"IN HERE, IN HERE!" Yoshi cried as he led Dr. Nokano, a couple security guys, Birdo, Mario, Luigi, Peach, and Daisy to the men's bathroom where Boshi was told to remain with Toadiana's body.
"OH MY GOD! BOSHI, WHAT THE FUCK DID YOU DO TO HER!?" Daisy screamed. Everyone dropped their jaws at the horrific sight. Toadiana was laying face up with glass shards stuck in her forehead, a puddle of blood around her body, along with blood on the mirror and sink.
"I DIDN'T DO ANYTHING! P-P-P-PLEASE, JUST LISTEN TO ME! I KNOW HOW THIS LOOKS BUT JUST LET ME EXPLAIN!" Boshi shrilled in sheer panic.
Mona was walking by and saw the gang looking terrified. "Guys? What's going on? Please tell me everything is- WOAH!"
"MONA, DON'T LOOK!" Peach shrieked, turning around and pushed her away from the scene. "I-I-It's disgusting! That poor little girl is dead! GOD, WHY DOES THIS KEEP HAPPENING!?"
"Well, Boshi, you better start talking right now because I am ready to have your ass kicked out of this hospital and be sent to the police station in the next city over!" Dr. Nokano angrily stated.
"Okay okay okay! I was heading to this bathroom, right!? So, I'm about to head in, then all of a sudden this little girl comes running towards me and screaming at me, telling me to run away because some man made of fire is coming after her. I freaked out a little bit, so I jumped into here, thinking she wouldn't dare come in here, but she did! She kept screaming about the fire man and I told her to calm the fuck down and asked her where her parents are, but she kept yelling and acting crazy! She was running all over the bathroom and I tried to grab her to stop here, but she was fucking quick and waving her arms all over the place! Shit, if I didn't know any better, she had to have been on drugs! Then, she stops, points at the mirror, and says 'That's the way out! I gotta get out of here!' and jumps head first into the mirror, cracking it, and then she banged her head on the sink and fell to the floor! It all happened so fucking fast I just…I didn't know what to do, okay!?" Boshi explained in hysterics.
Everyone else looked at him like HE was the one that went crazy.
"What in the world? That sounds completely crazy and unbelievable! You're telling me a little girl just went berserk for no reason and killed herself!?" Luigi asked.
"I know how it sounds, you guys! But please, you gotta believe me on this, I'm telling the truth! I swear on my life I wasn't on drugs when this happened! I can even take a urine test to prove it to you all!" Boshi pleaded for belief.
"That's not gonna help anything, Boshi, considering the drugs are still in your system since you stopped yesterday. That stuff remains in your body for around 30 days!" Dr. Nokano pointed out.
"Well…uhh…OH! Check the security cameras! There has to be one in the hallway, right!? Yeah! It'll show the girl acting all psycho and running in here!" Boshi tried another defense.
"Will it even help though? Because there's no camera in this bathroom! Even if the cameras did show her running into here, there's still no proof that you had nothing to do with it. I mean, even if you didn't do anything like you said, Boshi, it still looks suspicious because Yoshi found you next to a dead girl!" Mario said.
"We're gonna have to label this as a crime scene and keep anyone else from entering this restroom till this case is solved. The closest town with a police department is Toad Town, so we're gonna have to get into contact with them, have them come over here so they can check for prints and deduce if this guy is telling the truth," said one of the security toads.
"WHAT!? But I AM telling the truth! Look guys, I know I've done crazy and stupid shit in the past, but I've never hurt anybody like this ever before! I'm not a murderer! Come on Yoshi, you believe me, right!?" Boshi was begging for any kind of help at this point. Yoshi stood there with a concerned expression, looking back and forth at him and at the dead body. He didn't say a word, because he had no idea what to think at that point.
"Do we even know this girl's name!? We should get some identification so we can let her parents know what happened, if they're here!" Mona said.
"H-Her name is…Toadiana…" spoke Toadessa Wu from behind the group. They all turned to her.
"Oh! Are you- I mean, were you friends with her?" Peach asked. Toadessa nodded.
"I-I think that guy is telling the truth. *sniff* Toadiana started acting all crazy and said weird things like everyone was staring at her, even though they weren't, and she heard fire crackling in her ears, bu-but there was no fire around! *sniff* She then screamed and pointed behind me, saying there was a man on fire coming after her so she ran away and I tried to chase after her but I lost her!" Toadessa explained while sobbing at the same time.
"AHA! THERE YOU GO, I WAS TELLING THE TRUTH! NOW ALL YOU BITCHES WHO REFUSED TO BELIEVE ME CAN KINDLY FUCK OFF!" Boshi roared.
"SHUT UP!" Daisy snapped at him.
"…It DOES help his story, though. Well? What do we do now then? I mean, as crazy as Boshi is, I'm honestly doubting that he actually killed Toadiana. The stories match up and there's no blood at all on Boshi," Luigi pointed out.
"Sweetie, what's your name? And can you think of any reason why Toadiana would suddenly be acting 'strange'?" Dr. Nokano politely asked.
"My name is Toadessa Wu. And I don't know why Toadiana was acting like that! It didn't make any sense! I'm sorry, I just don't know!" she cried.
"Might be reaching here, but did she stumble upon drugs of any kind that you know about and, uhh, took them?" Mario asked and made a side eye to Boshi, who noticed this.
"Woah woah! Are you implying that I gave a little kid drugs!? Seriously guys? Quit acting like I'm the worst person to ever exist!" Boshi yelled.
"Well…umm…she did take these two yellow pills. It was to help with our menstrual cramps! My friend, Toado, got me one and I took it, and it worked! He told me some lady was stashing them in some room by the pharmacy and he showed me the room, so I showed Toadiana the room cause she was having cramps too and she took 2 pills. That's the only thing I can think of!" Toadessa said. Mona's face turned to horror upon what she said, realizing that those kids took HER pills without her knowing. Daisy looked to Mona in suspicion.
"I see…do you know what the name of these yellow pills were?" Dr. Nokano asked.
"No, they were in a plastic bag. They don't have a name on them," Toadessa answered.
"Alright then. Toadessa, show us this room right now so we can check out these pills. Security, I need one of you to stay here and block the restroom off, while the other goes and contacts Toad Town's police department to have them investigate this mess," Dr. Nokano ordered. Toadessa nodded and led the group the way to the room. Mona stayed behind, still in shock as she slowly walked towards the women's restroom. Daisy noticed this and followed her.
Mona went in and looked at herself in the mirror. She couldn't believe that she had indirectly killed a little girl. She was so horrified and disgusted with herself that she ran to one of the stalls and puked in the toilet. Mona was sweating all over and started crying.
"Mona?" Daisy called out, seeing her in the stall. "Those were your pills that Toadiana took, weren't they? You brought them with you from the hotel!?"
"I…I swear on my life, Daisy, I did NOT give those pills to them! I even told that toad boy to not take those! I made a lie to him and said that they were for girls' menstrual cramps so he wouldn't take them, but then…h-he told them the location of my pills so the girls can take them…" Mona explained as she barely managed to stand herself up. Daisy sighed frustratingly and shook her head.
"Just…WHY did you bring those pills with you!? They're dangerous from what you told me!" she yelled.
"Because I had to know about Fire Bro! Daisy, listen to me right now, I encountered Fire Bro yesterday right before Toado tried to take the pills. He literally backed me up against the wall and threatened to stop investigating because that was my only warning! He became a completely different person in a matter of seconds after I mentioned to him that I remember seeing him outside the castle after I escaped the basement fire three years ago! Something is seriously up with him!" Mona exclaimed.
"He really did that to you? What the hell…wow…" Daisy said in shock.
"Daisy, please believe me when I say that Fire Bro can't be trusted. There is so much about him that we don't know about! He's dangerous!" Mona tried to instill that into Daisy's head.
Daisy sighed again and paced back and forth. "Well…what do you think we should do then?"
"I want to go with you guys on the mission to the Shiverburn Galaxy, so I can keep an eye on him. I'll make damn sure that he won't have his way with me!" Mona proposed.
"Really!? I mean…I'll ask the gang if it's okay, but…don't you think you should confess first?" Daisy asked.
"Confess? What do you mean by that?" Mona questioned.
"Mona, those were YOUR pills that those kids took. They're gonna wanna know how those pills got into this hospital and how the kids got them so easily because those are from the black market! I mean, you might not get into trouble because you didn't directly give it to them, but still, don't you think it's the right thing to do?" Daisy proposed right back. Mona started crying a little again.
"I…oh god, Daisy, I never meant to hurt anyone! I don't think I can do it!" she said.
"You're gonna have to! That little boy, Toado, the police are gonna question him cause he showed those girls the room and he's gonna describe you and they'll start questioning you! Plus, her parents would want total closure on this case! Wouldn't you?" Daisy made a point that made Mona a little more upset but she nodded her head in agreement anyways.
"Koops!"
Koops looked up after planting his face down in one of the cafeteria tables. It was Vivian, who was walking right towards her.
"Oh, Vivian! Is everything okay?" he asked as she sat down.
"I was actually gonna ask you that. Things got pretty intense in there with Boshi acting like a jerk for no reason, huh?" Vivian sweetly asked.
"Yeah, he's a total bastard, and I hated that he did that to me. I know I made a mistake with hurting him in the past but that doesn't mean I would repeat it again! You believe me, right!?" Koops cried.
"Of course I believe you, that's not even a question! He was just trying to start drama because he's trying to distract himself from not doing drugs anymore. He's not worth stressing over!" Vivian said.
"I know, but, I just can't help but wonder if what Boshi said had put some doubt in people's minds about me. It looks bad on me no matter how you try to look at it," Koops spoke with a hopeless tone. Vivian frowned sympathetically.
"Koops…it doesn't matter what they think. You didn't do it, that's all that matters. If they think otherwise, then that's their problem, and not yours. You can't let this get to you," Vivian suggested. Koops looked at her and blushed a little.
"Yeah, you're right. That helps a lot actually. Thanks, Viv," he said and leaned over the table to kiss her. She barely kissed back and Koops noticed this and sat back down. "Um, is something wrong?"
"Um…well…I actually came over here for another reason, Koops. To talk about us," she admitted.
"Oh! Yeah, we haven't really talked since we last kissed, huh? Hehe, it was so nice. Did you want to, like, go on a proper date soon…if that's even possible in our situation?" Koops chuckled.
"I actually want to talk about how maybe this is all happening too soon between us," Vivian said and Koops' smile faded instantly.
"Too soon? What is that supposed to mean?" he questioned.
"I mean, you just broke up with Koopie a few days ago, someone you've been with for years after being betrayed by her and Kooper. Do you really think you're fully over her?" Vivian asked. Koops looked like she had just insulted him.
"Vivian, why are you saying all this!? I AM over her! She cheated on me twice and so I broke up with her! Why would I ever wanna be with someone who stabbed me in the back? I mean, yeah, I'm still angry about it, but so would anyone else in my shoes!" he exclaimed.
"I understand that, I really do! It's just, if you're still in love with her, then maybe we shouldn't be doing what we're doing till you're out of love with her. I mean, feelings can't just go away that quickly!" Vivian said.
"YES, THEY CAN!" Koops raised his voice. "I'm not in love with her anymore! She can go be with Kooper for all I care! I don't care if it's been a few days since we broke up, I wanna move on, and being with you is a part of me moving on! I've always liked you, Vivian, and I know you liked me too, so clearly we were meant to be together!"
"I'm sorry, Koops, I just…I just don't want this to end badly between us…" Vivian replied.
"Why would it end badly!? Because you THINK something of me that's not true? You know, that's really not fair! You're not even giving this a proper chance!" Koops cried.
"Koops…I-I'm so sorry…I have no idea what I'm doing…or what I'm even trying to say…" Vivian sobbed a little.
"It's okay, just be with me, that's all you have to do, Vivian. We belong together! Maybe even permanently together?" Koops said as he grabbed her hands and locked them together. Vivian gave him an uncomfortable smile and looked down at the table.
"Right…together…umm…it's getting late, so I'm gonna start heading to bed now…" she said, pulling her hands away and stood up to leave.
"Oh okay then. Let me walk you to your bed! Do you wanna sleep together?" Koops excitedly asked. Vivian looked at him with surprise and discomfort. She didn't think he would ask her that kind of question.
"N-no, it's okay. Not tonight. Th-thank you, though. We can have, umm, breakfast in the morning together if you want," Vivian asked while trying not to cringe because she didn't really want it to happen on the inside.
"Yeah, I'd love that! Alright then, good night!" Koops cheered and gave her a big kiss. She kissed him back a little more than before this time and did a fake smile afterwards. She quickly walked away and out of the cafeteria and held on to the wall as she felt faint.
"God…what am I doing? I'm such an idiot! I…can't just end it with him, though. I don't want him to spiral out of control again. I care about him so much, but…I just don't know…" Vivian whispered to herself while sobbing.
Jojora and Parakarry were playing cards in one of the day rooms.
"…You're not enjoying this, are you?" Parakarry asked, noting the distant look on the fairy's face.
"Huh? Oh…sorry, it's my turn, umm…" Jojora snapped out of her zoning out and looked at her cards.
"Stop for a second. What's up with you? Need to talk about something? I know something's on your mind!" Parakarry said.
Jojora looked at him annoyedly then dropped her cards to the table. "I wanna get out of here and go do something, something that I've been wanting to do for a while now."
Parakarry was surprised by this reveal. "Eh? But, it's getting late! What do you even have in mind to do?"
"You know where Watt was buried at, right? I wanna go over to her burial spot and get things off my chest to her. I won't be able to sleep tonight if we won't do it," Jojora added. Parakarry was even more surprised now.
"Really!? I mean, uhh, are you sure? That's a long ways away from here and who knows what kind of dangers we'll encounter in the dark, abandoned city!" Parakarry freaked out a little.
"That's why I want you to come with me, so I won't be alone! And come on, it's not gonna be that scary. You act like we're heading into some wild animal's territory. Plus, it's not gonna kill us to go all the way over there. You can fly and I can float, remember? It'll be quick!" Jojora laughed a little.
"Well, uhh, alright then. Better than staying cooped up in this place all the time anyways," Parakarry shrugged and began to follow her out.
The pair exited the hospital and made their way into the desolate city. The various rubble and ruined buildings they passed by unnerved them a little.
"You know where you're going, right? A-And you know the way back too?" Parakarry nervously spoke.
"I do! It was mostly a straight shot on this long road we're on that the vans took us from Mushroom Corps. when we got back from the hotel," Jojora answered.
"Good. Damn, though, it's completely silent right now. It's actually kind of creepy! Seriously, at this time of night, you'd hear the sounds of cars and music playing from the stores over there, but now, it's just nothing," Parakarry eerily observed.
"Yeah, it's just so depressing! Do you ever think this city will get back to the way it was? Especially with people's jobs and homes. I'm pretty sure my news agency I'm contracted with was destroyed. I tried contacting them multiple times with my PDA after we were all kidnapped but no response had ever came from them. If they were still up and running, they would've definitely contacted me some way by now because I'm one of their top gossip reporters! I know it's selfish to think about, but how am I going to pay my bills and get another place to work at with all this going on?" Jojora ranted.
"I don't think that's selfish, I think everyone's kinda thinking that too! Many people lost their homes and jobs because of Tatanga, so now they have to basically start all over somewhere else, and it sucks! Our city gets the crappy end of the stick all because some dumbass takes great pleasure in seeing people suffer," Parakarry said pretty heatedly.
"Yeah. By the way, you were a mailman before this all happened, right? Is your work all right as far as you know?" Jojora asked.
"Yep, that was my job! Done it for many years and never got bored of it. Got to travel and meet many amazing people too. My job SHOULD be okay because it's based in Toad Town, I was just here in Mushroom City at the wrong time because I was taking a two week vacation from work and was traveling around and sightseeing," Parakarry described excitedly, actually missing work a little.
"Wow! You got to take two weeks off work just like that? Damn…wish I had that with my job," Jojora expressed enviously.
"Huh? You never got vacation time?" he asked.
"Barely. I was always on the go with my work and, because I was one of their top reporters, you would think they'd let me have more flexibility with my time off, but noooo, I was working six days a week with atrocious hours. Don't get me wrong, I loved what I did, but it just got so exhausting sometimes and I never had time for myself," Jojora explained.
"Ah! Well, that's kind of crappy to deal with. So, um, are you gonna go back to all that then once we save the world and things will, hopefully, go back to the way they were?" Parakarry asked.
"I honestly don't know. Everything that I've been through and done…going back to my old life after this is all done…I just feel like that part of my life is overwith. For some reason, it just doesn't feel right jumping right back in to my old career and pretending like I haven't changed as a person. I don't know, Parakarry. I think it's safe to say that a lot of us might not be able to switch back to our old lives once the world is saved, because everyone's either changed a lot due to Tatanga or because the work has been destroyed by him," Jojora shrugged.
"That makes a whole lot of sense, yeah. Well, if you ever need help in figuring out what you wanna do with your life after this is all done, I'm always here to help with anything and everything!" Parakarry laughed heartily. Jojora smiled at him.
"Of course. You've been a big help with everything, Parakarry. I'll be honest, I didn't think I could be such close friends with an extreme hipster before, but then again, I used to let labels cloud my judgment," Jojora also laughed.
"Ehh, I don't blame you for judging me on that one. I was trying too hard to be cool and edgy because I didn't want to be seen as boring. I mean…I'm a freaking mailman! I love my job and all, but come on, it's one of the blandest jobs to ever exist!" Parakarry cackled which made Jojora laugh again.
"Trust me, you are the opposite of boring! Even if you are being all hipster-y," she complimented. Parakarry tried his hardest not to blush.
They eventually made it to the spot where Watt was buried right outside of Mushroom Corps. Jojora slowly bent down to her knees in front of the spot.
"Watt…I am so, completely sorry for not saving you from the water when I should have. I was being selfish and stupid. I was looking out only for myself because that's all I've ever done in my life. Looking out for myself, and not even bothering to help others when they need it. The only thing I've ever wanted from people is their stories so I can make a living for my life and ruin other people's lives because all I ever do is…is just twist their words and treat them like dirt!" Jojora began to cry and grabbed the grass tight with both her hands. Parakarry touched her shoulder sympathetically as she continued to speak.
"Watt…I don't know if I'm just talking to the air right now or if you can actually somehow hear me, but, I just wanted to let you know that I'm sorry. Now…there's nothing else for me to do. I can't bring you back. I can't undo my mistake. I have to let this go now. I have to stop beating myself up for this constantly. It's no way to live out the rest of my life and will make me useless in this fight against Tatanga. So there. There's nothing more that needs to be said."
Jojora slowly stood herself up and wiped her tears away.
"Jojora…" Parakarry quietly spoke, a little moved by her speech.
"Let's go back to the hospital now. I feel so much better now than I have in a while."
"Hey, Lakilulu!" Lakilester called out from one of the patient rooms as she walked by in the hallway.
"Oh! Um…hi?" Lakilulu awkwardly responded.
"Can you believe that pinhead back there!? You know, the ugly blue dinosaur who dresses like some comic book villain from the 80's? The way he was yelling at me and accusing Kooper of murdering Koops was fucking disgusting!" Lakilester exclaimed. Lakilulu gave him a glowering expression.
"Uhh…yeah…why are you talking to me exactly?" she asked.
"Huh? What kind of question is that?" Lakilester asked, feeling a little insulted.
"It's a question that you answer, DUH! Why are you speaking to me!? I thought you were done with me!?" Lakilulu demanded.
"Oh, yeah! That! Remember the last time we talked, when I said I wanted to try again? Yeah, I still wanna try again. I'll admit it point blank!" Lakilester said bluntly.
"…And so you just think I'm gonna jump right back into your arms that easily, huh?" Lakilulu asked.
"Well…I was kinda hoping you would!" Lakilester bluntly admitted again. Lakilulu laughed at him a little.
"You've gotta be kidding me. How desperate do you think I am to just run right back to you? Lakilester, our relationship was TOXIC. We would break up constantly and get into fights all the time. I'm not going through that crap again!" Lakilulu stated.
"I promise it won't happen this time! I've matured a lot and, uhh, done a bunch of other self-improvement things! Come on Lu, just one last try? You and I have a whole lot of history that we can't just get rid of instantly!" Lakilester began to plead at this point.
"We do have a lot of history, but that doesn't mean you are the right person for me. I'm sorry Lakilester, but I don't wanna be with you ever again, and you're just gonna have to accept that. I don't hate you for anything at all. But please…you have to move on," Lakilulu said upsettingly and went away. Lakilester stood there for a whole minute, watching her fade away in the distance while in shock and sadness.
"Wow. That was brutal of her, wasn't it?" Tadano spoke from the next room over. Lakilester whipped his head to him in surprise.
"Woah! The fuck? You heard all of that?" Lakilester asked.
"Yep. I'm sorry that she left you, though. I can tell it hurts a lot," Tadano said in sympathy as he walked over to him.
"It's…it's no big deal. I'll get over it," Lakilester shrugged and pretended like it didn't bother him.
"Any way I can help with the process? You sound like you need a friend right now!" Tadano said with an innocent smile and kept walking closer.
"No thank you. The only friend I need right now is alcohol to get me through this shitty stage of my life," Lakilester gloomily replied.
"Really? Can I have some? I've never had the opportunity to drink alcohol before!" Tadano excitedly said.
"Really? NEVER!? How is that possible?" Lakilester scoffed.
"Well, give me some and I'll tell you the whooole story!" Tadano giggled then winked at him. Lakilester thought that it was weird, but it was a good excuse to drink alcohol at that point, so he didn't think too much of it. He invited him into his room and shut the door.
"Professor Frankly, why did you bring me up here?" Goombella asked as she went up to the rooftop with him.
"Because it's quiet and I want to discuss something very important with you," Frankly stated and shut the door.
"Oh boy, what's up?" Goombella braced for it.
"So, I know what happened to you at the hotel, Goombella. I am deeply sorry you had to go through that and I can't imagine how traumatic it was for you. However, the way you are handling your trauma is wrong," Frankly said.
"What? What the hell is that supposed to mean!?" Goombella yelled.
"Vivian spoke to me earlier today. She's very worried about you and has no idea how to help you through your PTSD," Frankly answered.
"Seriously!? UGH! She's just mad because I told her that it was too soon for her and Koops to get together! I also told her that I didn't wanna talk about it because I don't wanna deal with it!" Goombella raised her voice.
"Why don't you want to deal with it? Are you afraid of something?" Frankly asked.
"Why the hell would I be afraid of SOMETHING, professor!? Quit trying to put on a therapy session for me, you're a freaking university teacher, not some counselor who brings in students to talk about their feelings and all that other crap!" Goombella began to get really agitated.
"Why are you avoiding the question? You're not answering me properly," Frankly asked again.
"BECAUSE I DON'T WANNA ANSWER IT! HOW ELSE CAN I GET THIS THROUGH YOUR HEAD!?" Goombella screamed as her body began to shake.
"Vivian was right, you are dealing with this completely wrong! Sooner or later you're gonna have to face those demons and not let it control you! Trust me, Goombella, as someone who is decades older than you and have had many experiences with this type of stuff, I know what I'm talking about! I've seen it before with students who have had near death experiences on archaeological expeditions!" Frankly said.
"You don't know ANYTHING about what I've been through! Those students of yours probably didn't have to deal with the horror I had to deal with either, so it's not comparable AT ALL!" Goombella started getting red in her face.
"Well then, help me understand it, Goombella! WHAT DID THEY DO TO YOU!? HOW DOES IT ALL MAKE YOU FEEL!?" Frankly demanded.
"FINE! YOU WANNA KNOW ALL THE SHIT THEY DID TO ME!? THEY BEAT ME UP, BLASTED BOILING WATER ALL OVER MY BODY, NEARLY CHOKED TO DEATH ON GAS, GOT ELECTROCUTED A BUNCH OF TIMES AND THE ENTIRE FUCKING CEILING FELL ON ME! BUT, THAT'S NOT THE WORST PART! DONKEY KONG, MY SUPPOSED 'FRIEND' WAS BEING A DOUBLE AGENT THE ENTIRE TIME BUT DIDN'T BOTHER TO HELP ME AT ALL! AND NOW I JUST…I JUST…" Goombella let it all out and ended up stopping as she teared up and began to cry.
"Goombella…your pain is real. Your trauma is real. It's all perfectly understandable. But, being cold to everyone because of what happened…that means you're letting them win over you. That's why they didn't kill you when they could've. They wanted you to live with this and have it take over your life. You can't let it do that to you. I know it's hard, and I know it's painful, but please…do not push your friends away. For DK, I'm sure he didn't mean to leave you there on purpose and he had his reasons. He's a good man, he wouldn't have stood for that. Try to give him the benefit of doubt," Frankly said calmly.
"Oh god…Frankly…everytime I close my eyes I feel I'm back in that cell again…waiting for whatever else they're gonna torture me with! I hate living like this, Frankly!" Goombella said through her crying and hugged her professor who hugged back.
"I know, Goombella, I know. But, you survived with your friends. You're gonna be okay. Everything will be okay. Those people that tortured you are gone and you're safe now. There's no need for revenge. No need for taking it out on your loved ones. No need to do anything on impulse. All you need to do is breathe and trust in my words that you will be okay," Frankly calmly spoke again as the goomba continued to cry into his shoulder. Her crying slowly came to a stop as she began to feel as if an enormous weight was being lifted off of her shoulder. It felt so nice to release her emotions out into the world.
"Hey, excuse me! You're one of the security guys from earlier!" Mario called out as a security koopa exited the security room.
"Oh, yes! You're Mr. Mario! What can I do for ya?" he asked.
"I have two questions for you. First one, what's the status of Toadiana's death?" Mario asked.
"Well, the police from Toad Town just arrived to investigate the crime scene so that's where I'm headed now to go meet with them. But, from what we saw on the security footage…well, hey, you're the superhero around here so it shouldn't be a big deal for me to tell you this, but that Boshi's story checks out for the most part. We found Toadiana acting quite erratic on the cameras up until she runs into the men's bathroom and that ends there because there's no cameras in the restroom. The police will dust for fingerprints in the restroom and do whatever else they need to do to determine if Boshi really did hurt Toadiana or if what he says is 100% true," said the koopa.
"I see. Okay. So, what if Boshi DID play a part in her death then? For example, he made up some stuff about her jumping into the mirror and ended up killing her himself because he thought it would be in self-defense?" Mario questioned.
"Well, that's kind of a gray area right there considering the little girl was clearly on drugs and posed a bit of a threat since she was acting out of control and unpredictably. It's gonna up to the police to decide how they'll handle that one," said the koopa.
"Alrighty then. So, my other question is, would you guys be able to look back and see if Kooper falling down the stairs is on your security cams?" Mario asked albeit a little nervously time.
"Hmm, what for?" he asked.
"I…ugh…there are…'some' people in our group who think that, uhh, someone may have actually pushed Kooper down those stairs instead of him just falling down accidentally by himself. It made me wonder about it myself, so…if it's not too much trouble?" Mario begrudgingly asked, mostly doing it for Spike's request.
"Gotcha. If you don't mind me asking, though, why do your friends think that someone pushed him down? You think someone is trying to 'off' people here?" he asked
Mario shrugged and rubbed his temples tiredly. "I don't know, I just think it would really ease our minds if we got a confirmation that it really was an accident with Kooper."
"I understand. I'll check on it once I get back from talking with the police, okay? If I come across something suspicious, I'll let you know, but until then, get some shut eye, okay Mr. Mario? You look like need a 12 hour rest!" the koopa half-joked.
"Yeah, ain't that the truth. Thanks though. Good luck!" Mario said and waved the koopa goodbye as the two went in opposite directions.
Mario walked over to one of the patient rooms and saw Luigi, Daisy, and Peach sitting inside.
"Good, you're all here," Mario spoke as he shut the door.
"Yep! Alright, spill the creepy news about what you found on this flash drive!" Daisy said.
Some time later…
"Oh my god…th-th-THAT was what was on there!? Y-You and Pauline…and then…Merlon, he…oh god…" Luigi spoke in horror at the story.
"I can't believe they just used you and Pauline like that! I had no clue Mushroom Corps. did that kind of stuff!" Peach cried.
"I don't think anyone died. Mario, the thought never occurred to you how it was weird that you do all these amazing moves so much easier than everyone else?" Daisy asked.
"Honestly, not really. Everything just came so naturally to me right from the start that I never bothered to notice how different I was from the average being, so to speak. Coming to this place from Brooklyn many years ago, I just thought that this world automatically gave me superhuman strength and flexibility somehow so I just went with it. I never really used those kinds of abilities back in my human world, because, well, I never had to deal with obstacles and bosses and such!" Mario made a nervous laugh and scratched the back of his head.
"What about you, Luigi? You have the same abilities as Mario! You never thought about that either?" Peach asked.
"Same as Mario…no. It makes sense that we would have similar abilities because we are brothers, so we share blood and thus similar DNA. But, I never thought that deep into it before," Luigi affirmed.
"Back in your human world, when you guys went to the doctors to have your body or blood checked or whatever, the doctors never told you or your parents that something was 'different' about you guys compared to the average human?" Daisy asked.
Mario shook his head. "Not that I can remember at least. They may have told our parents, but if they did, then our parents never told us about it. But, why would they keep it a secret? I can't think of a reason!"
"Me neither. I find it more disturbing that you and Pauline's bodies were taken and used by them as if you guys were just properties to them than anything else though. Plus, Mario, that was just ONE video you saw about Mushroom Corps. Imagine what else they could've done, knowing what we know now!" Luigi pointed out.
"Yeah! Hey, Luigi and Peach, do you remember at the beginning of all this when Kylie told us that we've been at Mushroom Corps. for 3 days after we woke up? Do you think they did something with our bodies as well!?" Daisy theorized. Chills were sent down everyone's spines after she said that eerie thought.
"I…um…I really don't wanna think about that! But, you know what, I've always wondered why they specifically chose us 12 to do the mission! Why wasn't Mario included? He's the main hero of us all!" Peach said.
"So…does this mean we should be very wary of Mushroom Corps. from now on? They did also know about all this Tatanga crap happening 3 years ago, and I don't buy the whole 'this has to happen this way' argument that you said Merlon had said. I mean, I'm not saying they're working against us, just that…well…they definitely have their own agenda from what it looks like!" Luigi said.
"We definitely should be wary of them. I just find it disturbing still that my blood was used on a poor, random koopa guy and he ended up turning into a psychotic killer. Th-that should never have happened…" Mario said with a shiver.
"You know, while we're speaking of things we should be wary of, I also have to tell you guys something important. It's about Mona. What I'm about to tell you doesn't leave this room, at least for now. So…Mona got these pills from Sally. They're called 'Quick' and are from the black market and are supposed to be like a super pill that heals everything quickly and so she took it when her arm was hurting really bad after falling from Blaze almost ran us over. According to her, the pills made her hallucinate some trippy stuff and made her go crazy for a bit. However, she also said that, during this 'trip', she had a kind of flashback to that night where she started the fire in Bowser's basement, which was what Grunty revealed to all of us during that quiz show.
She said she saw Fire Bro in that flashback talking with Tatanga. She swears on her life that it was actually a memory she just had blocked out from that night out because she was tired and on some other pills at that time. Now…after that whole thing with Toadiana and Boshi today, she tells me that Fire Bro had threatened her to mind her business after she had asked him if Fire Bro was there with Tatanga on that night. He didn't deny it…he just threatened her. But that's not all. Toado, one of the little boys here, tried to take a pill from Mona's bag but Mona made a lie to tell him that it was for menstrual cramps, so Toado ends up telling Toadiana and Toadessa where the pills are, so they go and get the pills, and Toadiana takes two pills and…well, like Boshi and Toadessa said, she ends up going crazy and gets herself killed," Daisy told the story.
"WHAT THE…Mona…she did all of that!? Why the hell is she carrying around pills like that in public!? And if they're so dangerous and crazy then why does she still have them!?" Luigi freaked.
"I think she wanted to keep them for us, in case we get hurt so the pills will heal us, but based on everything that I've seen with these damn pills, they need to be gone! They've been causing nothing but trouble from the start!" Daisy said.
"So, does that mean it's Mona's fault that Toadiana's dead!? She didn't, like, give the pills to the girls directly, but she brought those pills here!" Peach questioned.
"I have no idea, that's gonna be up for the police to decide. I told her she needs to confess no matter what because the parents are gonna wanna know EVERYTHING that happened with Toadiana! But, get this, she wants to join us on the mission tomorrow. Talk about bad timing for that!" Daisy said.
"I agree, her confessing to everything will help the case. I don't entirely blame Mona, but, having pills here with side effects that chaotic, that's too dangerous for anyone to be around, even if it does supposedly heal wounds perfectly! And yeah, as for Mona joining…I don't know. That's kind of random. I guess it'll depend on if she's in trouble or not from her confession," Mario added.
"And as for Fire Bro, WOW. Didn't see that coming at all! I was gonna say that her seeing Fire Bro and Tatanga was probably another hallucination, but after what you said where he threatened her, now I'm not so sure. That's not really a 'Fire Bro' thing to say, don't you think? You positive she's still not using the drugs?" Luigi asked.
"I'm pretty sure she's not. And yeah, that's so out of character for Fire Bro to say, but remember, he's crazy and therefore unpredictable, so…we also need to keep an eye out for him as well. But, I believe Mona, as crazy as all this looks. I've got a gut feeling that something is up with Fire Bro, whether or not he was actually involved with Tatanga," Daisy said.
EOC.
This is the end of the hospital arc! Well, mostly, because the first half of next chapter will take place at the hospital, but the other half will be the main gang going to Shiverburn. Can you believe we're only 13 chapters away from hitting 100!? Haha! Now, the 100th chapter is going to be absolutely chaotic, but I'll reveal more as we get closer to it. Next chapter starts the Shiverburn Galaxy arc, which will be uploaded on October 15, where the gang will head off to the next world and a whole bunch of other stuff will be happening on the sides as well.
The reason why for the hiatus is because for one, I NEED a break from fic writing. Don't get me wrong, I love doing this stuff but it helps to take extended breaks every now and then so I don't get burnt out on writing. I'm gonna go at least one full week without doing any kind of fic writing. Secondly, I'm gonna try to finish Saturday the 14th during the hiatus, I'm nearly done with the 4th chapter, and I only have 6 or 7 more chapters to do after that, but they're all pretty short (except for the 4th one which will be the longest one in the fic) so I should be able to get them done pretty quickly. If all goes well with those chapters, I'll be able to finish that story by the time October 15 comes and then Mushroom Wars will be on again. (One more thing to note, because I'll be in the middle of my school semester when October 15 comes around, I may not be able to do weekly updates like I have been doing because of how busy I'll be, but we shall see). See you guys next time!
