"Hey, Kooper, what are you doing?" Konnor, Kooper's little brother, asked while entering his room.

"Woah! Konnor! Don't you knock!?" Kooper shrieked, covering up something on his desk that he was writing.

"Uhh, your door was wide open! Don't get mad at me for not closing your door and keeping your oh so entertaining private from me!" Konnor teased and stuck his tongue out. Kooper gave him a scowl.

"Whatever. Fair enough. If you MUST know what I'm doing, I'm writing a secret admirer letter to a girl I like at school. I'm gonna stuff it in her locker and see how it plays out!" Kooper excitedly told.

"Wow. BORING! Just tell the girl that you like her instead of playing these weirdo games that you come up with! It makes life soooo much easier!" Konnor dramatically exclaimed.

"What!? N-no freaking way. I can't. She's the hottest girl in school and…good god, I just can't, okay!? You'll understand once you reach my age. Or…hehe, probably never with the way you act!" Kooper chuckled. Konnor looked deeply offended.

"EH!? What the heck is that supposed to mean, jerkwad!?" Konnor yelled.

"Dude, you're the weirdest person I know. It's gonna turn girls away! Next year you'll be in high school so you have time to tone it down, but still, just trust me on this! Hell, you might finally get some friends to hang out with for once!" Kooper said in a way that was trying to help him but came off as obnoxious. Konnor looked even more offended now and Kooper realized what he actually said.

"Oh…shit…sorry, Konnor, I-I didn't mean it like that, I meant-"

"OH, GO TIP A COW YOU VANILLA SCUM!" Konnor cried and ran to his room.

Kooper reflected on this memory as he sat by himself in the cafeteria.

"That's exactly something that Fire Bro would say. Konnor was always so random and weird just like Fire Bro. It has to be him! But…no! Ugh, it sounds too fucking crazy! He looks so different and didn't have the fire ability. But, that story he told me at the bar when he got drunk…and that other story about the twin killing the other twin at the other hospital…agh, it doesn't make ANY fucking sense!" Kooper angrily spoke to himself and tugged his skin in frustration.

"Kooper!" yelled Koopie. He looked up and saw her walk to his table. He tried not to roll his eyes considering he wasn't in the mood to talk to her.

"Oh…what's up?" he asked uninterestingly.

She sat down and depressingly sighed. "I feel so alone, Kooper. Koops is giving me the cold shoulder and so are the rest of his friends. And the other people that AREN'T his friends I don't even like!"

Kooper shook his head in annoyance. "And? What do you want me to do about it? I mean, are you surprised that Koops is giving you the cold shoulder after what you- I mean, we did!?"

"Well, no, but…it's just so awkward seeing everyone now after it's been revealed what we did to Koops. They give me the coldest stares and I'm so sick of it! I know I fucked up but I don't wanna deal with all this judgment for the rest of the time we're here, you know!? I can't handle it!" Koopie exclaimed and slammed her fists on the table in anger.

"Koopie…get over it. You fuck up, you deal with the consequences, that's how life works! Just because we're trying to save the world doesn't mean that that changes anything!" Kooper harshly pointed out.

Koopie rolled her eyes and crossed her arms. "Well, that's just fucking great, so am I gonna have a problem with you too then? What is your deal with me, Kooper?"

"Everytime I see you, Koopie, I'm reminded of how much I hurt my friend. I can't ever take that pain away from him! EVER! I want to make up for it…b-but, if Koops won't ever forgive me…then I have to accept that. It's him that we screwed over, it's him that we sent spiraling down the drain! Koopie, I just can't do this with you. I really can't. I'm sorry," Kooper emotionally spoke, still feeling terrible about everything he did to Koops.

Koopie shook her head and sighed again. "I see. Fine then. If I can't change your mind…guess I'm gone, then."

Kooper did a double take. "Wh-what? What the hell is that supposed to mean?"

"Kooper…there's nothing for me here now. Koops hates me, everyone else thinks I'm a homewrecker…I just can't deal with it. I'm running away to a town called Orange Valley here in the kingdom, I have relatives there that can take me in," Koopie revealed. Kooper looked at her like she was insane.

"WHAT THE HELL!? Koopie, you can't be serious! Orange Valley is two hours east of here! First off, how are you even gonna get there? Secondly, it's WAY too dangerous to by yourself! You're making a HUGE mistake!" he exclaimed.

"It's fine, I have a plan. I'll just walk towards Orange Valley, try to hitch a ride as soon as I get on the outskirts, then arrive and stay with my relatives for a few days, then have them drive me to the Moonview Airport, and I'll hitch a plane back to Petalburg so I can be with my immediate family. I'll be fine!"

"WHAT!? Like hell you will! Koopie, you're not gonna find anyone in the city that will take you there, you know, considering most of the city is DESTROYED and many people have evacuated! Also, even if you do do all that and get back to Petalburg, what are you gonna tell Koops' dad? He's gonna wanna know why you came back and not Koops!" he pointed out.

"Look, I'll figure it out, okay!? I just need to get out of here. Besides, you guys don't need me. I'm just an average Jane Doe along for the ride. The main reason why I came with you guys was because I wanted to keep an eye on Koops and make sure he'd be okay. But now…since he doesn't want me around him anymore…there's no point in me continuing with you guys. I'll leave, everyone will forget about me, and life will go on," she cried a little. Deep inside, she did want to stay, but felt so miserable being here at the same time.

"Koopie…please don't say that. You CAN still help you know! I'm sure if you just-"

"Stop. Don't try to change my mind, it's already set in stone," Koopie interrupted and stood up to leave.

"When are you planning on leaving?" he asked.

"Not sure, but it will be very soon. Kooper…you know as well as I do that this group doesn't need us, especially ME. You can come with if you want! I know for a fact that you're feeling just as alone here as I am!" Koopie offered.

"What!? You don't know anything about how I feel! I'm not alone, Koopie. I have people here who I will fight to the death to save the world with. Whether they hate me or not, I will still do it. I will still help out however I can and be involved. Why can't you?" Kooper asked.

"Because I'm not as strong as you," Koopie stated then walked away. Kooper rubbed his temples in frustration and tried to go after her. He got out into the hallway and saw Fire Bro sitting on the floor, eating from a pack of Twizzlers. His mind immediately set on what he originally wanted to do. He had to talk to Fire Bro. He had to do it otherwise he would go crazy wondering. This may have been the only opportunity to do it anyways. He walked over and kneeled down to him.

"Oh! Hey buddy! Twizzler?" Fire Bro offered.

"Uhh, no thanks, I-" Kooper was immediately cut off by Fire Bro shoving a couple twizzlers into his mouth. Kooper ripped the twizzlers out and coughed a bit.

"Hehe! Come on, they're sooooo good!" Fire Bro laughed.

Kooper kept his patience and temper down. He needed to do this in a way that wouldn't upset Fire Bro. "Fire Bro…I came over here to ask you something. It's very important. I'm just gonna come right out with it. Is your real name Konnor?"

Fire Bro stopped smiling. The pack of Twizzlers dropped from his hands. Kooper immediately became nervous.

"Wha…what did you just say?" Fire Bro asked in fear.

"Your real name. It's not Fire Bro, is it? It's actually Konnor, right?" Kooper asked. Fire Bro still stared at him in fear, unable to say a word.

"Uhh, l-look, I ask this because you told me a story at the other hospital about how one twin stabbed the other twin. My brother Konnor did that to me when I was younger, but of course, I survived. And then…when we were at the bar in the last world, you got drunk and told me about the story again, about how you stabbed me. The only people that know about that are a small circle of my friends and my parents. So…logically, it makes sense that YOU are Konnor!" Kooper deduced.

Fire Bro still looked at him in fear. He still wasn't saying anything. It was as if he just froze.

"Look, man, if you really are Konnor, then it's okay! I'm not gonna be mad at you. I just want to know so I can put my mind at ease! And to also figure out how you look so different and how you got a fire ability!" Kooper continued.

"No…no no no no no no no NOOOOOOO!" Fire Bro cried while hitting his head repeatedly with his own hands.

"HEY HEY! Stop that, it's okay! Calm down! Fire Bro…I promise you that I'm not gonna get mad if you really are Konnor! I'm over the incident that happened! You were clearly severely mentally unstable! JUST PLEASE TELL ME IF YOU ARE KONNOR!" Kooper raised his voice and grabbed Fire Bro's hands to stop him from hurting himself.

"I'm…K…Konnor…oh god…I'M KONNOR! AAAGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHH!" Fire Bro suddenly screamed and pushed Kooper across the hallway. The maniac then ran down the hallway, still screaming for his life, as people around stared at him oddly.

"SHIT! KONNOR, WAIT! PLEASE DON'T GO!" Kooper yelled and chased after him. He got to the intersection of hallways and looked to the left since that's where he went, but there was no sign of him.

"What the!? KONNOR! LET ME HELP YOU!" Kooper screamed and began to check each room for him.


Wario was halfway finished drinking down a large bottle of Vodka at the liquor store across from the hospital.

"Ugh…fuck everything and fuck this shitty life…I just wanna go home and sleeeeeeep…" Wario slurred his words. He moved his upper body in a circular motion while sitting down and felt the alcohol take over and disorient him.

"W-w-w-w-w-whyyyyy did you choose me to hurt her, huuuuh? Why me? Why me!? WHY ME!? WHY FUCKING MEEEEEE!?" Wario suddenly screamed and threw the vodka bottle at the wall which shattered it into many pieces. "You fuckers did this to me! YOU RUINED ME! JUST LIKE YOU RUINED THIS WHOLE FUCKING WORLD WITH YOUR STUPID FUCKING PLANS TO DESTROY EVERYTHING YOU TOUCH! JUST FUCKING KILL YOURSELVES ALREADY IF YOU HATE THIS WORLD SO FUCKING MUCH!"

Someone entered the liquor store. Wario lazily turned his head to the entrance and saw Waluigi there.

"Oh…shhhhiiiit…I'm in trouble, aren't I?" Wario groaned then hiccupped.

"Someone told me they saw you run out of the hospital and across the street. And…you've been drinking!? What the hell, Wario!?" Waluigi angrily asked.

"Wanna know whyyyy, brother!? Because I can't ttttake it anymore! The way things are…what we've been through…I can't do it…just…can't…" Wario said while repeatedly shaking his head and let the rest of his body fall to the floor.

Waluigi wasn't sure whether to be mad at him or sympathize with him. He knelt down and put his hand on his brother's shoulder. "I know it's hard and crazy and scary. I know it's awful dealing with all this death and chaos around us. But, we have to try to get through all that to in order to get rid of the things that are causing that, right? We're almost done, Wario. We just got three mystical thingamajigs to go and we can finally face Tatanga and save the world from his stupid plans. Then everything will be alright. We'll be able to finally sleep soundly at night."

"Really? That's…that's really what you think?" Wario said in a way that made it seem like he didn't believe his brother at all.

Waluigi huffed a little bit and tried to get his brother up. "Come on, get up. I'm taking you to bed. No more alcohol, okay!? I can't watch you suffer like this."

Wario pushed him away angrily. "Suffer!? SUFFER!? YOU HAVEN'T SEEN ME SUFFER, WALUIGI! I HAD TO WATCH GOOMBELLA NEARLY GET KILLED AND-AND THOSE FUCKERS…THEY MADE ME DO IT! THEY MADE ME TORTURE HER! I WAS HELD AT GUNPOINT TO TORTURE HER, AND I DID IT! I FUCKING DID IT BECAUSE I'M A FUCKING COWARD AND I'M FUCKING SELFISH AND…I…I…THAT SHOULD'VE BEEN ME WHO DIED IN THAT CHURCH! NOT KAMMY OR KAZOOIE! I DESERVED IT FOR WHAT I DID! But, no…no no no, they kept me alive so I can live with this shit forever…they were smart…they know how to make us suffer…"

Waluigi stood there frozen in horror at this revelation. He was on the verge of crying as he felt so bad for Wario and Goombella. He had no idea how to help now. That kind of trauma isn't something you can simply just wish away.

"Wario…my god…they…they did that to you!? Jesus…" Waluigi started to choke up and hugged his brother.

"I screwed up Waluigi…just like I screw everything else up…" Wario said with his head simply hanging on his brother's shoulders.

"Stop saying that! Wario, listen to me, you were held at GUNPOINT. You were going to be killed if you didn't do what they say! There was no easy way out of that! You did what you thought was right in that situation a-and, uhh, well, anyone wouldn't have been thinking rationally at that point if they were about to be killed! Don't self-destruct over this!" Waluigi said, still hugging his brother.

"I…ugh…god…I feel so fucking siiiick…" Wario groaned and felt his stomach hurting like hell.

"Oh boy, here, come on! Let's get back and get you to the bathroom! Then, you're gonna sleep this off and we'll talk more in the morning," Waluigi ordered and practically dragged Wario out of there.


Vivian knocked on the door to Pauline's patient room.

"Hello hello!" she yelled and walked in with a smile.

"Oh, hey you! It's been a while since we've talked. Up to anything new?" Pauline asked.

"A little bit. I heard about what happened to you earlier, but, um, I just got so distracted with my own issues and…I just feel so horrible for not seeing how you were doing before," Vivian guiltily spoke.

"Don't worry about it. I turned out just fine, didn't I? You don't have to feel sad. I know there's so much other crap going on that people are distracted and in their own worlds. It's fine. I get it. Far worse things have happened to me, trust me," Pauline responded understandably which relieved the shadow siren's nerves.

"Oh…okay. Thanks for that. But, still, how are you? Is the prognosis ok at least?" Vivian asked.

"Yeah, everything's fine. Well, for now at least. I just have to take some pills for the time being to get the blood pressure in my brain down and the nurses are gonna monitor me constantly to make sure everything is okay and that the pills are doing their job. I'll be honest though, I was really scared for a second. My head injury seemed so serious at first and I didn't wanna undergo surgery! I didn't wanna have to sit out on this mission with you guys. It wouldn't have been fair. But, as of now, it looks like I was given a second chance to help out!" Pauline said.

"Yeah! Hehe, looks like it! Well, I'm so glad that it's turning out okay for you. Any good news in the mess we're in seems like a miracle at this point, don't you think?" Vivian asked.

"Yeah. Well, the REAL miracle will be us defeating Tatanga. It's gonna be hard as hell, but we do have a good chance! Anyways, enough about me, what about you? You said you had a little bit of new stuff going on?" Pauline asked.

Vivian smirked a little. "I did. I do! Both good and bad new stuff, though. You see, Koops randomly kissed me when we were in a room together. Totally unexpected, but I really liked it! My heart fluttered a little! Hehe. But, then, I told Goombella about it and she kind of…I don't know, she said basically said that it's a bad idea to get involved with Koops because he JUST broke up with Koopie a couple days ago and that's not enough time to be over someone you love and been with for years. We kinda got in an argument about it cause I told her she was wrong and she walked away from me. I feel bad about what happened, but, um, I have to ask someone else about it because it's driving me crazy now! Pauline, what do you think? Is Goombella right?"

"Oh wow. Um, okay. Sorry to say this, sweetie, but Goombella does have a point. Koops had a severe meltdown about the whole cheating fiasco very recently and yeah, that definitely isn't something you get over so quickly. I don't wanna paint Koops as a bad guy or anything, but there's a chance that he could be using you to get over Koopie," Pauline advised. Vivian looked at her in surprise.

"What!? Y-You really think that!? Pauline…no…I…" Vivian wasn't sure what to say at that point. She didn't want to believe it was the truth because she liked Koops a lot, but she also knew that there was logic in her and Goombella's reasoning.

"I'm not saying that that IS the reason why he kissed you. It could be that he just convinced himself that he's over Koopie and is in a state of denial. I don't know. What I recommend you do is talk to Koops about it. Don't approach him aggressively, just do it in a cool and collected manner. See what he says about it before deciding anything yourself," Pauline said.

Vivian sighed depressingly and slumped down in one of the chairs. "I feel so stupid right now…worrying about a potential boyfriend at a time like this…"

"Don't be! You're a regular being with emotions. You can't help how you feel! Hey, if the end of the world really is nigh, then we might as well spend our last moments with people we have feelings for, right?" Pauline humorously said. Vivian laughed a little at her.

"Hmm. I guess, though, I'd rather not think about the world ending…still, a good point…" she said while twiddling her thumbs.

"Vivian, can I ask you kind of a personal question? Your sisters are with Tatanga, right? What are you gonna do when we finally face off with them? You're not gonna take them back, are you?" Pauline questioned. Vivian slowly looked at Pauline with an intense expression.

"I…god, I haven't really thought about that before. I don't know, Pauline. I can't just…um…you know…kill them. But, I can't take them back into my life either. They went to the dark side once again and I don't think I can ever trust them again. It's not an easy answer, Pauline. I wish I knew what to do. I don't want them to die by anyone's hands, but, like I said, I can't have them just run back to me. I guess I'll figure out my answer when the time comes."


Mario faced Banjo with a nervous expression.

"Banjo…what was the REAL reason you came here then?" Mario asked.

The bear looked to the floor as his eyes became watery again. "I found out something back in my own world about you, Mario. Kazooie and I did. I…I did something on the internet that I shouldn't have done. Have you heard of a place called The Deep Web?"

Mario widened his eyes in fear a little. "Y-Yes, I have. Kind of. I know it's a place that you shouldn't go into. You went in there!?"

Banjo nodded, looking extremely guilty. "Curiosity got the best of me a-and I went into there. I should've never done it. The things I saw on there I have to bury deep down inside of me because…they're too horrible to even talk about. I don't know what the hell I was thinking! I'm such an idiot! Mario…I'm so sorry for not telling you the whole truth when we had the chance to. What I'm going to tell you is something that is completely true and was on The Dark Web. I obtained the information onto my flash drive that I have in my backpack.

This was the main reason we came here, was to show you this. The day after I found this, was when we decided to visit you all. But, we weren't lying when we said we wanted to come to visit you guys as well and see the Mushroom Kingdom. I guess you could say it was a perfect excuse. But then, Tatanga kidnapping us all happened and then we got saved, then we were stuck at the hospital, then we thought about going home, then we wanted to join you guys to help save your world…then we kinda sorta ended up forgetting about what we found on The Dark Web because there was so much happening. But, talking with you and Luigi at the hotel reminded us of why we came in the first place so we wanted to wait till we got back to your world to reveal to you the truth.

But now…Kazooie's dead. She's dead because someone from our group killed her. A-Atleast I think…I…I don't know. Bombette told me that Goombario said that someone from our own group slipped out and shot Kazooie. Why would Goombario say that if he didn't have a good reason to think it? I think it makes sense, Mario. Why would one of those infected guys come in and shoot Kazooie without also killing me since they were planning to anyways? They must've not seen me in the tank. Or…I don't know. But, Mario, I really do think there's some people in this group you should begin to question your trust with. As large as this group is, at least one of them has to have some kind of ulterior motives."

Mario took in all that crazy information as best as he could. "Uhh…wow…um…Banjo…my god. Where do I even begin? I find it hard to believe someone from our group would kill Kazooie. All of us barely know her! It doesn't make sense. And what is on this flash drive!? If it's from the Dark Web and it's about me…then it can't be anything good, can it?"

Banjo fished into his backpack and got out the drive. "A lot of things don't make sense, Mario. Maybe I'm just talking crazy like before when I nearly killed Diddy. I don't know. But, just take this drive, Mario. Let it do all the explaining for you. On the flash drive, it has something to do with your past and how certain people knew about Tatanga's world domination plan very far in advance." Banjo handed the drive to Mario. The plumber's face was in a state of shock.

"Banjo…what's on the flash drive…is it going to change everything that I know it?" Mario asked.

Banjo nodded and looked a little upset. "I think so. I don't think it's a coincidence that I found this on The Dark Web, Mario. This is something that you HAVE to know about yourself and I would feel awful if I knew about it but never told you. So there. View it on your own time. I should be getting back now…"

"W-wait! What do you mean by that!?" Mario exclaimed.

"Mario…there's nothing for me here now. Kazooie's gone. I can't focus on the rest of the mission with my closest friend ever being ripped away from me like that. I'm not gonna be of any good use. So, it's time for me to go home. Besides, I'd rather break the news to everyone back at home about Kazooie sooner rather than later. They're gonna wanna know about her as soon as possible," Banjo said with tears falling from his eyes and a broken smile on his face.

"Banjo…I understand. If that's what you wanna do, then you should do it. I don't blame you for going back home. I know we are friends, but this isn't your own world, and your family, the ones who you really need right now, aren't in this world either. I'm just gonna miss you, buddy. We made a nice bond with the time we had together. You helped out so much and I thank you for that, from the bottom of my heart!" Mario spoke as he began to cry. Banjo gave him a hug and Mario returned the favor as both cried.

"It was so great to see you again, Mario…and your friends too…you guys showed me the meaning of friendship and teamwork and how to never take those things for granted! I'll never forget it," Banjo said.

Mario broke away and nodded while sniffling. "Of course. Um, I think there's a phone in the lobby. I'll call Kylie and get someone over here to pick you up and take you to the warp pipe center. Do you wanna say goodbye to the others?"

Banjo shook his head. "I'd rather not make a dramatic exit and just keep it discreet. Thanks again, Mario. Oh, and by the way…if you do find out that there is someone in the group that killed Kazooie…please let me know as soon as possible? I know it's a hassle to get to my world, but I need the closure."

"Of course. You have my word!" Mario nodded.


Some time later, Mario waved Banjo goodbye as he left the hospital lot in a Mushroom Corps. van. The plumber got a little emotional again, not wanting to see his friend go away, but he understood why Banjo had to.

Mario walked back inside to go find Peach and Luigi and head to bed, but ended up bumping into Flurrie on the way.

"Oh, Mario! There you are! I went to go check the room but you and Banjo weren't there! Is everything okay!?" Flurrie asked worriedly.

"Yeah…kind of. Banjo, he, uhh, feels horrible about everything and feels like he should go back home with his family and tell everyone the news about Kazooie. The death of Kazooie is just gonna distract him if he continues on with us. I didn't want him to go, but I understood why he did, so he's gone now," Mario explained.

Flurrie looked distraught now. "Wait! H-He left!? But…he didn't even say goodbye!? Oh god!" she then started to cry. Mario gave her a comforting hug and she gave one back as she cried into his shoulder.

"He said he wanted to leave discreetly. I had to respect his choices. I'm sorry Flurrie…" Mario said.

"It sounds silly, but I had a little crush on him. He was so kind and protective…but I guess I understand too…this isn't his world. He must feel so out of place without his friend here by his side!" Flurrie wiped her tears and tried to calm herself down all the while smearing her makeup.

"It's not silly! You had feelings for him, completely natural. I get it completely," Mario said, which calmed her down a little more.

"Oh, thanks dearie. You're such a good man. Well…I'm already a bit emotional anyways from what happened earlier, so this certainly didn't help my mood!" Flurrie exclaimed.

"Wait…what happened?" Mario perked up his ears.

"Ugh, it was the worst, I tell you! I found this blue dinosaur in the ladies' bathroom completely high on cocaine! I almost had a panic attack! I haven't freaked out so much in such a long time! He dropped another bag of coke on him and I just completely lost it! My goodness, the wretched dinosaur was going completely insane! I was going to flush the bag of coke down the toilet, but he stopped me from doing so! I ran out of there and tried to calm myself down. Horrible memories came back during that…oh god, I can't relive that again!" Flurrie began to cry again as she explained. Mario widened his eyes in both horror and realization of who the blue dino was.

"My god…Flurrie…I'm so sorry you had to witness that…but, this blue dino…did he have a spiked collar on?" Mario asked.

"Y-Yes, he did. Why? Do you know him!?" Flurrie asked.

"…FUCK! It's Boshi! He's Yoshi's screwed up cousin! He attended a couple of Peach's grand parties and made an ass of himself at every single one! COME ON!" Mario became angry and stomped down the corridors with Flurrie in tow.


"NO! WHAT THE FUCK DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING!? THAT IS MY PERSONAL SHIT RIGHT THERE YOU LOONS!" Boshi screamed as a muscular security Toad held him down and took his few bags of cocaine away from him. Mario, Luigi, Peach, Daisy, Yoshi, Birdo, Flurrie, and Dr. Nokano watched the scene.

"Silence, you total ijit! You are DAMN lucky that I'm counting this as your ONLY warning given the awful mess we're in in this city AND considering the police department was destroyed by that alien so I can't make a report about it!" Dr. Nokano yelled.

"So, Boshi manages to make his arrival by scaring the hell out of Flurrie and being high on an illegal drug, huh? Tell me, has it ever occurred to you to, you know, STOP fucking things up for once!?" Daisy asked.

"OH SHUT UP! I USE THIS DRUG AS AN ESCAPE FROM THIS FUCKED UP WORLD WE'RE IN! Come on, don't tell me that you all haven't thought about it!? An escape from saving the world for just a little bit!? Not having to deal with defeating bosses and all the other drama that comes with it!? Feeling happy with high energy for once in a looooooong time!?" Boshi erratically spoke.

"The difference between us and you is that WE are strong enough to handle the current state of the world that it's in. We accept it for what it is instead of living in denial like you do with your disgusting habit. Boshi, you're a total fucking wreck. How have you not realized this yet!?" Birdo pointed out.

"NO MORE! If I catch you with ANY kind of illegal drug one more time, I am personally kicking you out of this hospital PERMANENTLY! We cannot have so many innocent people, many of whom are recovering from losses and injuries, be surrounded by such toxicity! I'm not telling you this again!" Dr. Nokano strictly said and walked back inside with the coke bags in hand along with the security Toad.

"Kicking me out!? REALLY!? Where the hell am I supposed to go if I'm kicked out!? THE SEWERS!?" Boshi exclaimed.

"Yeah! It fits you perfectly!" Peach spat.

"Boshi, everytime we see you, you're always up to no good. Why now again? Why when the world is at stake? Why add so much unneeded stress and drama to it?" Luigi asked.

"Oh, you guys will never understand! Look, I'm not a happy person, okay? I've lived a shit life with shit people and drugs like that help me get through it all. Just because I'm alive in this world, doesn't mean I HAVE to love it!" Boshi whined.

"Oh, boo-hoo! So, you had a rough life! So what!? What makes you so special that you have to degrade yourself to do something that violates your body and health and take it out on others, hmm!?" Flurrie angrily spoke.

"Oh, fuck you! You don't know a thing about me!" Boshi growled.

"Boshi, just fucking stop. You cause trouble around here again, and I guarantee you that there WILL be consequences for it, okay!? So stop this shit. We all know what you're capable of and none of us are gonna take it here. If you wanna go be a wreck, then go do it somewhere else," Mario angrily stated then walked back in the hospital with the others except for Yoshi. He was rubbing his chin then glared at Boshi. He walked up to him.

"Well? You heard what they said! Boshi, you're a grown adult now, ACT LIKE IT! I know you've had a rough life, you told me the stories, but that's NEVER an excuse for things like this. You have a drug addiction, Boshi. You're bringing this problem to all of us at the worst timing possible and no one wants to fix it because we're all distracted with our own problems," Yoshi said.

Boshi rolled his eyes. "So, what you're saying is, I never should've come here then? I should've just roamed the destroyed streets for all eternity, have no shelter, no food, no water, and just starve to death?"

Yoshi sighed and tried to keep his cool. "Stop it. That's not what I'm saying. Just…keep yourself under control. No more drugs. No more freak outs. No more insulting my friends. I mean it!"

Boshi crossed his arms and made a pout. "Fine. Whatever. I'm going to sleep. I feel the crash coming on me and I feel like shit now anyways. Have a nice fucking night!"


Arfur arrived at the hospital lot in his car with Spike, Bow, and Tadano.

"Aaaaand we are here! Thanks Arfur for driving us," Spike said.

"Of course! It was worth it considering the plan worked! I just can't believe you guys found Tadano, Tatanga's twin! It all feels so surreal!" Arfur laughed.

"I'm still having a hard believing it too…" Bow remarked.

"So, this is the place where all the heroes are, huh? Can't wait to meet them all! I hope I don't end up scaring anyone, though. I'm nothing like my brother!" Tadano said in worry.

"If you say so…" Bow whispered.

"Don't worry, we'll explain everything to them. However, it's getting very late so a lot of them are probably heading to bed now. Come on, follow me, I'll show you where you can sleep at," Spike offered and then the three got out of the car.

"Alright, I'll be by tomorrow morning! Have a good night guys!" Arfur said and waved goodbye while the others waved back. Arfur left and Tadano immediately turned around to face the hospital.

"Hmm. It's kinda ironic, you know? Going from one hospital to another. At least I get to interact with normal people and help defeat my brother!" Tadano cheered.

"Well…there's a few people here I wouldn't consider 'normal' really, but it beats being at an asylum," Bow said.

"Yeah! This should be VERY interesting! Can't wait to meet the gang!" Tadano said in a way that was a little TOO over-excited.

EOC.

So, Banjo has indeed left the story. I've been wanting to make the main group only Mario characters for a long time now and felt that this was the appropriate time to make it happen. Banjo will appear again towards the end of the story so he's not gone forever. Next chapter will take place the following day and will also show the villains. See you next Friday!