"Bowser…" Kammy murmured, slowly lifting herself up from the bed. Bowser turned to her.

"Oh! Are you feeling better?" he asked.

"A little bit. How long was I resting for?" she asked.

"About a half-hour. We should probably head back down to the lobby now and see if the others made it back and if they found Goombella," Bowser gestured and helped her stand up on her feet.

"Thanks…ooh…now I'm REALLY pissed off at whoever did this to me. How the hell did my backup wand even fall out anyways? I'm trying to remember when it could've fallen out, or when someone could've had the perfect opportunity to steal it…" Kammy grumbled.

"Let's not worry about that now, okay? We'll figure it out later, now come on," Bowser urged.

"Wait, Bowser! I have to know something…what are you gonna do about your kids back at the hospital? After knowing everything that happened and what you, um, did to Morton, how are things going to be now with your family?" Kammy asked in true concern. Bowser gave her a glare.

"Why are we talking about this right now? Seriously Kammy, I DON'T want to think about that right now!" he raised his voice.

"Because, what are you gonna do once we get back to the hospital and your kids are there waiting to see you? Are you just gonna ignore them for all eternity or are you gonna try to work it out with them? What's gonna happen with the family after the adventure is over with Roy being on the dark side now too?" Kammy questioned. Bowser rubbed his temples in irritation.

"I don't know what I'm gonna do, okay!? It's too much to think about! Look, this is beyond any shit that my sons have done! I don't know how I'm going to fix it and I don't know what I'm gonna do about Roy! GOD! Why are you doing this to me, Kammy!?" he yelled in stress.

"Doing what to you!? I just wanna know what your plan is, Bowser! I'll help you in any way that I can, but this is something that needs to be addressed," Kammy stated.

"I DON'T KNOW WHAT MY PLAN IS, KAMMY!" he shouted in her face. "I've never been through something like this before…I don't think if I can see my three sons the same way ever again…same thing with Roy…it's too much to bear right now. God, it's times like these where I wish-"

Bowser stopped himself.

"Wish…what? Bowser?" Kammy asked, weirded out by the random pause.

"…It's times like these where I wish…she was here…" he whispered.

"She? As in…oh! Right. How could I forget? But, Bowser, you don't actually mean that, do you? Remember the hell that she put you through?"

"Please don't. I still remember every bit of it. But, you're right, I don't mean that. I think what I really mean is that, I just wish that I wasn't a single parent. Things seemed so much easier taking care of the kids when there was another parent in the house so we could plan things out better and work as a team, but…I just feel so alone at times, you know?"

"Oh, Bowser. You're not alone. You have me, remember? I mean, I know we obviously don't see each other in 'that way' and I've never had kids before myself, but I've been with you all for so long that I'm pretty much an actual part of the family. You can rely on me no matter what," Kammy spoke with true intentions, making Bowser feel a better.

"True. Sorry…I didn't mean to forget you like that. I know I can rely on you," he said.

Kammy grew a smirk. "Well well well! The evil koopa king actually made an apology! This is a first in, what, ten years or so?" she teased.

Bowser smiled and whispered, "A lot more recent than that…"

"Huh?"

"Nothing. Anything else you wanna talk about since we're doing, uhh, 'this'?" Bowser asked.

"Actually, yes. You remember in the previous world where Grunty revealed that it was Mona who set your basement on fire three years ago, which was officiated by Parakarry?" Kammy reminded.

Bowser crossed his arms and sighed. "Yes, unfortunately. Why?"

"Don't you think we kind of let those two get off a little too easy? I mean, if we were all asleep when that happened, then the entire castle could've burned down and we all could've died!" Kammy exclaimed.

"…Okay? But we DIDN'T die, so therefore, you shouldn't think about it. Besides…I probably deserved it for being the biggest asshole in the whole galaxy…" Bowser grumbled and walked to exit the room. Kammy stood there in surprise at his odd reaction.


Bowser Jr. brought Waluigi and Rosalina down to the lobby to find almost everyone else waiting for all of the others to get back.

"Oh! There you two are! Where on earth have you been!?" Peach worriedly asked and hugged Rosalina.

"We, um, got caught up in some stuff…sorry if we made you all worry, but everything is okay!" Rosalina assured.

"What kind of 'stuff' did you guys get caught up in anyways? It took you 20 minutes to get out of the room when I arrived to get you guys!" Bowser Jr. exclaimed.

"Uhh…so anyways! Bowser Jr. caught us up on everything that's been happening. So, Rouge and Blaze aren't to be trusted, got it. No luck finding Goombella, I assume?" Waluigi quickly changed the subject.

"Not sure yet. We're still waiting for the others to come back and let us know what they found, if anything. I sure do hope they're all alright though..." Daisy replied with worry.

"Rosalina! Can't you do some kind of spell that can track down Goombella's whereabouts?" Kooper asked.

"Oh, you mean a locator spell? Ooh…unfortunately, that's one of the few spells I actually don't know of. Sorry. I was never taught such a spell nor do I remember reading about it. Kammy?" Rosalina replied and looked to the koopa witch.

"If I knew the spell, I would've used it already," she crankily replied. "But, even if I did, I wouldn't be able to use it till now because someone stole my backup wand and cast a spell on me to make me temporarily weak! I had Bowser Jr. go out looking for you so you can heal me but it's too late now cause I think it's wearing off."

Rosalina looked guilty. "Oh…I'm sorry, Kammy…"

"Wait a second, you said someone stole your backup wand? What? Are you sure that's exactly what happened?" Mario asked.

"It's probably the case! I remember feeling the wand on the inside pocket of my robe right when I woke up today, before we left for this world, but I checked again right after I got 'weak' and it was gone. Someone had to have taken it!" Kammy explained.

"So…o-one of us had to have taken it then?" Luigi guessed in fear.

"Why would any one of us take your wand and use it against you?" Pauline asked.

"Hell if I know! Maybe there's a traitor in our group!" Kammy accused. Everyone else wasn't sure what to think and gossiped amongst themselves. Mario walked up to Waluigi.

"Hey! Is everything okay with you and Rosalina? You two were stuck in your room for a while…" Mario asked.

Waluigi chuckled. "I'm actually surprised that none of you have figured it out by now. Come on Mario…me and her…lovers in one room for a long time…"

Mario widened his eyes and dropped his jaw in excitement. "Oh! Mamma mia! You both…okay! Wow! Um, congrats, I guess? I-I don't know what to really say!"

Waluigi chuckled harder. "It's okay, you don't have to say anything! But, it was amazing. It felt so right. I really think that she's the one for me, Mario! I've never fallen this hard for anyone in my life!"

Mario grinned. "I'm glad that you found the perfect match for you, Waluigi. You two do seem to fit just right and I can definitely sense the chemistry between you two."

"Thanks Mario! It means a lot. Now, where is Wario? I want to tell him this too!"

"He's out with the group looking for Goombella, but he should be back any minute now with them."

Flurrie floated over to Rosalina. "Dearie! So, I couldn't help but notice something…you and Waluigi, you're officially an item, right?"

Rosalina blushed and smiled. "Yes, we are. I'm really sorry we were away for so long. Like I said, we just got caught up in…love…"

Flurrie giggled. "You don't have to explain, dear, I know EXACTLY what you're talking about! I'm quite happy for you though! I'll admit, I didn't see you two being a couple coming at all, but hey, that's how relationships go sometimes, right?"

"Yeah…same here, Flurrie. I didn't think I would ever fall for him. But I have, and it's the most amazing feeling in the world. Magic couldn't even compare to it," Rosalina spoke, completely lost in love.

"No one here wants to admit it, but…there's no way any of them found Goombella just by looking through the city. She definitely got captured," Bowser Jr. whispered to Toadette.

"You seem so sure," she responded.

"Isn't it obvious, though? What else could be the explanation for her suddenly gone missing?" he shrugged.

"You're right. They may have killed her too…so, I guess we shouldn't be too shocked to see a dead body if we end up finding her whereabouts," Toadette said.

"Exactly. You know…it's times like this where I feel like we're the only two real people in this group," Bowser Jr. smiled at her, and she smiled back.

Toad noticed their interaction and chemistry with each other, but didn't hear what they were talking about. "Hmm…those two have been getting along quite well recently…"

Lakilulu and Bombette rushed into the lobby.

"Hey, you guys! Where are the others?" Peach asked.

"B-Behind us…I'm so sorry, this is all my fault! We went into this club and the loud, booming noises gave me a panic attack so I ran out and Bombette followed me to make sure I was okay…" Lakilulu apologized upsettingly.

"Yeah, she was pretty distressed. I think the noises reminded her of that night…can't say I blame her…" Bombette sympathized.

"Oh, sweetie, everything is okay now. Just take deep breaths in and out," Vivian said and patted the lakitu on her shoulder.

"Wait, you guys went into a CLUB to look for Goombella?" Toad questioned.

"Knuckles the Echidna said he saw her go into there a while ago. No idea if the others were lucky," Bombette clarified. Everyone else looked at each other in suspicion.

The next pair to arrive was Dixie Kong and Fire Bro.

"Dixie! You look panicked. Did something bad happen to you guys at the club?" Toadette asked.

Dixie paused for a minute, struggling to speak.

"N…no. I just got, um, claustrophobic by how many people there were, so I panicked and had to come back. I couldn't handle it in there," Dixie lied, not looking at anyone so she could hide her shame.

"What!? Are you sure? It looked like you were having a great time to me!" Fire Bro laughed. Dixie shot him a glare.

Another pair that arrived was Wendy and Larry.

"Are you ever gonna tell me what scared you off!?" Larry yelled.

"Okay, why are you guys arriving in separately instead of a whole group? What the hell happened out there!?" Koopie asked.

"Wendy, what's wrong? Is everything okay?" Bowser asked.

"It's fine. I'm fine. Some asshole just creeped me out at the club, that's all," Wendy quickly responded. Larry and a few others raised a brow.

Finally, Yoshi, Birdo, Parakarry, Diddy, Kazooie, and Goombario entered in.

"DIXIE! There you are! You didn't hear me calling for you back there!?" Diddy exclaimed and hugged her. Dixie hugged him back while trying not to sob.

"Why did you guys split off from us!? We were so worried!" Goombario cried.

"I'm sorry, I had a panic attack, I just had to leave!" Lakilulu answered.

"I followed her back here to make sure she was okay," Bombette added.

"I…I just got scared off by someone. That's all, Goombario," Wendy quietly responded.

"Okay, everyone in the group that came with us is accounted for now…except for two people…" Birdo pointed out nervously.

"Banjo's not here either!? Oh god…" Kazooie gasped in fear.

"Where's Wario at? He went with you guys, right?" Waluigi asked.

"Last time we saw Banjo, he went to check outside for the some of the others that ran out, but he never came back. We looked for him a bit, but couldn't find him, so we came back here in hopes that he'd be here, but I guess not…as for Wario, the last time we saw him was with Knuckles and the two were gonna get a drink, and…" Parakarry stopped talking and widened his eyes at that last part.

Daisy put her hands on her sides. "You left Wario alone with a potentially dangerous person!? Are you serious!?"

"W-we thought we could trust him because he seemed so normal and helpful!" Dixie cried.

"Come on, you guys, THINK! This is Knuckles the Echidna we're talking about here, he doesn't hang out at places like clubs or bars!" Toad pointed out and also showing off his video game knowledge yet again.

"Oh god…Wario! They probably captured him like they did with Goombella! Probably same thing with Banjo too!" Waluigi freaked.

"DON'T SAY THAT! WE NEED TO FIND OUT WHERE THE FUCK THESE GUYS ARE HIDING OUT, FIRST OF ALL!" Kazooie screamed.

"They could be anywhere in this gigantic fucking city! IT WOULD TAKE FOREVER TO FIND THEM!" Larry screamed back.

"ENOUGH! JUST STOP IT AND LET ME THINK! Okay…um…I think I have a plan, but first, everyone IS down here, correct? Our whole group, excluding the ones we can't find?" Mario asked. Everyone looked around and counted.

"Looks like it, except for DK, Koops, and Jojora," Koopie answered.

"I'm right here!" DK called out, exiting from the staircase, and quickly walked to the group.

"Oh! Perfect timing, DK. So, anyone know where Koops and Jojora are?" Mario asked again.

"DK, are you okay? You look…pissed off," Diddy noticed.

"I'm fine. Don't worry about it," DK responded in a strict tone. Diddy knew something was up.

"Well, um, Koops…last time I saw him, he was walking off back to the pool area…I don't know about Jojora though…" Vivian shyly admitted.

"That's it? I feel like you have something more to tell us," Koopie interjected. Vivian gulped.

"Wait, there's Koops!" Toadette called out. Everyone looked back and saw Koops stomping towards the group with an angry expression.

"Hey dude, everything okay?" Kooper asked, noting his behavior. Koops walked up to him and punched Kooper in the face, knocking him over to the ground. Everyone else shrieked in utter surprise.

"WHAT THE HELL DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING, KOOPS!?" Koopie shrilled while running over to the scene.

"ME!? ARE YOU FUCKING KIDDING ME, KOOPIE!? I SHOULD BE ASKING YOU THAT QUESTION, CONSIDERING YOU CHEATED ON ME FOR THIS BASTARD YEARS AGO AND WANTED TO KEEP IT A SECRET FROM ME!" Koops screamed in pure rage. Everyone stood back, frightened. No one had ever seen him so angry before.

Koopie backed away, more frightened and shocked than anyone else there. "Wha…how…h-how did you…Koops…I…"

"DON'T EVEN TRY TO FUCKING APOLOGIZE TO ME, YOU SLUT! YOU KNEW EXACTLY WHAT YOU WERE DOING! I AM NEVER GOING TO TRUST YOU AGAIN, YOU HEAR ME!? WE ARE DONE FOREVER!" Koops continued raging and stormed off back to his room. The commotion caused even the other hotel guests casually walking by to stop and stare in shock at what was happening.

"Uhh…that just happened, right? He really did and said all of that…holy shit…" Mona said, still struck in shock and fear.

"Yes, that definitely did just happen. God…I have NEVER seen Koops so pissed off like that before. Man, Koopie and Kooper fucked up big time!" Goombario exclaimed.

Koopie tried to compose herself while Bowser helped Kooper get up, who was now bleeding from his nose.

"I…I…should go talk to him and calm him down…" she said, still frozen and petrified from what happened, and ran off.

"Damn. Can't say I feel TOO bad for ya though. Cheating is the ultimate no-no in any relationship," Bowser said, knowing very well from past experience.

"Yeah yeah, don't rub it in…I felt horrible for doing that to him and I WAS going to tell him too! How did he even find out, anyways?" Kooper questioned.

"Are you okay? Is your nose broken?" Peach asked while giving him some tissues to stop the bleeding.

"I don't think so. I'll be okay…maybe…ugh, who knows. But, it's what I get for being such an asshole back then…I guess I'll be paying for it for the rest of my life…" Kooper sighed.

"God, just why does there have to be drama like this NOW!? I mean, don't get me wrong, I feel awful for Koops and such, but…WHY NOW!?" Daisy cried and smacked her forehead.

"I swear, I don't think we'll ever get a full world done without some kind of conflicts within the group getting in the way…" Birdo added.

"Um…so…uhh, I guess while that's being taken care of, I'm gonna go get Jojora. Be right back," Luigi awkwardly spoke and went upstairs to go get her.

"Mario, can I speak to you for a second? ALONE?" DK emphasized on the 'alone' part. Mario looked at him confusedly.

"Um, is everything okay, DK? Is it urgent?" he asked.

"Yes, it's VERY urgent. Right now," DK demanded.

"Oh, uhh, okay then. Let's just go over there…" Mario led him over to a small hallway that led to an emergency exit.

"Wonder what that was all about?" Peach whispered to herself, overhearing the conversation.

"Oh god, what if Wario got captured by those guys and they're doing all sorts of horrible things to him!? And Goombella and Banjo…shit! What the hell are we gonna do, Rosalina!? We can't just stand here, we have to do SOMETHING!" Waluigi yelled in panic.

"Waluigi, you must calm down! Please. I promise you that we'll find them, okay? Do you want me to conjure up something to help you relax, like a green tea?" Rosalina suggested. Waluigi looked at her in disgust.

"Wh-what? Seriously, Rosalina!? This isn't the time for you to think about using magic like that right now! And how can I NOT be calm, my brother is potentially in grave danger!" Waluigi raised his voice. Rosalina looked away in embarrassment.

"I-I'm sorry, Waluigi…you're right. I just want to help you in any way I can!" Rosalina urged.

"I'll never forgive myself if Banjo got captured and killed by those assholes…I shouldn't have let him gone outside by himself!" Kazooie cried. Yoshi pat her on the back.

"Don't say that, Kazooie! You didn't know it would happen. We'll find him and we'll get revenge on those bastards! I guarantee it!" Yoshi promised to her. Kazooie turned around and gave him a hug.

"Thanks…and I believe you. Ever since Banjo and I joined this group, we've seen nothing but strength and determination from you guys. There are times where I feel like we are truly unstoppable," Kazooie sobbed a bit but smiled in the end, and so did Yoshi.

"AAAAAAAAHHHHHH!"

Everyone looked to where that familiar scream came from and they, themselves, screamed when they all saw Mario fly into a bookshelf near the elevators. His body smashed one of the shelves and his force of impact caused the entire bookshelf to fall onto Mario.

"MARIO, NOOOOOOO!" Peach cried.

DK ran out from the hallway he and Mario were just in and roared ferociously like a wild animal. Everyone in the vicinity screamed in terror and backed away from the beast.

"D-DK!? WHAT HAPPENED TO YOU!?" Diddy shrieked.

DK roared again and flipped over a glass table, shattering everything on it, and prompting more screams from the crowd. He then ran out of the lobby, pounding the ground with his fists on every move.

"THAT…TH-THAT WAS REAL, RIGHT!? THAT LITERALLY JUST HAPPENED!?" Mona yelled in horror.

"OF COURSE IT JUST FUCKING HAPPENED, WE'RE ALL STANDING RIGHT NEXT TO YOU!" Dixie screeched, equally horrified.

Bowser lifted the bookshelf off of Mario and the others ran to him.

"MARIO! ARE YOU OKAY!? OH GOD!" Peach started to cry and rolled him over on his back. The plumber coughed a few times and opened his eyes.

"Ugh…yeah, I think I'm fine. I'm not bleeding anywhere am I?" Mario asked while cringing in pain.

"Not that I can see. No broken bones? Are you sure you're okay?" Daisy asked.

"Yeah, I swear. My body is a lot tougher than it looks," Mario replied as he stood up with help from her and Peach.

"Mario, what the hell was that!? Why did DK just go off the deep end all of a sudden!? WHAT THE FUCK IS GOING ON!?" Diddy demanded to know.

Mario looked to him in worry. "I…he…all of a sudden he just started to strangle me, completely out of nowhere, then…this. Oh god…you guys, I think he's one of them!"

"One of them!?" Toad repeated in confusion.

"By that, I mean he's like Amy and Charmy! Someone got to DK like they did with those two!" Mario exclaimed.


Koopie follows Koops into their room. Koops is still boiling mad from the previous revelation.

"TELL ME THAT THAT WASN'T REAL! TELL ME THAT YOU CHEATING ON ME IS JUST SOME KIND OF SICK JOKE!" Koops yelled. Koopie sniffled and wiped her tears.

"…It's all true, Koops. I don't know how you heard the truth, but it's all true…and I am so sorry. Kooper and I were both going to tell you!" she said.

"You're sorry!? NO! I don't believe you! The only thing you're sorry about is that you got caught! And you wanna know how I knew about this? Vivian told me. She overheard you and Kooper talking about it a little while ago, and she told me. Wanna know why she immediately told me? BECAUSE SHE'S ACTUALLY A LOYAL FRIEND UNLIKE YOU TWO FUCKING BACKSTABBERS!" Koops screamed and punched the wall out of rage. His knuckles started bleeding a little.

"V-Vivian!? How did she…I don't fucking believe this…" Koopie shook her head.

"DON'T GET MAD AT HER! I want some answers right now! When did this happen between you and Kooper!? And did it happen more than once!?" Koops demanded.

Koopie sighed and sobbed a little more. "It-it did happen…more than once…"

Koops widened his eyes and sat down on the bed. "No…no…oh god…you two…are absolutely disgusting…"

"It happened t-twice. Three years ago, do you remember that awful argument we got into? The one where we yelled at each other, where we couldn't come up with a solution to moving out? I stormed out of your house over to mine and Kooper all of a sudden called me, asking to come over because he left his sweater at my place the week before from my birthday party. I unloaded everything on to him and just needed someone to comfort me so he hurried on over. Then…when he came over…we just…" Koopie struggled to finish her sentence.

"Don't. Just stop right there. You don't have to continue, I already know what you're going to say. How…how the hell could you just do that though!? You don't just sleep with the most convenient person after you get into an argument with your boyfriend, Koopie! WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH YOU!?" Koops raised his voice again.

"I THOUGHT WE WERE GOING TO BREAK UP BECAUSE OF HOW HORRIBLE THAT FIGHT WAS! I DIDN'T KNOW WHAT TO THINK OR DO! I'M SO SORRY! I'm so sorry…" Koopie let out more tears than ever now and collapsed to her knees.

Koops himself let out a few tears. "What happened the second time, Koopie? Tell me right now."

Koopie composed herself and barely managed to stand herself back up. "Th-the second time happened a few months later. You were out for a week with your dad visiting your grandparents. Kooper kept obsessing about what had happened the first time and that he had true feelings for me…and…and I said the same. He came over and we did it again, but I was the one to stop it. I kicked him out of my place and told him that this needs to stop forever. It never happened again between us."

Koops covered his mouth and cried a little more. "I can't believe what I'm hearing…and you two kept it a secret from me for so long…h-how could you do that to me!? THIS MEANS THAT 3 YEARS OF OUR RELATIONSHIP WAS BUILT WAS A FUCKING COMPLETE WASTE OF OUR TIME!"

"Koops…I'm an idiot for what I've done to you. It's just, you are the only guy in my life I've ever fallen in love with and been happy with, and I didn't want to ruin that! I just didn't know what to do!" Koopie said.

"YOU RUINED THIS RELATIONSHIP THE MINUTE YOU SLEPT WITH HIM! God…out of all the people in the world to betray me like this…the one that I least expected would be you. Get out. We're over, Koopie. Forever," Koops stated. Koopie collapsed to her knees again at that final word.

"Koops…please…don't…"

"I SAID, GET THE HELL OUT! I NEVER WANNA TALK TO YOU AGAIN!" Koops exploded. Koopie bursted into tears and ran out of the room.

Koops had never felt so hurt and angry in his entire life. The rage consumed him inside to the point where it felt like he was going to literally explode at any second.

He snapped again.

Koops threw one of the remote controls at the wall and it smashed into a few big pieces. He then shoved the TV off of the dressed and the screen smashed the second it hit the floor, causing some sparks to fly. Next, he threw a chair at the glass screen door, breaking one of its legs apart and smashed half of the glass open. He grabbed a drawer from the dresser and threw it at the mirror, which broke the entire thing. Then, he ran over to the lamp and threw it across the room, smashing the bulb and causing more sparks to fly. He grabbed a large picture of green hills off the wall, tore it apart with his bare hands, and threw it onto the TV which broke the frame. Koops breathed in and out so heavily that he really thought he was going to either pass out or have a panic attack. He dropped onto the bed and bursted into crying. The pain and heartbreak was too much for him to handle.


Luigi got on the second floor and walked over to room 211, Jojora's room.

"Jojora! You in there? I need you to come down to the lobby with the others!" Luigi called out while knocking on the door. He immediately noticed that the door was already slightly open, which quickly gave him a bad feeling in his gut.

He pushed the door open slightly and called out again, "Jojora? A-Are you in here?"

He immediately heard the shower running and slowly walked to the bathroom. He noticed that the door was also slightly open. Luigi gulped, fearing that something happened to her.

"J-Jojora? It's me, Luigi…is everything okay?" he called out from behind the door, not wanting to intrude in case she was actually showering. No response.

He banged on the door a few times, making sure it didn't open. Still no response.

"Jojora, I'm coming in, okay? I just wanna make sure you're alright," he called out again and slowly opened the door. Once he got full view of the bathroom, he screamed at what saw in the shower.

It was Jojora lying against the wall on the shower floor, with the water running onto her body. Both of her wrists were slit with the blood running down the drain.

"OH MY GOD, JOJORA!" he screamed again and ran to the shower. He turned the shower off and felt her pulse on her neck to make sure she was still alive.

She was. Jojora slowly opened her eyes. "Luigi…what…are you doing here…"

"Jojora, did you do this to yourself!? WHAT THE HELL HAPPENED!?" Luigi cried and grabbed a towel to stop the bleeding from both of her wounds.

"I…I did this to myself. It's what I get, Luigi…I deserve this…" she softly spoke, breathing in and out deeply and still in pain.

"W-why are you saying that!? Jojora, please, why would you do this to yourself!? I DON'T UNDERSTAND!" Luigi began to cry a little, praying to God in his mind that she would not die in that moment.

"Luigi…you…remember that story I told you and the others…about Watt dying?" she asked, somewhat struggling to let it out completely.

"Y-Yes, you told us that after the explosion on the ship, you two got knocked over and she hit her head on one of the floating boxes. Why?" Luigi said.

Jojora shook her head and started to cry. "…I lied. I killed Watt, Luigi. It's my fault that she died."

Luigi widened his eyes and gasped. "WH-WHAT DO YOU MEAN YOU KILLED HER!? Jojora…what the hell happened!?"

"*sniff* A-After the explosion happened, we both got knocked off the ship, and fell in to the water…*sniff* but…Watt never hit her head on anything when she fell. Sh-she…she…couldn't swim. She was drowning…oh god, she was drowning a-a-and she called out for my help…and I ignored her. I swam to shore and saved myself, and…when I looked back…she was underwater," Jojora paused for a moment to cry a little more. "I-I got back in the water to save her, b-b-but…it was too late. Watt died…because of me, Luigi! BECAUSE OF ME! I LIED ABOUT EVERYTHING! IT'S ALL MY FAULT!" she then cried into Luigi's shoulder. Luigi stared at the wall in complete shock at this new revelation as another tear fell from his eye.

"Please…don't forgive me! PLEASE DON'T FORGIVE ME! I'M A HORRIBLE PERSON!" Jojora screamed through her crying.

Luigi had no idea what to do at this point. He wasn't sure if he should tell this to the others or be pissed off at Jojora, or even just sympathize with her. If what Jojora is saying is true, then it was indeed her fault that Watt had died. Had Jojora not been so focused on herself, Watt still would've been alive by now. But, at the same time, Luigi could tell Jojora felt absolutely horrible and guilty about what she did. He had never seen her so vulnerable and emotional before.

"Your, um, your wrists…they're still bleeding…I should call 911…I…don't know how to stop the bleeding…" Luigi said almost in a trance as he still stared at the wall. He slowly got up, then ran over to the telephone by the bed and dialed the number.


Spike and Bow arrive in Chai City after a three hour flight.

"It's weird, I don't feel any jetlag! Aren't I supposed to feel that after a long flight?" Bow asked.

Spike shrugged. "Everyone is different. But wow, check out the city over there! Looks exactly like Mushroom City!" He pointed to the distance to a whole bunch of skyscrapers and modernized buildings.

"Spike…I think ANY big city will look like Mushroom City. Let's just hope this one also has a "Ice Bro's Frozen Yogurt" place like in Mushroom City, cause I am CRAVING that stuff like crazy!" Bow said in excitement.

Spike rolled his eyes at her. "You're seriously thinking about frozen yogurt at a time like this? Ugh, come on, let's get a taxi. I think Daisy told us the name of the place Tadano may be in is Northern Chai Mental Institution."

"Can you really blame me, though? I haven't had actual sweets in days! Oh look! TAXI!" Bow called out and waved down one.

The taxi rolled slowly over to the pair which contained a middle-aged Toad guy. "Good afternoon! Where ya folks heading to today?"

"We're heading to a place called Northern Chai Mental Institution. That…that IS in Chai City, right?" Spike asked.

The Toad's face immediately showed concern. "It's…it's on the outskirts of the city, but I-I can take you folks there. Hop on in."

Spike and Bow looked at each other in worry, noting the Toad's sudden change in demeanor. The two got in and the Toad sped off.

"My name's Toadas by the way. Where you folks coming from?" he asked.

"Mushroom City. We're coming here to…uhh…vacation and to also visit our friend in the mental institution!" Spike said, not confident in revealing the true reason for why they were there.

"I see…Mushroom City. Been hearing about that in the news lately! Glad you folks are alright. The place has been destroyed by terrorists, yeah?" he asked.

"Well…um, I guess you could say that. It's going to be fixed asap though. A lot of money was just recently donated to the city by a, uhh, third party so the city isn't gone forever," Bow clarified.

"Good to hear! When I first heard and saw what happened on the news, my friends, neighbors, and I were horrified. We really thought another world war was going to happen, but it looks like it's stopped for the time being," Toadas said. The taxi got into the city streets now. Spike and Bow stared out the windows in awe at the numerous stores, office buildings, and bright lights that were all around. It looked like an exact replica of Mushroom City. Everyone out in the streets either walking to work, selling food or other various knick-knacks, or actually begging for food seemed like a huge contrast to the current Mushroom City where everything there had practically vanished. It felt weird seeing normal, everyday life occurring after experiencing days of, well, abnormal life.

"Now, about the mental institution you folks are going to…heard some pretty scary things about this place. I do hope your friend is being taken care of well in there," Toadas brought up the subject in a nervous tone.

"Oh! Well, it's a mental institution, so I imagine scary things happening there are pretty normal, right?" Bow said with a nervous laugh.

"Well, I'm not so sure about that. I've heard plenty of awful rumors about the place. The rumors remind me of those old sanitariums back in the old days where they did some pretty harsh and life-threatening experiments on people. I remember seeing on the news years ago about a koopa woman who was killed by a patient at the institution. Poor lass had a pen struck through her eye and she hit her head on a table while falling down! Scary stuff," Toadas spoke with grief. Spike and Bow cringed in fear at the story.

"Um…I'm sorry, folks. I shouldn't have brought that stuff up. Everything else I've heard was just talk, so I'm not gonna say any more," Toadas apologized, seeing their discomforted expressions from the rear view mirror.

"Is that it over there?" Bow asked, pointing to a humongous, gray building in the distance.

"Sure is. Seems pretty dull on the outside, but I heard it has a beautiful courtyard," Toadas answered and parked the taxi in front of the institution. Spike paid the toll with the debit card.

"Alright! You folks take care now, you hear? Please do be careful going in there. Good luck with everything," Toadas waved goodbye and took off.

"Great, now I'm officially freaked out to go inside. Fuck! What if some lunatic jumps out of nowhere and tries to come after us?" Spike grunted.

"Not gonna happen. You watch too many B-movies. Now, let's go and get this overwith. I don't know how I'm going to react to seeing a Tatanga twin…" Bow said with impatience. The two went inside and towards the front desk.

"Hi there! My friend and I are here to see our friend, Tadano…Ki…Kigaze," Spike stumbled on the last name a bit.

The receptionist lady gave the two a look of fear for a brief second. Spike and Bow noticed this and also got scared.

"…Ok. Sign in on this clipboard please with both of your full names. I'm gonna hand the both of you a visitor's pass. Carry it on you so staff knows you're visiting him. In case you didn't know, visiting hours are over in an hour, so make sure you're out of the room by then. Once you return to here, bring me back your visitor's passes and sign out on the clipboard. Toadwin there will bring you to Tadano's room," she said firmly and handed the two the passes after they both signed in.

"Cool. Thanks!" Spike smiled and the two walked off. The lady looked at them walking away with worry.

"Follow me, you two," Toadwin said in a strict voice and led them to the elevator. The three got inside.

"So far, this place isn't as dank as I imagined it to be. It's pretty clean and I haven't heard any random screaming from the patients yet!" Spike said with joy.

"Like I said, you watch too many B-movies," Bow sighed. "But Spike…what are we going to say to Tadano? Well…assuming he's actually mentally stable enough to have an orderly conversation with us."

"I've got somewhat of an idea, Bow. Don't worry, it'll be alright," Spike assured. The elevator doors opened, the two now on the second floor. Toadwin led them to the right over to the door labeled B3. He knocked on the door.

"Tadano, you've got guests."

He unlocked the door and opened it. Spike and Bow took in a deep breath and exhaled, unsure what they're ready for.

They went into the room and Toadwin shut the door behind them. Spike and Bow stared at the figure that sat on the bed before them in surprise and fear.

The figure turned its head towards the two. It was indeed Tatanga's twin, Tadano.

He is real.

EOC.

Next chapter will mark the halfway point of the Sonic arc! The final scene in this chapter will continue next chapter. Also, Wario and Goombella will be shown, along with Count Bleck and the others at the new hospital.