Here we go with the second chapter. Let's see what Mario is up to during all this. I actually made the first two chapters concurrently, originally planning to have them both be one, but I decided it wouldn't fit very well.
Ch 2: An Evil Arises
Determination brimming in his eyes, Mario stared down the door of one of Bowser's many castles. He readied himself, bracing for all the Thwomps, spikes, and scorching Fire Bars, as well as all the items and power-ups he would pick up. He was prepared to go up against Bowser himself for practically the millionth time. One of Bowser's loyal Lakitus floated up next to Mario.
The lights the Lakitu was holding suddenly began to light up, one-by-one. Normally these guys would be throwing Spiny Eggs at him, but today was different. Today was one of the Mushroom Kingdom's famous go-kart tournaments, organized by Princess Peach. Bowser was a bit reluctant to use one of his own castles as a racing course during the first few tournaments, but after the attention it got him on the media, his ego was too inflated to say no. Mario readied his foot to hit the accelerator of his Standard Kart M-the plumber always had a thing for balanced vehicles. When the second light signifying 2 seconds left lit up, Mario hit the accelerator without touching the button to shift the gear. He knew from his long racing experience that he could get a boost from accelerating a few seconds before actually moving. The final light lit up, just one more second….
The lights all turned green, signifying the start of the race. Mario rocketed forward, having timed his initial boost perfectly, sending him ahead of every other racer sans Luigi, who was ahead of him to start out with thanks to winning in the last race. The two were neck-and-neck in points, each with 37, alongside Bowser. He bumped into Luigi's kart, a Circuit Special, and the two continued ramming each other, Luigi knocking Mario out of the way of an Item Box. Shortly after, the two were at a right turn. Since Luigi's kart was on the right side, he had a more direct path, and started pulling ahead a little bit, though Mario could still catch up in a few seconds… until the plumber felt a force slam into him from behind, stinging his back slightly and causing his kart to spin out.
"Later, loser!" Bowser yelled as he passed Mario on his Steel Driver. The Koopa King had struck him in the back with a Red Shell. Of course, the shell was artificial (though some fanatical Koopas probably wouldn't mind giving their shells up to Bowser), but it still would have seriously injured most normal beings. That's why only the most powerful beings in the region were allowed to compete in these tournaments, because they were too dangerous for any others. It's why Mario allowed his enemies to compete, as he had told the press many, many times when they questioned.
Speaking of his enemies, Bowser raced past him, easily dodging the banana Luigi dropped to deter him. Wario and Daisy had passed the plumber as well, with Ludwig and King Boo not too far behind. Mario knew what to do, and got directly behind Daisy. The princess turned a bit to get him off her tail, but Mario stayed on, and soon his kart went way faster, knocking Daisy aside out of the way of a power-up and sending him into it.
"Oh come on—WOAH!"
Daisy had just been caught in the explosion of a Bob-Omb thrown by Ludwig; a Bob-Omb that was very close to hitting Mario. The plumber thanked his good fortune, then sensed the energy of the Item Box he had just hit. It was chaotic for a few moments, as it had not decided what to be, before the unmistakable aura of a Dash Mushroom came through. The plumber did a hard-left turn, drifting until his kart sparked blue flames, then blasting forward towards Luigi and Bowser.
The duo were on a narrow bridge, with Bowser and Luigi struggling to push each other into lava. Suddenly another banana materialized behind Bowser's kart. Mario saw his rival pull slightly ahead of his brother, causing him to hit the banana that had not even been dropped yet, spiraling out of control. Mario capitalized on the opportunity, dashing into Luigi's barely-moving kart with his Dash Mushroom, which gave just enough force to knock him into the lava.
After a few seconds, the plumber looked back at Luigi, having just been put back on the ground by a Lakitu. He saw him get hit by a Bullet Bill immediately after, sending him tumbling off the bridge again. Mario felt a bit sorry, as he knew what it felt like to get hit by multiple items in the tournament in a row. One time, he was hit by a Blue Shell, two Red Shells, a Bob-Omb, and a POW Block in quick succession.
There was no time to think about that though, as Mario turned his head in front of him, he saw that he was catching up with Bowser. The hero and king made several difficult turns, but the plumber was sharper, and ended up ahead by the end of the first lap. Bowser threw a Green Shell at Mario, but Mario just barely dodged to the right.
The race continued, with Bowser sending a Red Shell flying toward Mario close to the end of the second lap. Mario would have blocked it with a banana, but a Boo took it just before he could get it out.
By about the end of the third lap, Mario and his rival were right beside each other, only having one more left turn and a straight stretch ahead. Of course, the straight stretch was full of fireballs and Thwomps, but that was beside the point.
"You won't beat me this time, linguine-breath!" Bowser snarled. Before Mario could come up with a retort, he heard a distinctive sound, and both he and Bowser immediately dropped their confidence. They both knew that sound very well. It was the unmistakable sound of a Blue Shell. The two drifted past the turn, hoping to get to the finish before the Blue Shell came. Mario raced past the first lava plume and advanced on the end, Bowser right behind him. There it was, the finish line. All Mario had to do was go straight a few more seconds. They both zipped past columns of flame, zeroing in on the end.
Come on. Come on.
KAROOM!
Just before they could reach the finish, the Blue Shell had dropped down and unleashed an explosion onto both of them, causing both of their karts to flip up into the air. After they landed from the dizzying attack, they heard the ending horn and saw Luigi cross the finish line, which they were only a few yards away from. Mario and Bowser started accelerating again, but Mario made it first since his kart had a higher acceleration.
"Wahoo" Mario said half-heartedly as his rival grumbled.
After the final race had finished, and the three were on the podium, Mario congratulated Luigi with a hug. He made sure not to step on his foot like that time in tennis though. He did not need some news agency overanalyzing and thinking he was abusing his brother again. Of course, Mario was basically a legendary figure now, but it didn't stop the occasional bad press. Kylie Koopa was usually the one who did most of the reporting on Mario and she gave him nothing but praise. Unfortunately, her rival Mat Koopat occasionally showed up too, and made outrageous claims like that Mario hit the Yoshis to make them obey or that Luigi wanted to be Mr. L before being brainwashed. He was pretty sure Mat was working with Bowser, but both remained silent on the matter.
"I can't believe I won!" Luigi exclaimed heartily. "I thought when my Boo only stole a banana that I couldn't make it." Mario didn't have the heart to tell him that the banana the Boo stole was probably his.
"You got lucky punk." Bowser growled. "I would have beaten both of you pipsqueaks if not for that Blue Shell right near the end! Who threw that anyway?" From the racer stands, Bowser Jr. got a guilty look.
"Oh relax, Bowser. You still came in 3rd, and you crushed the rest of the competition." Mario said. Bowser looked up at the scores.
LUIGI: 52 POINTS
MARIO: 49 POINTS
BOWSER: 47 POINTS
KING BOO: 29 POINTS
DONKEY KONG: 25 POINTS
WARIO: 25 POINTS
LUDWIG: 24 POINTS
PEACH: 14 POINTS
BOWSER JR: 11 POINTS
DAISY: 8 POINTS
YOSHI: 8 POINTS
WALUIGI: 0 POINTS
"Huh. I guess I did. You hear that, losers outside the podium? You don't stand a chance against King Bowser Koopa!" Bowser didn't seem to be aware that Ludwig and Jr were in the stands, or he just didn't care. Luigi leaned in his brother's direction.
"How is this guy so egotistical all the time when he keeps losing to us?" Luigi said, too quiet for Bowser to hear.
"I have no idea."
Suddenly, the ground began to shake violently, like someone had activated a POW Block in the vicinity. A chill echoed through the area, rattling everyone's bones. An uncomfortable feeling spread over the group, a primal feeling that felt wrong somehow. Everyone's faces paled and they immediately stopped talking.
"W-what… just happened?" Mario asked, recovering from the feeling quicker than everyone else. Luigi began to shiver in fright. Peach stood as still as a tree. Even Bowser and King Boo looked uncomfortable. After a few more seconds, Peach responded.
"Something—something very bad" Peach snapped out of her motionless stupor.
"Bah!" Bowser spoke next. "No matter what possibly happened, there's no way that could threaten me. I'm Bowser, the King of Awesome!" His voice was as hammy as ever. Even this horrible aura was no match for Bowser's limitless ego.
"Bowser," Mario responded, still disturbed by the feeling, "This is very serious. You may be strong, but you're not invincible." Mario figured whatever could cause such a horrifying instinctual fear amongst the entire crowd without even revealing its presence would be powerful enough to slaughter Bowser with little trouble.
"Oh please, whatever caused this little breeze couldn't even bother to show its face. If it showed up here physically, I'd pulverize it with raw Bowser power!" Mario rolled his eyes, but he realized his foe had brought up a good point. If the thing unleashed such a powerful aura in the area, why hadn't it visibly shown up to the castle? Was the thing not aware of the racers' presence? Was there even something visible behind the aura at all?
"W-we need to see someone about this." Peach said.
"M-m-maybe E. Gadd" Luigi stammered, finally getting to his senses. "He knows a lot about all these supernatural things."
"Maybe." Mario replied. "But this aura is unlike any I have ever felt. It was far more powerful than King Boo or any other ghost I've encountered."
"Hey!" King Boo yelled.
"I think I need to seek help from higher places."
"Like where?" Luigi asked.
Mario turned, clearing his throat and addressing the entire crowd, eyes and news cameras trained on him. Mario was ready to do something that had always helped him in a pinch.
"I will pray to the Star Spirits for help."