Bow Before Your King

Chapter 6 - Sneaky Sneaky!

Okay, I gotta say that based on the amount of chapters this story has so far (not counting this one), this is the fastest time a fic of mine has reached 10 reviews, so thanks a lot guys! This fic was mainly created to spread awareness of the three kings and people are actually taking notice of that! Yes, I am aware that King K. Rool is also a king, and speaking of King K. Rool, I wanted to respond to this guest review really quick before we move on.

Guest: I am planning on doing something with King K. Rool in the future, and in all honesty, he would have been a main character for this, but he's not part of the main trio. However, since he's still a king, he's probably gonna become one of the biggest side characters in the future. There needs to be more Donkey Kong representation in this fandom, anyway.

~KF

Perhaps Bowser should have brought an umbrella for himself and King Dedede. He never thought that there was always the possibility of the weather being unpredictable the one day he had an 'evil' plan. Being so obsessed with his little spy mission with his king friend (sort of) sure took a toll, so the thought never occurred to him, and now he was paying the price.

Being drenched in rain was not exactly a potential nightmare for either of the two, but it did not mean that they were both exactly fond of it. Nobody was. One had a blank, yet somewhat annoyed stare while concentrating on his driving, while the other was currently complaining and whining about. Hey, at least it was not as worse as poor Inkling and Charizard being caught in the rain. That would have definitely been a tragic time.

"Just come on, rain! Bowser, why didn't you bring an umbrella!?"

"I wasn't thinking, shut up!" Bowser roared. "As frustrated as I am, we are not stopping until we get to Warriors United!"

"Well, can't we just forget about and just go there and wait!?" Dedede began to shiver from his now drenched robe. He literally grabbed his arms in reaction. "I can't just sit around like this!"

"No, because if they change their minds on where they're going at the last minute, it would be a big mistake to go there!" Bowser argued back. "The rain at the moment is the least of our problems!"

In spite of his explanation for his decision making, it did not stop Dedede's complaints at all. Nevertheless, King Koopa knew that it was not the time to tend to the other veteran's needs. To him, the rain should not have even been thought of at the first place. The Dark Lands leader simply desired to get what he wanted and go back home.

Thankfully, based on his current surroundings, the destination would have arrived rather soon. They were currently nearing the main street, and Warriors United was located further south. Yet no matter where it was, besides the rain, there was only one issue that the two rivals of Kirby and Mario had to keep in mind.

Traffic.

It was already plucking the spiky-shelled turtle's everlasting nerves to no end. He was not the type to simply tolerate predicaments like those. His short-tempered state was too much for him to handle, which resulted in him constantly honking his horn, whether his victims intended to move out of his way or not, the latter causing him even more frustration much to his dismay.

"Don't do that too much!" The blue-colored ruler of Dreamland warned him using a hand. "They could all get nosy and turn around to see us!"

-/-

'They' to Dedede obviously meant the ones that were in the back of the bus, AKA the four unsuspecting Smashers and Assist Trophy. However, they were too focused on either getting to their intended destination, their own conversations with each other, or simply the rain that was being poorly received at the time.

Shovel Knight, however, was the one that expressed his worries about the bus being followed by someone he knew all too well. Sure, one could have called him out for being paranoid, yet ever since his fans played his game, his was now well aware of what 'stalker fans' were, and that was his main concern.

To find out himself, he nimbly turned his helmeted head around to see a few cars, with one of them containing Bowser and King Dedede. Turning back around, he sighed in relief.

...Wait, what?

"Uh…" He placed a finger beneath his chin with confusion, staring behind himself once more. "Lady and gentlemen, are you aware that Bowser is driving Dedede with no car top to cover themselves from the rain? They're right behind us…"

His words immediately made the three Smashers face back to see for themselves, and of course he was right. The two kings were arguing with each other, with the larger one blowing the horn at nearby drivers every two seconds. The quartet of celebrities even noticed Dedede pointing directly at the bus with a panicked look to Bowser reading 'They're looking right at us! What do we do?'

If only they actually heard him from inside the bus...

"...Hmm…?" Meta Knight did not know what exactly to make of the whole situation.

"Someone forgot to check the weather today…" Bayonetta rolled her eyes. "Perhaps they want to ride with us, too? I mean, they clearly pointed at us for a reason... Or Dedede's probably still mad that I didn't give him that lollipop yesterday. I mean, Umbra Witches forget things, too..."

"If they did not want to get soaked, they had a couple options." Snake rejected the possibility of the bus driver gaining those two as new passengers. "They could have either simply waited for the next bus back at the mansion, or they could have stayed home altogether. And even if they wanted to hitch a ride, they would have needed to park the Bowser Mobile somewhere. It's not like they could just leave it in the middle of the road…"

As they all continued to stare, what made them even more confounded was the fact that the Bowser Mobile suddenly took a left turn.

...Maybe paranoia was getting the best of Shovel Knight. Or at least, when it came to his imagination.

"...Well, whatever their intention was, I now have doubts that they were attempting to reach us." Meta Knight shook his head.

"That still does not explain their reasoning for pointing at us, though…" The light blue warrior was still not ruling it out entirely. "Perhaps they simply noticed that we're here somehow?"

"That's... probably it." Bayonetta gradually bobbed her head up and down in agreement. "For all we know, they could have noticed us right when we left. Based on the direction they're heading in now, I highly doubt they simply missed the bus. They were probably out before we were, so why would they go out the front door, walk all the way to the parking lot, get inside the car, pull off to the front of the mansion, and get out just so they can catch the bus?"

"..." No words from anyone.

"Yeah, that's what I thought…" The angel hunter nodded again with a smirk and a wink.

Little did they know, Bowser and Dedede obviously chose to make that left turn at the light for a strategic reason. Apparently, Dedede leaned forward to view the targets they were after, only to have been pointed at by Shovel Knight, which meant that they were seen. Potential big trouble? Absolutely.

In spite of him beginning to regret their mission, Bowser, wanting to get his way as usual, figuring that the plan could have still worked somehow. Thus, in order for them to not get too suspicious, he made a left turn at the last traffic light.

Sure, he just stated that he had no desire to lose the bus, due to reasons stated previously. Yet, he had no choice. Being caught was the last thing that needed to happen to him at the time, so with quick thinking, he drove away, now taking a different route to Warriors United.

Fortunately for the two, it was a much shorter route. The bus had a longer route to take due to the number of bus stops that had to made along the way. That meant by the time they completed the first part of their mission, all they had to was to simply wait until the bus arrived to drop the Smashers and Assist Trophy. After all, all that could go wrong was what Dedede reminded him of earlier.

Luckily, everything worked out in their favor as Smashville's 'Green Route' finally arrived. Within seconds, the brawl competitors stared at every individual that was dropped off, including the four targets that were unknowingly about to be spied on. They would have already received even more weird vibes from Bowser and Dedede, had their common sense not kick and park further away where no one would have noticed.

"...Ya think we would have taken some safety precautions and bought some clothes to disguise ourselves?" The penguin made a quick shift to Bowser. "That would have decreased our chances of being discovered in the store!"

"Even if, it is far too late for that, Dedede." Bowser rejected the idea. "And besides, they would have gotten wet by the rain and they would have already seen us wearing them when we were behind them. And speaking of the rain, thank goodness it stopped for now."

"We'll probably get more this evening, but let's just hurry up and get in."

With that being suggested, Bowser opened the door to his Mobile and stood up, with the other royal Smasher grabbing his door and leaping out, already being aware that simply opening it was an option.

"You got the camera?"

"In my shell. I'll pull it out when we have the chance."

Warriors United was of course one of the largest stores in the town. Originally, it was part of the Super Smash Square Mall, yet since the weapons were largely popular (thanks to not only the residents of the Smash Mansion, but for their friends as well whenever they occasionally visited), people began to think that it deserved its own separate store. Not to mention, concerned parents played a large factor in controversy. And so, Warriors United was born and it opened just before Smash 4 began.

"Okay, so where are we going to first?" Solid Snake asked everyone in the group. "Colonel said that his gun broke again. So do we all stick together, or split?"

"Come to think of it, I may not be used to those kind of weapons back at home." Shovel Knight had to admit. "There is no such thing as a 'Gun Knight' where I come from. However, curiosity is always getting the better of me. I'd say we stick together."

"Then in that case, there is no need for us to split right now." Unbeknownst to Meta Knight, he would later regret that entire statement.

Bayonetta nodded in agreement to the plan, and to the very back of the store they went, with the occasional greeting from the few fans that spotted them. As long as they were not ready to tackle all of them to the ground, they had no issues with being nice.

Bowser and Dedede entered the automatic double doors of the place and promptly began glancing around for a bit. Ignoring Dedede's scratching of the head in confusion, his shoulder was grabbed by the other male, who spotted the four fighters heading to the back.

"Come on. Hurry!"

-/-

Neither of them thought of the chances of more recognizable faces would be in Warriors United, especially ones like Marth, Roy, Sheik, and Shadow the Hedgehog. Shadow in particular was already inside the building before anyone else, glancing at the variety of firearms right before him. The Fire Emblem duo had fallen victim to the curiosity that Shovel Knight, only they had seen those kind of weapons before thanks to previous Smash eras. Their interests in seeing them again simply kicked in. As for Sheik, she simply chose to join them in order to find something to do on a Saturday.

"And to know that Snake use these tools as if it's a breeze in tournaments." Marth stared, his face being a mixture of confusion, interest, and slight worry. "I bet if I was in his shoes, I do not think I would be here this very moment..."

Roy was eyeing him rather blankly. "Way to think of the worst and kill the mood… again..."

"My apologies…" Lowell calmly facepalmed with a small head shake.

"Well, at least the closest thing we have when it comes to ammunition is canon fire, so at least we have some sort of experience." The only red-haired Fire Emblem character took a quick glance at the bright side. "...Even though, we're both sword users. I have never had experience with a canon before...

"Same." said Sheik. "To this day whenever we use items with ammunition when we perform matches for fun, I am still amazed of the capabilities they have."

Meanwhile, the two controversial kings were speed-walking their way to the back of the store, with only the latter acknowledging the presence of fans. Even so, it was the typical quick wave of the hand, the split-second look with a straight face being enough to tell the smart ones that he had no time to talk. Though, Dedede was the main one making the hand movements while Bowser mostly ignored everyone.

"We're almost there…" His heart was racing with anticipation and excitement. "Okay, okay, I see 'em…"

"Why are those four with them?' blinked Dedede.

"Who cares? Now lemme pull my camera out and watch them in case they go anywhere else last minute."

"...Nope, I don't think they're going anywhere." Dedede shook his head. "Snake is currently talking to one of the employees and everyone else is just watching, except the ones that were apparently already here."

"Well if anything, that gives us an added bonus." Bowser's grin was growing larger than ever, finally having out his camera. His day just kept getting better and better. How long would it have lasted? Ask the Star Spirits. "Duck down and let me record."

"Ooh! Try focusing on Meta Knight first!" The penguin was nearly jumping out of his skin. "I want to make Kirby jealous by showing him this when we get home!"

Seconds later, the recording began focusing on Kirby's rival. The winged captain of the Halberd in particular was shifting his eyes between Snake and all the weapons on the wall for display.

"Take a picture!"

"Shhhhh!"

Meta Knight, however, had the occasional general look around the area he was in, as it happened to be a personal habit of him, as well as millions of people from all walks of life. Yet as he was doing so, what stood out was the sudden flash coming from a few yards from him.

"...?"

Rule #1: If one were to use a flash camera, he or she had to be sure that it was far enough of a distance to take a picture. Otherwise, the victim would have noticed and begin to feel some sort of suspicion.

Clearly, King Bowser Koopa and King Dedede had to learn the hard way, rather going by the book. Worst mistake of the day; things could have only gone downhill from there...

Now, this was not the first time Meta Knight noticed someone taking a picture of him. But very rarely was it with a camera. Typically, the only time flashy cameras were around him was when he was either with paparazzi, or whenever he was standing on a red carpet for an event.

The fact that the unusual scenario had taken place made him wonder. For a general opinion, he tapped his fellow knight on the shoulder.

"...Perhaps this was what you were speaking, Shovel Knight?"

Hearing his question and watching the direction the wielder of Galaxia was pointing in also made Bayonetta turn, and eventually Snake by the time he was done conversing with the employee on a certain item in particular.

By the time all four of them were staring, they were now hearing sounds of arguing, a shuffle of an item, until finally, the sound of an item dropping to the floor, supposedly breaking a little. The item of the situation happened to be the camera Meta Knight was referring to. It was bounced around a little coming into view, finally remaining in place. Though, it was too far away for everyone to tell that the lens were cracked.

…

With a familiar, fingerless hand reaching out to grab said camera, Meta Knight's feeling of dumbfoundedness quickly evolved into a form of irritation in a matter of seconds.

"Wait a minute… Oh no, don't tell me…" His glare under the mask remained hidden.

"Is that…?"

"Dedede, come out!" The raise of Meta Knight's tone of voice was enough to earn the attention of everyone in the area, including Marth, Roy, Shadow, and Sheik.

Hesitantly, emerging from a shelf of sword cases just so happened to be the penguin culprit. Guilt was seen all across his face, with his hands being behind his back with the device. That guilty smirk was enough to confirm to everyone watching that Dedede was already in the wrong before they were to even discuss what he had done.

"Get over here. Now." A not pleased Meta Knight pointed to the floor. "Who else is with you? Bowser?"

Groaning being heard, Bowser Koopa finally decided to reveal himself to his victims. Yet unlike the other king, his facial expression had the look of dissatisfaction, as well as it expressing words such as: 'I don't care anymore, so have at me'.

He followed Dedede, who was already halfway across the aisle to approach his fellow rival from Planet Popstar. By the time Bowser approached him, Meta's remaining three acquaintances all eyed each other.

"What were you two doing?" asked Bayonetta.

"Uh…"

With another look of the camera, it did not take long for Snake to put the puzzle together. Though disappointed, he spoke between small laughs. "...Were you two spying on us? ...If so, that has got to be the poorest spy mission ever. So you two were following us here."

Shovel Knight facepalmed with a shake of his head mumbling under his breath. "I knew it… I knew it all along... Fox McCloud was right; trust your instincts... I should have warned them more... "

"You know what," Suddenly, an enraged Marth Lowell made his way over. Though he completely ignored Dedede, all of his anger was focused on one particular dragon-like turtle. His index finger was within inches of touching his nose. "I bet that was all your idea. What is your problem today? You have been acting as if you were nothing but a fool all morning!"

"Seriously." Roy rushed and stood by his side. "What is wrong with you?"

"What isn't wrong with him?" Shadow glared at the notorious Smashers with folded arms.

"...I'm leaving…" Now Bowser's current look explained to the opposition that he had no desire being in Warriors United anymore. Slowly, yet with one more head turn, he began to make his way out of the store of weaponry.

"..." Dedede constantly shifted his head between Bowser, and the group of four that were being spied on. Then without another thought, he quickly sped after Bowser. "Hey! Wait for me!"

My apologies for being a little late today, but it's still being published on a Monday, so that's always great! But yeah, this time, Bowser does not get his way, and times like these sets an example of what happens when he plan fails. Slowly, but surely, his fellow Smashers will begin to understand how poor Mario feels.

Questions:

1. Were any of you actually hoping that they plan would have actually worked?

2. What would you have done if you find out you were being spied on by Bowser?

Next chapter, Ganondorf's gonna be the character in the spotlight. ...Oh boy...