10 years later…
Wandering through the desolate and decrepit castle ruins, Contemno's mask concealed his face not only from the chilly evening air, but from any prowling eyes as well. He had journeyed a great distance, but the prize he sought was close; very close. After a thorough investigation of the grounds, he discovered his target: a tall, cylindrical pillar of ice. The chilled air of the land had been keeping this structure in pristine condition from when it had first formed in the aftermath of a conflict many years prior.
"Finally…" said Contemno. He placed his gloved hand upon the side of the structure. Summoning forth a sinister, dark magic, the ice began to melt when it came into contact with the purple aura radiating from the glove. The creature suspended inside the ice became animate once more. It was a large, blue pig-armadillo hybrid creature with a brown, furry back and a crown upon its head. Once the pig creature was completely free of its ice prison and returned to consciousness, it stared silently at its liberator for a moment. "You are Blizzard Midbus, correct?" The creature glared at Contemno for a moment.
"Who want know?" Midbus inquired. "Why you set Midbus free?"
"A friend, and a prospective partner," Contemno answered. "I require your services." Midbus folded his arms and snorted.
"Do Midbus look like genie to you? You no get wishes. No matter that you free Midbus."
"There is a matter I need you to assist me with," the mage clarified. Midbus stared down at the mysterious man. With his face concealed by a mask, reading Contemno's expression was impossible, as was determining any ulterior motives that might've been hiding in his eyes.
"What?"
"We have a common enemy. The same one who imprisoned you here many years ago." Midbus's eyes practically lit up upon hearing that. He snorted again and clenched his fists.
"Listening…"
"Follow me. There is much work to be done." Contemno turned away and prepared to depart. Hesitating slightly, Midbus ultimately decided to follow his mysterious new acquaintance.
Right jab! Left jab! Block! Jump! Dodge!
Junior's bedroom was erupting with adrenaline late one evening as he and Larry were enthralled in a heated match of the video game ARMS for Nintendo Switch. The two Koopas swung their Joycon controllers left and right in their hands as they mimicked their fantasy boxer characters on-screen. Neither combatant was willing to hold back for even a second. After all, there could be only one victor.
"I've got you this time!" Junior boldly declared.
"I don't think so!" Larry contested. "You're gonna have to step up your game, squirt!" The pair stomped their feet and nearly collided with one another as they swung their arms madly. Beads of sweat rained down from each Koopa's forearms.
"Yeah? Watch this!" Junior exclaimed as he threw a final, decisive punch. Larry smirked and maneuvered his character to dodge the attack; countering with a finishing punch of his own. The blow was incredibly brutal when it landed. Junior's character was down for the count, and Larry was once again declared the winner.
"Yesss!" the Koopaling celebrated.
"Aww, man!" Junior complained. "No fair! One more rematch! Double or nothing! Come on! Next time, you're mine!"
"Junior, you've been saying that for two hours now," Larry reminded him with a chuckle. "Give it up already. You can't beat me at this game."
"Yes I can!" the prince argued. "What kind of Koopa would I be if I gave up in a real fight just because it was getting tough?"
"Well…a stubborn one. I'll give you that," Larry answered smugly. "I'm sure Ludwig would be more impressed with you if you were as devoted to your magic training as you are to playing video games." Junior leaped back onto his bed nearby and groaned.
"Ugh, don't remind me! Tomorrow's my last day to practice before he and Kammy put me through their stupid 'final exam,'" Junior rambled. Larry reached for a washcloth on the shelf and wiped his forehead. His blue and white t-shirt was practically drenched with sweat from his intense game with Junior. He turned off the Switch and placed the Joycon controllers on the shelf next to the television.
"So? You've been practicing all week with Ludwig, right?" Junior scratched his chest with his claw and stretched his legs out on the bed to get comfortable.
"Well yeah, but I still don't get why I have to learn all these dumb spells before my coronation. I mean, did my dad have to learn all this junk too? I've never seen him use a single spell in my entire life!"
"It's probably just for tradition's sake," Larry responded. "You know how old people are. They're so wrapped up in their dusty old books that they wouldn't see a bullet bill if it were rocketing straight towards 'em." Junior agreed in silence as he eyeballed the ceiling. The blue-haired Koopaling was preparing to exit the bedroom when Junior spoke once more.
"Larry?"
"Hmm?"
"Do you think I'm…ready for this?"
"For what?"
"You know…being a king." Larry folded his arms and leaned back; pressing his shell against the wall. He made his first real examination of Junior that night upon hearing this. Just from glancing at him, Larry could immediately tell that his baby brother wasn't such a baby anymore; physically anyway.
Junior was now much larger than the seven-year old Koopa of yesterday. Junior's arms and legs were much more prominent and developed - though he was still on the shorter side - and they became bulkier as his muscles had grown in. His horns stretched out to a respectable length, though they were still not quite as long or as sharp as Bowser's. The same could be said for the spikes on his shell, and the claws on his fingers and toes. His voice had gotten deeper, though it still cracked every now and then as the prince hadn't quite finished going through puberty yet.
The top of Junior's head was populated by a greater abundance of frizzy red hair with a small portion of it kept in a top-knot; paying homage to the hairstyle he sported as a kid. As was common for most male Koopas, Junior had put on weight over the years. His baby fat had simply transitioned into the adolescent equivalent and Junior was now rather chubby, though not obese. He had noticeable size in his gut and cheeks. Larry and the others tried not to mention Junior's size or weight as they knew these were things that he was sensitive about, despite Bowser's constant reassurance that this change was natural for male Koopas his age to go through. Larry couldn't believe how much Junior had grown and changed in 10 years. He was dragged back into the conversation when he noticed the red irises of Junior's eyes staring into his own; awaiting a response.
"Sure you are. I mean, you've been studying and training for a long time, right? Don't you feel ready for all that hard work to pay off?" Junior's bushy red eyebrows narrowed together as intense thought engulfed his expression.
"I guess so. But Dad keeps going on and on about how much responsibility and work I'm going to be taking on," Junior explained. "He makes me feel like I'm never going to be ready." Larry shrugged.
"Don't think too much about it. I'm sure he's just anxious. You probably are too. You'll feel better when you stop talking about it, and start actually doing it," Larry reasoned.
"Yeah, maybe…," Junior replied as he yawned and turned to lay on his side; facing away from Larry.
"Just get some sleep, small fry. Everything will be better in the morning." Junior turned back over onto his other side to face Larry.
"When are you going to stop calling me that?"
"I told you, when you're as tall as me," Larry joked. Junior groaned at this answer.
"Sooo…never, then?" Larry grinned smugly and winked.
"Exactly! G'night!" Larry turned off the light and closed the door on his way out. Junior rolled his eyes and settled in under the blankets as he drifted off to sleep.
The following morning, Junior descended the staircase and entered the kitchen to prepare his breakfast. Despite the constant objections from the royal chef, Junior insisted that he was capable of feeding himself now and didn't always need someone to cook for him. The prince knew this upset the chef as it made the latter feel helpless at times, but Junior remained firm.
He opened the cabinet to pull out a ceramic bowl, then snatched up the box of Super Mario cereal on the neighboring shelf. Approaching the refrigerator to grab the carton of milk inside, Junior stopped when he saw a piece of paper attached to the door with a magnet.
Junior,
Had to get an early start this morning. Council insisted this one was urgent. Should be back later tonight. Train hard today, kiddo!
Love,
Bowser
Junior sighed and opened the fridge to retrieve the milk. He sat alone at the table in the silence of the dining room and stared into his cereal for a moment, which was floating in the milk. This was the fifth time this week he was eating alone. But Junior understood that Bowser had an obligation he needed to fulfill now. He was still being forced against his free will to do extensive community service to the Mushroom Kingdom in order to atone for his many crimes. But even if he wasn't, Bowser was still going to need something to do once his son inherited the throne in a few days. Quiet retirement at his age was out of the question. So if nothing else, this work kept Bowser busy; even though he was away from home more often than Junior liked. There better be some kind of pay-off for all of this, Dad. Junior thought to himself. Whatever you're getting in return, it isn't Mama Peach's hand in marriage, that's for sure…
"Couldn't you for once eat something healthier than that box of sugary garbage?" a voice chimed in from behind. Junior turned his head to see Wendy approaching him. Wendy had grown over the years into a slender female Koopa with long strawberry blonde hair. Her obsession with beauty hadn't waned in the slightest, so she still sported the same gold bracelets, red bead necklace, and pink heels and polka-dotted bow she had always worn in her younger years. Only now, she was feeling much more fashion-forward as she dawned a pink blouse and black capris.
"If I wanted your opinion Wendy, I'd ask for it," Junior retorted with his mouth full as he took his first bite.
"Oh please, you never consult me about anything." She scanned the prince from head to toe. Her eyes stopped when they reached Junior's stomach. "All I'm saying is that maybe if you cut back on the sugar a bit and did an extra rep or two in your workout, you'd feel better about yourself," she explained as she playfully poked at Junior's flabby waste line. He smacked Wendy's hand away in retaliation.
"Yeah, yeah. Laugh it up now, princess," Junior retaliated. "In a couple days, you better watch your mouth. I could have you locked up in the dungeon for making fun of me!" The female Koopaling placed her hands on her hips.
"Oh, lighten up, Junior. I'm just kidding around," she defended. "But if you want the truth, kings are supposed to be confident. Just look at your father." Junior's chewing slowed to a stop as he listened. "You're going to be our leader soon so you need to be firm and unshakable; like a rock over the ocean."
"What does that mean?" Junior inquired as he raised an eyebrow at the comment.
"It means that you're bound to have enemies who will want nothing more than to tear you down and get to your kingdom," Wendy elaborated. "They could use your weight and your appearance as a weakness to get inside your head if you're not careful." Junior aggressively scarfed down another spoonful of his cereal. "But if you start taking better care of yourself, you'll feel more confident. You'll feel ready to be our leader." Junior didn't immediately respond.
Truth be told, Wendy did have a point; as much as it pained him to admit it. Junior didn't exactly enjoy being short of breath from performing the simplest of physical tasks, and he hated not having the stamina to keep up with Roy or Morton in the sparring ring. Plus, maybe Wendy was on to something she didn't even realize. Maybe these health issues were the reason Junior had been struggling to make any real progress in developing his self-esteem or even his magic training. At the very least, taking her advice might just help him get teased a lot less.
"What should I do then?" he asked.
"Why don't you come by my room tonight after your training?" she suggested. "I've got a few exercises we could try that'll help boost your confidence a bit." Junior looked down at his bowl and stirred his spoon around in the milk a bit.
"I'll think about it…," Junior replied. Wendy smiled, rustled his hair a bit, and walked away. Once he finished his breakfast and cleaned up, Junior exited the castle to begin his warm-up exercises for the day of training ahead.
Roy, Morton, Larry, and Lemmy were prepared to put their future ruler through the most rigorous training day of his life. The session began with a foot race through the winding mountains surrounding the castle. Before long, the race began.
Each participant started strong in the initial stretch, but Larry managed to take the lead. Lemmy was right behind him but try as he might, his legs could not propel him fast enough to overtake Larry. He had an ace in the hole, but the Koopaling knew it was much too early to play it now. Still, Larry had much greater stamina than him. Passing Larry alone wouldn't be enough to win. He would have to maintain that lead the whole way through. There wasn't enough time to think too much about this.
"What's the matter, Lemmy!?" Larry taunted. "Don't tell me you're running low on juice already! We're just getting started!"
"It's not about how much stamina you've got, Larry!" Lemmy retorted. "It's about how you use it!" The Koopaling smacked the palms of his hands together without losing speed. He just had to maintain this speed long enough to activate his magic ability. Five seconds was all he would need.
Meanwhile, Roy, Junior and Morton carried up the rear a good distance away from Larry and Lemmy. Junior was able to surpass Morton without much effort. The Koopaling may have been exceptionally large and could hit like a truck because of it, but speed was never his forte. Morton fell into last place before long as the other two racers sprinted ahead. Still, Roy eluded Junior. The pink-headed Koopaling was the most physically fit of them all. He had the closest balance between speed and power out of all of his siblings. On top of being smaller, Junior just didn't have the stamina to keep up with, much less pass Roy.
With enough concentration, Lemmy managed to trigger his special ability. He raised his hands above his head as magic radiated from his claws. In a flash of light, Lemmy received just the pick-me-up he needed. A large yellow ball appeared out of thin air and landed in his arms. The Koopaling wasted no time in tossing it ahead of him and leaping on top. He built up momentum in the ball by running backwards and spinning it underneath his light weight. After a few seconds, the ball was accelerating for long enough that Lemmy was able to slow his running down into a jog while the ball did the rest of the work.
"Coming through!" Lemmy shouted playfully. Turning his head back, Larry leaped out of the way just in time to avoid being trampled by Lemmy's ball as the latter barreled past him. He tumbled through the soot and dust and rested on the ground for a moment to catch his breath. There wasn't much time to do so, however. Roy and Junior appeared around the corner behind him and were catching up fast. Panicking, the blue-haired Koopaling picked himself up and started running once more.
As the race neared its final stage, the path narrowed along the side of a cliff overlooking a river of lava below. The racers gradually entered a single-file line; solidifying their placements temporarily. Lemmy's ball barely managed to stay on the path. Anyone else daring enough to try balancing on a ball over such a narrow, hazardous trail would've surely fallen to their doom. But Lemmy had mastered the art of balance from years of practice. Even with the ball occasionally bumping into the wall on one side, then teetering over the ledge on the other, Lemmy managed to maintain his placement and speed from on top.
Roy's stamina was starting to give out. He could feel it. He knew Junior was catching up behind him, but there was no way for the prince to get around him. Junior took notice of Roy beginning to slow down. He had to act now before the Koopaling recovered or else he would never be able to pass him. Junior lunged forward and latched onto Roy's shoulders as he prepared to climb over him. The latter nearly tripped as he tried to respond to what had just happened. Before long, Roy managed to shake Junior off of him. The Koopa Prince flew off the cliffside and fell to the lava below. If anyone else were falling, they'd probably be screaming and flailing their limbs in terror. But for Junior, this was just the opportunity he needed to test an ability of his own.
Here goes nothing! Junior thought to himself. He angled himself into a dive and picked up speed as he fell through the air. Junior shut his eyes and steadied his breathing. He pulled his arms, legs, neck and tail close together towards his chest in a fetal position. As gravity engulfed him, the prince began to roll faster and faster until his special ability had been triggered. Junior's entire body transformed into a green spike ball just before he reached the lava. It penetrated the surface of the liquid fire and sunk for a few seconds. Then, the ball rocketed back out of the lava like a cannonball as it spun and flew through the air for a few seconds before landing back in the lava once more. Riding with the current, the spike ball sped down the river like a watercraft.
Once Roy had regained his balance and picked up speed, he shot a quick look back behind him. Junior was nowhere to be seen. The pink-headed Koopaling only pondered for a moment where Junior might've landed. His attention was redirected by the sudden reality that he was entering the final stretch: a downhill sprint to the castle's drawbridge ahead. But Larry and Lemmy were still neck and neck ahead of him. Neither combatant was willing to settle for a tie.
Something had to be done to settle it. Larry knew he had to use his own ability to turn the odds in his favor. Putting his own hands together and concentrating, Larry summoned a large, blue metallic shield. The surface of it had the same smooth texture of a Koopa shell. Mimicking Lemmy's maneuver earlier, Larry began to surf on top of his shield as he raced down the hill. Larry's shield and Lemmy's ball were evenly matched in speed. The finish line drew ever closer. Soon they were right on top of it. In a photo finish, Larry just barely managed to cross the bridge and reach the castle before Lemmy! Their makeshift vehicles disappeared and the two halted at last.
The spike ball reached the end of the lava river. It used a rock protruding out of the lava ahead as a ramp to launch itself high into the air. Roy had just about finished jogging down the hill. He glanced down at the ground for a brief moment and caught a glimpse of a shadow engulfing him. The Koopaling then looked up into the air to determine what was casting said shadow. High above him he saw Junior uncurl from his spike ball form in mid-air and plunge down directly towards him. Before Roy could react, Junior used Roy as a springboard to vault himself over the bridge and steal third place. The prince's landing in the castle grounds was not quite as smooth however, as he face-planted onto the cobblestone and slid for an inch or two before Larry and Lemmy ran over to help him up.
"Woah! Where…the heck…did you come from, squirt?" Roy asked between breaths as he jogged across the bridge.
"Heh….I uhh...took a bit of a shortcut," Junior answered playfully as he scratched the back of his head. Roy smiled.
"Really? Well, I hope you got more surprises like that for me in the sparring ring then," he replied. Once Morton crossed the bridge shortly after, the race concluded. Junior was pleased with his placement above Roy and Morton, though he knew he would have to get in better shape if he ever wanted to compete with Larry and Lemmy.
After a small break, the boys proceeded to the training grounds to continue the rest of the day's training. Upon completing the full-body workout and weight training circuit, all that remained was a friendly sparring tournament.
Lemmy and Morton stood on opposite ends of the sparring ring. Despite being older than both Junior and Larry, Lemmy remained the smallest of the Koopalings with slightly below average-sized muscles and waste line. Lemmy was wearing a bright orange polo shirt and brown shorts. His long, wild mohawk of blue, yellow and magenta-colored hair with a yellow ponytail fluttered slightly in the breeze, and he had since added a third streak of orange along the sides of his head.
Morton on the other hand, was the complete opposite. Over the years he had grown to become the largest of the Koopalings and he was well on his way to matching Bowser's height. The thin strands of hair that made up his eyebrows and hair had grown longer but otherwise remained unchanged. Morton also had mild stubble sprouting across his developed chin. The grey star that marked his face was as prominent as ever. Morton was dressed in an extra-large white muscle shirt and camouflage green cargo pants. Larry offered to proctor the match while Junior and Roy sat nearby and watched from the sidelines.
"Alright you two, keep it clean," said Larry. "No magic. Last one standing in the ring wins." Lemmy and Morton glared at one another and waited for the signal. "Ready? Begin!" Lemmy charged straight towards Morton with full intention to push him right out of the ring. His desire to end the match quickly was fulfilled, but not in the way he had imagined. Morton scooped the smaller Koopaling up effortlessly with one arm and smirked at him.
"Hehe…," Morton chuckled deeply. Lemmy gulped when their eyes met. The large, brown Koopaling carelessly tossed him over his shoulder. The latter flew right over the ring's end and tumbled into the grass. It took Larry a few seconds to process that the match was already officially over.
"…Uhhh…oh! Right!" he cleared his throat. "Morton wins!"
"Well…didn't see that coming," Junior commented.
"I did," said Roy. "That match-up was rigged. Like pitting a toothpick against a brick wall."
Soon the time came at last for Junior and Roy to face off in the final match of the day. The two stared one another down in anticipation of Larry starting the match. Junior could already feel the palms of his hands beginning to sweat. Just looking at Roy was making him anxious. After all, this kind of physical contact sport was what Roy lived for.
Similar to Morton, Roy fell on the larger end of the Koopaling size spectrum as he towered over Junior, despite the latter's growth spurt. Every muscle from Roy's shoulders to his toes had been toned and polished to maximum physical fitness. Roy wore only a sleeveless, black leather jacket. The Koopaling didn't "believe" in wearing pants because he felt it wasn't natural for larger Koopas to do so and only slowed them down. He sported a second set of spiked bands on his upper forearms in addition to the ones he'd always worn on his wrists. The Koopaling believed this gave his appearance an assertion of additional physical growth and maturity over his siblings. Roy's fangs and the spikes on his purple shell had only gotten sharper with time, though his actual claws themselves left something to be desired. Roy still sported the iconic black and red sunglasses he was known for, and despite growing hair over the years, the Koopaling consistently shaved it off and remained firm about being bald. He believed hair was a weakspot that his enemies could try to exploit to get control of him in a scuffle. Without any hair, he was much closer to being an untouchable wall of power.
Roy cracked his knuckles and smirked just as Larry gave the signal for the two combatants to begin. Junior spread his feet apart slightly and squatted to take a stance as if he were waiting for Roy to pass him a football. Roy smacked his fists together, then leaped forward across the ring towards Junior. Their claws intertwined with one another, and each fighter pushed with all the strength they could muster in their forearms. The prince shut his eyes to concentrate. However, Junior was no match. Roy quickly overpowered him and forced him down onto one knee.
"Give it up, Junior," Roy warned. Junior opened his eyes and stared at his own reflection in Roy's sunglasses. "I don't wanna hurt ya! Call it quits before you get rawked!"
"N-no way!" Junior stammered. Roy shrugged his shoulders. The Koopaling lifted one leg and delivered a crushing kick to Junior's unprotected torso. The prince yanked his arms back towards his chest to nurse the pain. With his guard completely dropped, Roy capitalized on the opportunity by lifting Junior up off the ground and hoisting him over his shoulder. He walked over towards the edge of the ring, and tossed Junior into the neighboring grass with ease.
"That's it!" Larry shouted. "Roy is the winner!" The pink-headed Koopaling brushed his palms together a few times to wipe off the sweat. He approached Junior and offered him a hand to help him up, but Junior refused to take it. The latter was content with sulking on the back of his shell on the ground.
"Leave me…," said Junior.
"C'mon, pal. Be a good sport about it," said Roy.
"This coming from the guy who hits below the belt?" Junior retorted.
"Only rule was no magic," the Koopaling defended. "Everything else was fair game." The prince groaned. That was a pretty lousy excuse as far as he was concerned. Eventually, Roy and Larry helped Junior stand up. Lemmy joined his siblings from the sidelines.
"Let's head back to the castle and hit the showers," Larry suggested. Everyone else except Junior smiled and agreed to the proposal.
"Yeah, and I'll whip up a chocolate protein milkshake for our future king over here," Roy added with a grin. Junior rubbed his arm and looked away.
"Wendy says I should cut back on the sugar…," said the prince.
"Yeah well she should take her own advice if you ask me," Lemmy argued as he put his hand on Junior's shoulder. "You're not the only one around here with a sweet tooth after all!" Roy approached Junior and placed his broad, meaty hand on the prince's other shoulder.
"Besides, you worked hard today, so live a little. You earned it!" he advised. Junior gave a slight smile and nodded as he followed the others back into the castle.
Willpower alone was not enough to keep Junior focused on his magic studies later that evening. His eyelids grew heavy, and his head was gradually sliding off the hand that was attempting to prop it up. The words in the textbook on the desk in front of him were starting to blur together, and the various candles - which were lit around the castle's library - hardly provided enough light to convince Junior's body that staying awake was important. Giving in to his fatigue, the prince rested his head on the pages of the book. Time slowed down around him as his eyelids gradually closed.
THWACK!
His slumber was sharply cut short when Ludwig von Koopa smacked the tip of his wand to the desk in front of Junior. The prince jerked his head up and wiped the drool from his lip as he twisted his neck back and forth to rapidly scan the room.
"Huh…who…what!?" he blurted out. Ludwig cleared his throat and gathered Junior's attention immediately. The former's glare indicated that he was not amused.
Ludwig's enormous, bushy blue hair was combed and well-kept atop his head, although this wasn't slowing down its growth in the slightest as it was gradually creeping up on the Koopaling's face. It was complimented not only by the sharpened lone fang protruding from the center of his mouth, but also by the groomed blue goatee sprouting from the Koopaling's chin. Ludwig was dressed in an onyx black jacket with pantone yellow lining the cuffs, collar, and lower rim of the piece. Ludwig also wore neatly pressed blue jeans with the ends folded up near his ankles. Ludwig dawned black metallic bracelets on his wrists and ankles, though they lacked spikes. This was an effort on Ludwig's part to make him stand apart visually from his siblings such as Roy. However, Ludwig still reluctantly wore a spiked collar around his neck as a sign of respect and allegiance towards Bowser.
"This is hardly the time to be napping, Prince Junior," Ludwig spoke. Junior yawned and rubbed his eye.
"Sorry, Ludwig," Junior replied. "I'm just really tired from training with Roy and the others today…"
"Then I suggest you learn to allocate your energy more efficiently. As a king, you will be responsible for balancing a multitude of tasks and responsibilities at once," the Koopaling nagged as he began to pace around the room; his claws behind his shell in a proper, formal posture. "Choosing to neglect them all in favor of sleeping will be out of the question. Perhaps if you weren't always awake in the late hours of every evening fiddling with those silly video games of your's and instead devoted more time to getting proper rest, you wouldn't have such problems concentrating."
Junior propped his head up on his hand once more and flipped through the pages of the book without actually reading anything. He had long since tuned out Ludwig's nagging, as he usually did. The Koopaling seemed to care more about the responsibilities of the Koopa King than Junior did himself. If he didn't know any better, he'd say that Ludwig were actually the one who had a coronation coming up soon instead of him.
"Now then, let's review the chapter on summoning through conjuring once more," Ludwig proposed. Junior groaned slightly; annoyed that this lesson still wasn't over yet. Ludwig reached over and closed Junior's book. "Without consulting your text, what type of energy is used in the art of summoning?"
"Uhh….," Junior started as he placed a claw to his chin. His mind drew a complete blank. "…Mental…?" he guessed. Ludwig sighed and shook his head.
"No, Junior. Spiritual. Spiritual energy is used," Ludwig corrected. "Which comes from a mind free of mental influence, remember?"
"No. What does that even mean?" Junior asked.
"When you're conjuring something, it means you're creating something physical - using only your own claws - and completely out of thin air; out of nothing. It takes an enormous amount of mental focus and concentration. If your mind is at all influenced or distracted by your emotional thoughts, it will not work," Ludwig explained. "You should've known this after we reviewed it extensively last week. Did you read over your notes once more as I requested?"
"I might've forgot…," the prince admitted. Ludwig slapped his palm to his forehead.
"I shouldn't be surprised. You're far too distracted, Prince Junior. You're neglecting your magic training."
"No I'm not!" Junior argued. "I just don't have time! Roy and the others are always making me work out and do fitness training, you're shoving all these dumb books about magic theory in my face, and Wendy's obsessed with trying to 'fix my image' or some garbage like that!" he complained. "I can't do everything at once! I'm just one kid!"
"You're almost 18 years old, Prince Junior! You're not a child anymore, and yet you insist on acting like one!" Ludwig argued. "The real issue in my eyes is that you have no sense of discipline. Your father has high hopes for you to succeed him, and we are all simply trying to prepare you for that. But thus far you have only proven that you have not matured in the slightest in all this time we've spent training you!"
"Hey! At least Roy knows how to make training fun! It's not my fault you're a lousy teacher! I mean jeez, Ludwig. I always thought magic was supposed to be fun. But you make it so boring!"
"Magic is so much more than silly light shows or parlor tricks, Junior!" the Koopaling exclaimed. "It's an ancient art form passed down through generations of Koopas. Even Morton is able to grasp my teachings. The reality is that magic is a living entity. It will never obey your commands if you do not deliver the time and respect it deserves!"
"Why do I even have to learn magic in the first place, huh? It's not like my dad ever does any!"
"The idea is to make you a smarter, healthier, and overall superior leader in comparison to your father! But unless you can learn to grow up, you'll never-"
"Alright, Ludwig. Settle down. That's quite enough," someone interrupted. Ludwig turned around to see Kammy Koopa enter the room. She was using her wand as a walking cane while she approached him and Junior.
"With all due respect, Kammy, this is a lecture that Prince Junior desperately needs to hear," Ludwig reasoned.
"I don't disagree," the elderly Koopa witch replied. "However, Junior has had a long day of training, and he clearly needs his rest. Your teachings - and more importantly your lecture - are likely to fall on deaf ears at this point." She turned her attention to Junior, who was still seated at the table behind Ludwig.
"Why don't you retire to your room now and get some sleep, dear?"
"But…my big exam is tomorrow," Junior reminded her.
"Not only that, but I do not feel that he is anywhere near ready to meet your expectations," Ludwig added.
"Then I'll postpone your exam by one more day," said Kammy. Junior's eyes lit up and he smiled from cheek to cheek.
"Really!?" he replied excitedly. She nodded.
"Instead, we'll have an extensive review session first thing tomorrow morning after breakfast, which I will oversee. Just be sure not to be late!" she advised playfully with a small laugh. Junior smiled back and nodded.
"Thanks, Kammy! You're the best!" the prince cheered as he leaped out of his seat and raced out of the library. A deeply annoyed Ludwig was left to pick up Junior's abandoned textbooks and reshelve them. Then he pushed the chair in against the table.
"How am I ever to get through to him if you consistently undermine my teachings, Kammy?" Ludwig inquired bitterly.
"Ludwig, there is more to being a teacher than simply understanding the information and conveying it to the student," Kammy replied. "You must understand the personal needs of your student and how he thinks. Your true challenge as a teacher is determining the best way to reach him that information in such a way that he will gladly absorb and retain it."
"But if you continue to give him extensions and breaks in his training, he'll simply become dependent on them and never truly appreciate the value of hard work." Kammy placed her bony hand on Ludwig's shoulder.
"You must remember that Junior is training to become so much more than just a wielder of the enchanted arts like you and I. He is on the verge of becoming our kingdom's next grand leader, and he needs to rest and pace himself in his training," the witch explained. "Overwhelming him and working him past his point of exhaustion will never help him in the long run." Ludwig gripped the back of the chair tightly as he stared into the dying flame of the candle on the table. "Be patient with the boy, Ludwig. I just know he's making progress under your instruction. I would not have entrusted you to teach him if I didn't have faith you could do it."
"Of course, ma'am…" The Koopaling blew out the candle and exited the library with Kammy to retire for the night.