course, I wouldn't mind getting a chance of payback on that buzzard as well," Luigi said earnestly. "No one hurts my brother and gets away with it."
The brothers stepped outside the clinic looking up at the pinkish-red hue of the predawn sky. Luigi had to admit; the Lost Kingdom was peaceful when they weren't being pursued by the hostile creatures of the Lost Kingdom.
"Alright bro, where was the last place you saw Cappy?" Luigi asked Mario.
"Hmm, the last time I saw Cappy we were somewhere deep in the jungle near the base of the mountain," Mario answered Luigi's query. "I can only hope no harm's come to him."
"I'm sure Cappy's okay," Luigi said. "I know he'll be glad to see you, along with the fact you're alright."
"You're right Luigi," Mario said with a smile. "When we're together there's nothing we can't do."
Mario ran into the dense jungle with Luigi following his brother, determined to make sure no harm would befall Mario. Unbeknownst to both Mario and Luigi, high in the sky Kamek silently observed Mario and Luigi racing into the jungle. A small smirk appeared on the Magikoopa's face.
"Well, Lord Bowser's hunch was right after all," Kamek said adjusting his glasses. "The fact Mario survived the crash landing into the Lost Kingdom is troublesome enough. I can't have both Mario and Luigi ruin Lord Bowser's wedding, it looks like I'll have to deal with both of them myself."
In his opinion, both Mario and Luigi had interfered for far too long with Bowser's plans. Kamek set off in pursuit of Mario and Luigi determined to put an end to both of them once and for all.
The humid jungle air caused both brothers to sweat profusely. Mario turned his head from side to side keeping an eye out for any Trapeetles lurking in the bushes waiting to launch an unexpected ambush on both of them at any second. Not far from where both Mario and Luigi were standing the latter noticed a pair of Wigglers walking across the ground pushing the low hanging vines out of their way.
"I'm surprised to see there are Wigglers here," Luigi said. "Even if they are harmless for now, we still shouldn't make them mad."
"Stay close to me, Luigi. No sudden movements," Mario said to Luigi resting a hand on his brother's arm. The pair of Wigglers walked by the brothers paying them no attention heading into the dense undergrowth.
A rustle of leaves caught Luigi's attention; the plumber turned his head towards the source of the sound. For a moment Luigi could've sworn he caught a glimpse of Kamek. Mario walked ahead for several steps glancing back over his shoulder noticing Luigi hadn't moved from his position.
"Luigi! We need to get going!" Mario called back to Luigi, hoping to get his brother's attention.
"Bro, I think I just saw Kamek," Luigi said nervously. "It wouldn't surprise me if he's been following us this whole time."
Mario tensed upon hearing a familiar cackle coming from the trees. Right on cue, Kamek descended from the sky eying Luigi and Mario with a smirk on his face. "Well, look at this, I guess Lord Bowser's hunch you were still alive was right after all. You're more resourceful then I believed you were Mario."
"Kamek! What has Bowser done with Peach?" Mario demanded.
"Oh, I wouldn't worry about your precious little girlfriend. She's fine for the moment," Kamek replied with a grin. "She's in the process of becoming Bowser's perfect bride. It's going to be a beautiful wedding and it's such a shame both of you won't live to see it."
Kamek swung his wand sending a blast of magic in Mario's direction. Mario ducked under Kamek's magic blast while Luigi attempted to jump onto the Magikoopa only for Kamek to move out of the way. Luigi's fingers gripped the end of the broomstick pulling it down. Kamek tuned to glare at Luigi holding onto his broom dragging him towards the ground.
"Get your grubby hands off my broomstick at once!" Kamek shouted at Luigi."Those are vintage birch twigs you're yanking out of my broom you fiend!"
Kamek turned around facing Luigi before firing off a blast of magic, the attack striking Luigi on his left hand forcing Luigi to let go of the broomstick with a yelp landing on the ground bent over clasping his left hand.
"Are you alright Luigi?" Mario cried out racing towards Luigi who was bent over, teeth gritted in pain slowly showing Mario his left hand. Kamek's attack had burned away the glove on Luigi's hand revealing an ugly red burn stretching from the tips of Luigi's fingers all the way down to the middle of his hand.
"I'm fine Mario," Luigi said through gritted teeth. "I shouldn't have been so careless."
"It's not your fault bro," Mario said hoping to reassure Luigi. "I promise you, the second we rescue Cappy, I'm taking you back to the clinic to get your hand treated. You're not careless at all."
Mario saw Luigi nod acknowledging his words. The hero of the Mushroom Kingdom slowly turned around feeling his fists clench turning to face Kamek who simply glowered back at the plumber. "You have a lot of nerve for hurting my brother. We're going to take you down together!"
Mario leaped into the air landing on top of Kamek. With a shriek, the Magikoopa crashed into the dense leafy foliage. Wincing he attempted to ascend into the air. Luigi jumped into the air landing on top of Kamek's head resulting in another angry shriek from Kamek.
Kamek avoided another stomp from Mario climbing back onto his broom quickly ascending into the air out of his attackers reach and turning his head slightly to the left he spotted the pair of Wigglers standing not too far away from his enemies.
With no hesitation, Kamek aimed his wand at the Wigglers firing of a blast of magic engulfed the Wigglers, as they grew three times their size towering above the jungle's treetops. In a panic, the pair of Wigglers looked around for the source of the attack as a second blast of magic slammed into their backsides. In response to the pain from the unprovoked attacks, their normal yellow color soon turned bright red, their normal smiles were gone to be replaced by angry grimaces.
"You'd better run, Mario Bros before you become the pancake bros!" Kamek called down mockingly to Mario before taking off into the sky.
"Kamek, you cowardly Koopa, get back here so we..." Mario trailed off seeing the Wigglers glaring at Mario and Luigi before they stampeded towards the plumbers.
"We need to run!" Luigi's panicked shout alerted Mario as both brothers set off at a desperate sprint through the jungle, hearing the heavy tread of the Wiggler's feet right behind them. The two brothers ran through the dense undergrowth eventually leaving the jungle behind them as Mario noticed they were approaching the base of the mountain where the Klepto attacked both him and Cappy three days ago.
The heavy tread of the Wigglers' footsteps were a constant reminder both Mario and Luigi weren't safe yet. Mario turned his head watching the Wigglers pursuing them kicking up dust clouds. Trees became uprooted whenever one of the Wigglers slammed into the trees knocking them to ground. One of the uprooted trees crashed to the ground inches away from Luigi.
"How much longer do you think they're going to continue chasing us, Mario?" Luigi asked fear evident in his voice.
"I don't know Luigi. If we don't keep moving, they're going to trample us!" Mario called back. "We're so close to the place where that buzzard brain attacked Cappy and me! If we can't escape these Wigglers, then we're going to die!"
Mario anxiously looked around the area looking for any sturdy trees that would be able to keep them safe out of the Wiggler's reach. To Mario's dismay, none of the trees appeared to be able strong enough to withstand the vibrations coming from the stampeding Wigglers.
A dark shadow fell over Mario. The plumber turned his head noticing Luigi right next to him glancing in horror at the giant Wiggler bearing down on them until suddenly, the Wigglers shrank back down to their normal size coming to a stop.
Luigi and Mario finally slowed down panting for breath staring back at the Wigglers looking around in confusion, before shaking their heads turning around heading back to the dense jungle until they vanished from sight. The pair of brothers sighed in relief upon realizing they were no longer in danger.
"That was too close," Mario said shakily. "If that spell lasted for a few more seconds, we would be dead by now. When we were still being chased, I spotted the Klepto in the sky. I'm willing to bet that's where Cappy is so we need to hurry."
Mario and Luigi continued their ascent up the mountain eventually reaching the top. The only building on top of the mountain was a small shop with a closed sign attached to the shutter. As both brothers gazed around the area it didn't take long for Mario to hear a familiar shriek, a glance at the sky confirmed his worst suspicions. The Klepto was hovering in the sky wings outstretched gliding on the air currents gazing down at Cappy frozen in place in the middle of the plateau with his hands over his head.
"Don't worry Cappy!" Mario called out hoping to catch the Bonneton's attention. "We'll deal with buzzard brain once and for all!"
At the sound of Mario's voice, Cappy looked up making eye contact with Mario, with small tears pricking at the corner of his eyes upon seeing Mario was alive and well.
"Mario! I knew you were alive!" Cappy cried out. "Can you please do something about this pile of stinky feathers?"
"Of course, I can mei amici!" Mario said reassuring Cappy before he glowered at the Klepto. "I'm not going to let that buzzard breath lay one grubby talon on you again. Get behind me, Cappy, I'll take care of that monster!"
The Klepto shrieked diving down towards Cappy. Mario raced towards the Klepto drawing back a fist punching the bird right in the face, causing the condor to shriek in pain as it ascended into the sky glowering down at the Mario brothers angered at being unable to seize Cappy again. Luigi felt Cappy brushing his leg the Bonneton huddled behind him shaking in fear.
"Hmmm, if we get to close, buzzard brain's not going to come down," Mario mused rubbing his chin deep in thought. "If only we had something to lure it down with."
Luigi reached up for his damaged cap while keeping one eye on the Klepto. The second he brushed his fingers along the damaged material, the Klepto turned its head becoming fixated on the object.
"Mario, I think the reason the Klepto went for Cappy is that I think he resembles a cap," Luigi said.
"Mama Mia, why didn't I make the connection sooner?" Mario mumbled to himself. The way he'd seen the Klepto staring at Cappy raptly, before attacking Mario resulting in Cappy's kidnapping all because of the latter's resemblance to a hat.
"Alright Luigi here's the plan," Mario said. "We'll use your hat, to lure the Klepto down here and then I will climb on top of the shop's roof. Then I'll jump onto it's back and cause it to fly into those nearby palm trees," Mario said smiling. "That'll teach that buzzard brain a lesson not to mess with my friends. Also, the Bonneton behind you is Cappy. Cappy, mei amici, this is my younger brother Luigi."
Luigi came face to face with Cappy looking at him for the first time. "Oh, so you're Luigi, right? It's nice to meet you at last."
"Same here," Luigi replied with a smile hoping to reassure Cappy. "Mario's still not fully recovered, so I hope he doesn't do anything too reckless."
"Luigi, I promise, I won't do anything that'll make you worry about me," Mario said reassuringly placing his hand on top of Luigi's uninjured hand. "Just have faith in me bro, and everything will be okay."
"I trust you, bro," Luigi replied. "I promise you I'll keep Cappy safe."
Mario nodded sprinting over to the side of the shop leaping up on the roof getting ready to jump onto the Klepto's back. Luigi whipped off his cap and began waving it in the air flashing a smile at the Klepto. "Oh, you don't want Cappy, I've got a brand-new cap for you to steal!"
The Klepto was unable to resist the lure being offered to it, dived towards Luigi, talons extended ready to grab its prize. With the Klepto's attention fixated on the offered cap it failed to notice Mario leaping onto the bird's back, his added weight caused the bird to roll in the air, in an attempt to dislodge the unwanted passenger to no avail. The Klepto glared at Mario gripping hard on the greasy black feathers covering the bird's body.
"You dared to lay your grubby talons on my friend," Mario said icily making eye contact with the Klepto. "That was a big mistake you made."
Mario lunged covering the Klepto's eyes with his hands essentially blocking its line of sight. The Klepto banked in the air shrieking furiously. From the corner of his eye, Mario smiled seeing Luigi running over to the nearest palm tree leaping up pulling down on the top of the nearest palm tree pulling with all his might bending it back until the tip of the tree was nearly touching the ground.
Yanking hard on the Klepto's greasy black feathers ignoring another ear-piercing shriek, that nearly ruptured Mario's eardrums, Mario directed the Klepto, forcing it to fold its wings as Mario smiled. "Now Luigi!"
Mario jumped of the Klepto's back as Luigi let go of the tree watching it snap back striking the Klepto in the face, sending it crashing to the ground in a hail of feathers scattering about the stunned bird. Shakily the Klepto, rose to its feet, turning an irate glare at Mario, Luigi, and Cappy. With one last shriek, the Klepto took off into the air flying away into the distance.
"Don't come back!" Cappy cried out shaking his fist gleefully.
Rising to his feet Mario turned to face Luigi and Cappy. Luigi and Cappy ran towards Mario with both embracing him in a hug. Mario sank to his knees in pure relief wrapping his arms around Cappy and Luigi.
"Mario!" Oh, thank goodness you're okay!" Cappy exclaimed in pure delight hovering towards Mario taking his hands in his own.
"Cappy, I'm sorry I couldn't rescue you sooner," Mario said fighting back the tears. "You have no idea; how glad I am to see that you're safe."
Cappy began to sob small tears leaking from his eyes. "I- I was so scared, for you Mario. When I saw you weren't moving, I thought the worst had happened. I thought you were dead, even though I didn't want to believe it. Thank goodness you're alright."
For the first time in days, Luigi could see Mario's shoulders beginning to relax with the plumber finally standing up.
"So, what do we need to power the Odyssey?" Luigi asked.
"This is something I should've mentioned a few nights ago, but we need Power Moons to power the Odyssey," Mario said " They look like little crescent moons. I have no doubt Kamek is going to inform Bowser I'm still alive, which means Bowser will send some of his forces here to kill us."
"Mario, I'll help you escape the Lost Kingdom so you can rescue Peach," Luigi said firmly. "Besides, I'd love to see the other Kingdoms with you. I'm sure I'll be able to find a more suitable Kingdom so Balloon World will be able to make its debut."
"That's what I like to hear Luigi," Mario said with a smile. "There's plenty of room in the Odyssey for you, and I'll admit, I've missed having you around. There's no way I'm leaving you alone in a dangerous place like this. The first thing we're going to do before we hunt for more Power Moons is we're taking you back to the clinic to get your hand looked at."
Mario began to walk down the pathway heading back to the clinic with Luigi and Cappy following him. Mario looked up at the blue skies for once it appeared things were looking up for him at last. Those who were closet to him were safe, and that was all Mario could ask for now, but he couldn't shake the feeling Kamek was on his way to Bowser with the news the Koopa King was dreading to hear.
Meanwhile high in the sky, Kamek headed eastwards heading in the direction of Bowser's airship. Kamek adjusted his glasses with a sneer. "Well, I can't say Lord Bowser will be pleased about this. It's unfortunate my spell wore off before the Wigglers were able to run those interfering plumbers over. Lord Bowser needs to know about this at once!"
Deep down the Magikoopa dreaded his master's reaction to the news of Mario's survival, he quickly shook his head unwilling to let his doubts get the best of him.
"You and your brother may have won this round, for now, Mario," Kamek said with a sinister grin. "Bowser still has your precious princess and I'll be back with reinforcements sooner or later, and let's just say the next time we meet, both you and your brother won't be so lucky."
Feeling a small spark of joy in his heart Kamek continued his journey heading in the direction of Bowser's airship pushing his doubts aside for the moment. For now, his loyalty to Bowser was his top priority a duty he was more than happy to fulfill no matter what the cost would be.
Author's note. With the conclusion of the saving Cappy plot, we won't be seeing the Klepto after this chapter. It was always my intention to have the Klepto as a warm-up boss since I didn't want to drag out the plot of Mario rescuing Cappy from the Klepto for any longer. Mario and Cappy have finally been reunited along with the latter meeting Luigi for the first time. There will be more interactions between Luigi and Cappy during the next few chapters along with Luigi witnessing Cappy's powers for the first time.
To clear something up, I'm well aware there are no Wigglers in the Lost Kingdom. When I wrote up the outline for this chapter, I did plan on using the Tropical Wigglers, but for the chase scene, I couldn't exactly see the Tropical Wigglers chasing Mario and Luigi which is the reason why I decided to use the normal Wigglers.
Even though we didn't see Peach along with Bowser and the Koopalings in this chapter they will have a role to play within the next chapter. I won't say what Peach's role is going to be, but it will be aiding Mario in her own way.
As per usual, constructive criticism/ any accidental errors I need to go back and fix/thoughts/ reviews are welcomed and appreciated as always. Thanks as always for reading this, and I will talk to you guys with the next chapter next time.