Hey there! Sorry I took so long to update. Again. Anyway, I hope you enjoy this chapter!
Peach and Perry were in their cave hideaway, basking by the warmth of their campfire, courtesy of Peach's fire flower, as Peach was cooking a couple of hotdogs that were in her backpack.
Under all those sudden circumstances, Peach never got the chance to get to know Perry, what his story is, where he lived, and more importantly, why was Perry an umbrella.
"So, Perry, how is it that you know so much about Vibe Island?"
"Why are you asking?" Perry inquired, raising an eyebrow.
"I'm just curious, that's all."
"If you must know, I used to live here. You know that mountain where Bowser is keeping Mario? That mountain used to where my grandpa, Zachary and I lived. Actually, he's not my biological grandpa, he just adopted me when he found out I didn't remember my parents or where I came from, which I still don't."
Perry sighed as Peach listened intently to his tale.
"My grandpa and I did everything on that mountain. We worked, we played games, we went fishing, he even helped me gain control of my powers. And then…"
By the anguished look on his face, Peach could tell something happened.
Something horrible.
"We were taking a walk one day, and then a couple of guys showed up. One was a koopa wizard and the other looked like a fire monster. They demanded that I surrender myself to them. When we both refused, they attacked us, trying to take me by force. I tried my best to protect him, but the koopa wizard hit me with magic when I let my guard down, and turned me into an umbrella, probably so I couldn't escape. "
"They took me and my grandpa hostage, but I escaped because they were fighting over who gets a promotion from 'The Boss', whoever that might be. I managed to get to a nearby warp pipe to your kingdom and escape to there, but my grandpa was still with those crooks!"
Perry cringed with fury and resentfulness as angry tears fell out of his eyes.
"I wonder everyday, 'Will I see him again?', 'Will I ever get back to my true self?', and more importantly, 'Could they be the reason why I can't remember my parents? Are they still alive?' The sad thing is, I don't know if I'll ever find out."
"Perry, don't say that." Peach interjected Perry after lifting their fully cooked hot dogs away from the fire.
"I can fully understand how you're feeling. This kidnapping nonsense, as you may have already noticed, happens to me all the time. There are a few moments in my life where I'm unsure if I'll ever get out of Bowser's castle alive." Peach recalled while cooking the hotdogs, then continued.
"But even after all the times I get locked up in some dark, damp dungeon, or a human-sized bird cage and having to deal with a numbskull who will never get a clue that I won't marry him, you know what helped me cope?"
Peach held out one of the hotdogs to Perry with a slight smile.
"I never gave up hope that I would be rescued. And I did. You shouldn't give up either. We'll find your grandpa someday."
"You'd do that for me?" Perry beamed, eating from the hotdog stick.
"Sure I would. You're my friend, and I don't turn my back on a friend."
"Gee, thanks." Perry thanked Peach as his mouth was full of hot dog meat.
"Alright, Princess! I know you're in there, so if I were you, I'd surrender. Otherwise, I'll have to do something drastic."
Peach and Perry turned around in shock to the entrance of their cave to find a blur of Kamek.
"What the-?! How on earth did you find us?!" Peach exclaimed, still pretty surprised. This was a perfectly good hiding spot, how could Kamek possibly find them?
"Let's just say that I was watching while you made the mistake of revealing your location."
"You were spying on us?!" Perry yelled.
There was a five second moment of awkward silence, then Perry sighed.
"Oh. Of course you were."
"You're being ridiculous if you think we're just gonna surrender to you. Not until I get my friends back." Peach snapped as she formed a fireball with her hand, still in fire flower mode.
"Ha! Not on your life!"
"Well then, I guess we'll just have to escape and get them back ourselves!"
Right then, Peach shot a fireball at Kamek, who dodged and tried to shoot a tractor beam at her, which she dodged and swiped Perry and her backpack.
Then, Peach burst in flames again as Perry was putting his empathic powers to good use.
"IS THAT THE BEST YOU GOT, KAMEK!? BRING IT ON!"
Peach stomped her foot, causing an earthquake so hard that it knocked Kamek off his feet and onto the ground, providing an opportunity for Peach to escape.
"Run for it!" Perry shouted as Peach returned to normal and bolted past Kamek and out of the cave and getting herself wet due to passing through the waterfall that was in front of it, but it was worth it.
Least it was worth it until Peach felt herself getting grabbed from behind by what felt like talons digging into her shoulder, removing her fire flower mode and was lifted a hundred feet in the air, surprising her and Perry.
"Oh, crud!" Perry cried as he looked up to find the culprit. "It's Hoo!"
"Wait, who?!" Peach shouted as she looked up to find Hoo holding her by the shoulders.
"Oh. Hoo. How embarrassing." Peach said sheepishly as Kamek flew to them via his broomstick.
"Ha! I got you! King Bowser will be so happy to see you." Kamek taunted.
"Oh, I'm sure he will…" Peach muttered sarcastically as she winked at Perry, signaling him that she has a plan.
"Perry," she whispered as she held him toward her. "Get ready to use your powers. I have a plan."
"Course. Just say the word." Perry whispered back in reply.
"Can you shoot any kind of projectiles?" Peach asked quietly.
"I can shoot energy projectiles, yes. But I will need time to charge."
"I'll take care of that, don't worry."
"Now what are you two whispering about?" Kamek snapped, annoyed that he wasn't part of the conversation after his big "accomplishment".
"Oh nothing. We were just talking about how really foolish and arrogant you are." Peach lied as she discreetly hid Perry behind her back, giving him time to charge up his energy blast.
"Oh? And why would you dare suggest something like that?" Kamek snapped.
"Because you or your new pet won't stop me from doing this!" Peach declared as she pointed Perry toward Hoo and Perry shot him in the stomach with the energy projectile he talked about, causing Hoo to screech out in pain and to let go of Peach as she and Perry were falling to their doom.
"OK Perry! Now's a good time to use those powers of yours!" Peach screamed.
"I'm working on it! Just think happy thoughts!" Perry shouted.
"Even though I'm falling from like one hundred feet in the air?!"
"Just do it!"
Peach found it a bit hard to do it, but she closed her eyes and did manage to think about Mario, and what his reaction will be when she saves him for the first time ever. She even stretched out her arms as she imagined herself flying through the sky, making her relaxed, even happy.
Perry then used his empathic powers to make Peach feel strange happy sensations and stopped falling. Peach opened her eyes to find herself not falling, but flying. That made Peach even more happy, as she started laughing.
"I can't believe it! I'm FLYING!" Peach shouted joyfully as she was flying upward while hysterically laughing.
"I've never felt so ALIVE!"
"Peach! Look out!" Perry shouted as Hoo dived toward Peach and stuck out his talons, ready to grab her again.
"Not this time!"
Peach flew up toward Hoo, dodging his attack and spinning around in circles around Hoo's head, making him dizzy. Peach then flew above Hoo and then dove, using her fists to pound Hoo in the noggin, snapping him out of Kamek's spell.
Suddenly, Perry noticed Kamek about to blast Peach with some magic from behind her.
"Look out! Behind you!" Perry shouted.
But it was too late. Peach looked behind her to a ball of magic flying toward her. Before she could react, Peach got knocked out by it, and she started falling toward Fury Volcano.
"PEACH!" Perry screamed with his eyes closed as they were both falling to their deaths. Or so they thought...
"Huh?"
Perry looked up to find Peach lying down on Hoo's back, still unconscious.
Hoo saved their lives as he landed near a warm geyser in Fury Volcano and gently scuffed Peach by the collar of her dress and put her near the geyser, which would keep her warm the rest of the night.
"Wow, thanks Hoo. You saved our lives back there."
Hoo hooed at Perry, trying to communicate. Perry couldn't understand what he said, but he sensed his feelings of gratitude, and why he was feeling them.
"Something tells me you weren't exactly yourself when you attacked us, were you?" Perry asked.
Hoo replied with a nod, confirming what he suspected.
"Hoo! There you are!"
Kamek flew down and landed behind Hoo.
"What are standing around for?! Grab the princess and let's go!"
Hoo turned his head around, scaring Kamek as he realized he was no longer under his spell. And boy, did Perry sense the anger Hoo had at Kamek for what he did to him.
"Uh oh..."
Kamek screamed and flew away as Hoo chased after him, ready to get even.
"Whew, that was close." Perry said in relief as he felt Peach's pulse. Thankfully, she was still , but alive.
"Thank goodness you're alive."
Realizing that it's still nighttime, he felt tired and decided it was time to got to sleep.
"Good night, Peach."
Perry smiled and closed his eyes as he realized how far they both had gotten. The closer Peach gets to defeating Bowser and saving the Mario Brothers, the closer he gets to finding his grandpa. And maybe, just maybe, to finding out about his missing past.
(BTW: I know in the game, Perry dreams about his grandpa, but remember, as I said in the first chapter, it's my own version. Perry will still have dreams, don't worry. They just be about a different aspect of his past. I won't tell you just yet, due to spoilers. You'll just have to see for yourself.)