StarlitDuck
I'm not really striving to top the last chapter for every new one I upload, but I am striving for improvement in writing. So thanks!
You can thank nintendoscript15 for the reaction. It's his character, so I figured he'd know how Alex would react to such grim situations like these.
I'm sorry about the "Over 9000" thing. I deleted it, so no one should bother trying to find it.
nintendoscript15
I revamped the dialogue in that scene so that there would be better context for those who haven't read the story. And yes, I was inspired by that scene.
You're welcome!
I added Bowser's dark spin attack early just so Bowser could show a little progression in learning from mistakes. If something I was doing was making me lose, I'd stop doing it!
LiamTheYoshi
Wise words, my friend. Wise words.
Mario: I know I can't deny I made those mistakes. I just wanna move on from them!
Don't worry. I assure you Alex will be okay. He just needs a break.
I assumed he was using its power in the original game. Where do you think he got the ability to use a darker version of Mario's spin, activate gravity on the Star Reactor, or warp out of the scene?
breath20k
We're not quite done yet, though.
C.T Genius
Yeah. Mario will always be there for the kid. Even if he is insecure himself.
FairyTalePrincess16
Like I said with Liam, wise words my friend.
You can't blame him for mentally shutting down. He's been through something that no kid should ever go through!
As for your PS. Yes, I will have more free time on my hands. So do expect more to come!
Amethyst Goldenwind
I'm glad I was able to make this fight entertaining! Now to continue off the cliffhanger from the end of the last chapter.
KazamaFam2006
I had a few reasons to introduce the dark spin attack early.
SleepingBeautyRocks
Welcome aboard! I hope you enjoy what's to come.
Chapter 24: From King to Emperor
The king got up while rubbing his head.
"WHAT?! HOW…" Bowser angrily asked the cosmic protector before going off in a daze and then shaking his head again. "Just who ARE you?!"
"Aster Ode Galaxium. Cosmic protector of the galaxies," he introduced himself.
"Aster… Ode…" He trailed off again after hearing that name… but then, something snapped.
"Wait…" Bowser's eyes began to twitch as flashes were beginning to form in his head. It hurt his eyes as if someone was actually shining a flashlight at him. "No… no… no… no…! IT… CAN'T… BE…!"
3 years ago…
[BGM: Airship - Super Mario 3D Land]
It was just another peaceful day… well, at least what the Koopa Kingdom viewed as peaceful. Bowser was having an absolute ball! He had just invaded the Mushroom Kingdom successfully after a previous exile, turned hundreds if not thousands of Toads into inanimate objects, killed the two monarchs who had threatened his own kingdom and people, left their children to cry, and their oldest daughter was in his grasp. It felt so satisfying, as it seemed he had finally avenged all of his ancestors up to this point. All that was left now was to take over the Mushroom Kingdom, and then spread his empire across the globe. What could go wrong at this point?
Bowser tied up the fair princess who was still crying to the mast of his airship. He admittedly felt a little bad, and even questioned if maybe he went a little too far. But what was done was done, and there was no turning back now.
"H-How c-could you…? How could y-you do this?" Peach cried with a hint of anger. Bowser felt even more bad now, but tried his hardest to keep up his demeanor.
"I'm… sorry you had to see that… princess." Bowser bluntly apologized. "Nothing personal, really! Well… okay, maybe it's a little personal… Oh, jeez…"
"Wh-What are you going to d-do with me?" asked Peach.
"I have plans in mind. Just get yourself comfortable in the meantime. You're gonna be here awhile, but I promise everything's gonna be okay," Bowser reassured.
Bowser walked away to give the princess some space. Next up was to force her into marriage, but how was he gonna do it? Steal some wedding objects, hire wedding planners, maybe get himself some nice clothes. Yes! It sounded perfect! But maybe he should hold off on that and try to get to know the princess first. She might be interesting.
[BGM end]
"BOWSER! BOWSER! KING BOWSER!" a koopa screamed as he ran over to the king and tripped in his own panic. Bowser quickly picked him up in concern.
"What's the matter, Kooplank?"
"The- The- There's-" He wheezed from a lack of breath and even hacked out some smoke. "There's… an… in...truder… on the…"
Kooplank then passed out and Bowser dropped him.
"Intruder? What intru-?"
[BGM: One-Winged Angel - Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children]
Bowser was interrupted when one of the airships next to him blew up into nothingness, with all the koopas on board likely meeting their shell of a grave.
"WHAT IN THE UNDERWHERE?!" he screamed in confusion as he witnessed some strange blur zip from ship to ship, destroying each and every one of them. Soon, all of the ships were decimated and the mysterious entity zipped right onto Bowser's ship, right in front of him. Bowser was scared. What was this thing? Was it a personification of karma? An entity that was even more evil than him? A hero coming to save the princess? Whatever it was, Bowser was terrified and was shaking at his knees.
"Sh-Show yourself! WH-What are you?!" Bowser trembled.
[BGM end]
The figure took off it's cloak. Revealing… a human. The human was interesting looking. He wore what appeared to be a purple space suit with striped sleeves, knee caps depicting a picture of a galaxy on it, and a yellow four-pointed star symbol on his chest. However, there was no oxygen tank or a visor covering his face. He had black hair that appeared to be slicked back with hair gel, a small but round nose, a horseshoe-shaped mustache, and eyes that were a darker shade of blue than Princess Peach.
[BGM: A Tense Moment - Super Mario Galaxy]
"Aster Ode Galaxium, defender of the cosmos. I came here to bring you to justice," the man said.
"What gives you the right to destroy my airship fleet?! Those costed me a fortune to build!"
This 'Aster' fella narrowed his glare on the creature. "Quite a lot actually. You see, I used to live on this planet a long time ago. It was quite a peaceful time in which we had nothing but happiness in our lives, up until some incident caused hell to strike loose. I have left the planet since then. After almost a millennium, I decided to take a visit to see if things have gotten better. But what do I see?" Aster put on a sarcastic smile. "Oh! That's right! You turned innocent people into bricks and stone using witchcraft, destroyed countless property, probably killed innocents as well, and then you had the audacity to assassinate the current monarchs of this kingdom in cold blood, in front of their heirs no less! Thank you so much for the welcome back party!" He slowly clapped during the last sentence.
"Oh, cut it with the 'praise'!" Bowser snapped, not having it. "I had to do it! They mistreated us! I'm just trying to bring justice to my race! I wouldn't have killed those two if they had just been reasonable!" Bowser shed a small tear, but quickly wiped it away before anyone could see. "One of my troops overheard them threatening to declare war on us. I tried to talk to them, but they just wouldn't have it! I couldn't risk putting my people or children in danger! I don't have the time nor resources to evacuate everyone, and even if I did, we'd have nowhere to go because everyone on this damn planet hates us!"
Bowser left himself to breathe for a moment. Aster could just beat him up now, but… curiosity still got over him.
"If I could just… leave this planet, I would… but that's just a fantasy…" Bowser cried.
Aster appeared to be stunned by all this. For a moment, Bowser thought that maybe he believed his story and could perhaps join his cause. Yes, he did just kill his troops. But by joining him, he could be a useful ally. But that hope was diminished for him when the traveller burst out in a fit of laughter, falling down to the floor of the deck and banging his fist against the floor.
"C-Can you let me in on the joke?" asked Bowser.
"Y-You…" Aster wiped away a tear that came from his horse-like laugher. "You expect me to believe that load of-?!"
An explosion from a Bob-omb downstairs blocked out the last word.
"Uh… yes?" Bowser said shyly.
"Uh huh. Yeah, enough talk."
[BGM end]
[BGM: The Big Staircase - Super Mario Galaxy]
Aster ran to Bowser without warning and punched him in the nose. Bowser furiously began to breathe streams of fire around the arena and tried to punch Aster. He swiftly dodged and grabbed him by the tail, swinging him and throwing him right into a wall. While he was dizzy, Aster began to untie the princess.
"Um… thank you!" Peach thanked as she took a look at her hero. "You look famil-"
"Yeah, you're welcome. Now waste no time and get off the ship!" Aster ordered. Peach didn't hesitate and used her parasol to float off.
"NO! PRINCESS!" Bowser shouted.
Aster dashed off into the interior of the ship, where various Hammer Bros. and Bob-ombs tried to get in his way, but he effortlessly beat them. Bowser ran after Aster in a panic, his eyes popped out as his foe noticed the 'SELF DESTRUCT' button.
"No, no, no, no, no, no, NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"
Bowser grabbed a hold of his leg just as his hand was an inch away from the button. Aster struggled and growled as he tried to break free of Bowser's super strong grasp.
"GET. OFF. NOW!" the human growled.
"Please! Don't do this! I'm begging you! I can make things right if you'd just listen to me! I promise!" Bowser pleaded out of desperation.
Aster didn't listen and pressed the button
[BGM: Peach's Castle Stolen (0:19) - Super Mario Galaxy]
Bowser braced himself as Aster pressed the button, his life immediately flashed at light speed before his very eyes, including the moment where his father died in a similar scenario. Alongside a human at that as well.
A huge explosion covered the entire field, bursting flames forming the shape of a mushroom itself. It was so powerful that a wave of air dashed through the Mushroom Kingdom. Even Daisy comforting a grieving Aqua could feel it.
[BGM end]
Bowser POV
[BGM: Interlude - Super Mario Galaxy]
My mind… my body… my life… it all felt numb and void to me as I laid barely conscious at the bottom of a massive crater formed from my impact. Just… how did I even survive that? My father was stuck in a similar scenario, yet he sacrificed himself just to make sure his nemesis, Francesco, would die with him. I thought for sure my life was forfeit as well. And I sadly can't say my minions were as lucky as I was. I didn't want to get up and look to see what damage had been done. The thought of it made my heart ache. Then again, maybe I deserved this. I just murdered two people and showed absolutely no empathy for it. Doesn't help that I did it in front of a child around my son's age. What would he think of me if he knew I did something that ruthless?
[BGM: Ghost Theme 6 - Luigi's Mansion: Dark Moon]
I was about to let myself succumb to a slow eventual fate… but then HE showed up. The guy responsible for this. I watched as he creeped over to me, staring down at me with seemingly dead eyes. The only muscle that moved at all was my heart that pumped faster and faster as he got closer. Any faster and it might as well pop out of my chest.
"So… you survived the explosion, huh?" he said nonchalantly. I wanted to say something back to him, breathe fire at his stupid mustache with the anger I felt, or just ask him… why? But my mouth just refused to open up no matter how much I tried.
"I guess you can't do much now that I've decimated your army and artillery. So as much as I could end your game here and now, it's not in my code of honor unless deemed necessary. However…" He intensified his glare, as if to stare right into my very soul. "I want you to remember this moment the next time you ever try to commit a crime to this volition again! You will never find success or happiness with the way you are living your life!"
I felt like crying. Aster… was he saying I wasn't strong enough? Was I weak… worthless… helpless… pathetic…? It was as if my position as king was only a ruse… a ruse to make me feel like something that I am not. I knew for certain that Dad would be ashamed, no worse… he'd probably disown me…
[BGM end]
I laid there, helpless, wondering what he could do next… But then some blast of magic paralayzed the man, garnering a scream of relentless pain. I lifted my head… to see Kamek! Man, was I glad to see him! He always had my back, no matter what. I may have taken him for granted back when I was a kid, but now… I admire how much of a help he is whenever I get into tight spots such as these.
I listened to him enchant a spell in some foreign language I could never understand, and then presumably send him flying upwards into outer space. That was the last I saw of Aster… I hoped I'd never see him again.
"Are you okay, sire?" Kamek asked in concern. "I'm glad you didn't suffer the same fate your father did. I guess that potion I concocted worked after all!"
He then showed me a tied up Princess Peach encased in his magic spell.
"I managed to get the princess as well after she jumped off our ship. Don't worry, she's unharmed. We can resume with the plans after you take a moment to heal."
I wanted to thank him for getting rid of HIM and retrieving the princess in one piece. However, I just couldn't find the will to do it. I just couldn't let go of how… insecure I felt. And then, without warning… something inside me just snapped.
[BGM: Angry Bowser - Paper Mario]
I got up, took the tied up princess without a word and stormed off towards my castle. Kamek looked a little worried, but honestly, I didn't care anymore.
"K-King Bowser! Wait! You just survived a-"
"I DON'T CARE! LEAVE ME ALONE!" I never snapped this hard at Kamek before, and I looked away before I could see his reaction. I didn't look at Peach either. I was ashamed of making her sad, but I refused to show it anymore. In fact, from that day forward, I made a promise to myself. I would never show weakness or fear towards my subjects or enemies EVER AGAIN!
[BGM end]
Present Day/Normal POV
Bowser brought himself back into reality. His opponent still stared right at him with an oddly puzzled face.
"You…" Bowser slowly pointed his finger at Aster while shaking a bit, like a student scared to solve a hard math problem on the chalkboard. "That was you… all those years ago…"
Aster had a strange feeling that this guy looked familiar when he first saw him. But now, those memories from three years ago came back to him. It was a day that truly changed him for the worst and one that he blocked out of his memory out of deep regret. Looking back to it now, Aster could tell he wasn't thinking clearly. He was just blindly killing a bunch of minions who probably had normal lives and were just doing their jobs, without any rational justification. Besides attempting to save Peach, what he did was not heroic in the slightest. If anything, he made himself look just as bad as Bowser, if not worse. Now Aster REALLY was relieved that Mario did not come with him. What would he think if he found out about this? What would Rosalina think? Should he let it off his chest and tell them about the incident, or should he just beat himself up in private for his own hypocrisy?
Aster bowed his head down in shame. "Yes… that was me…"
[BGM: Bowser Battle - Super Paper Mario]
Then, without a second to spare, Bowser tackled Aster, pinning him to the floor without so much as a muscle to move.
"B-B-Bowser! Please… J-Just listen to me…!" Aster struggled for breath.
"NO! YOU LISTEN! YOU KILLED A BUNCH OF MY PEOPLE AND MADE A FOOL OUT OF ME!" Bowser roared in fury.
Aster coughed. "I'm… I'm sorry! I didn't realize… I didn't realize how emotionally blind I was… I just… really loved the Mushroom Kingdom and… I was…" He coughed again. "blinded by my own… rage…"
"Oh, so NOW you wanna listen to reason?! 3 YEARS TOO LATE, BUB!" Bowser denied. "AS SOON-TO-BE EMPEROR OF THE UNIVERSE, YOU'RE THE FIRST ON MY EXECUTION LIST! Don't worry though, Mario will join you in the Underwhere soon after. Heh! It's funny how the tables have turned."
Aster closed his eyes, ready to accept his fate. He felt heat and sweat dripping down his face as Bowser prepared to turn him into a fried sausage… Until it stopped. Was it already over? Was he dead? When he opened his eyes, he saw that Bowser's lips were suddenly frozen shut.
[BGM end]
"What the…?" Aster muttered while looking to the left and right. Suddenly, a gloved hand with a blue glow grabbed Aster's arm and pulled him on his feet.
[BGM: Mario's theme - Mario Strikers Charged]
He looked up and to his surprise, it was Mario! Though he looked slightly different. His cap and shirt were now watery blue, while his overalls were now red. His gloves glowed with a cold looking icy power.
"Mario?!"
"Figured you needed help. Good thing I had an extra Freeze Flower," said the plumber with a bright smile.
"You can thank me for that," said Luma.
"But what about Alex?"
"Relax. Your wife's taking good care of him," Mario reassured.
Bowser broke through the ice on his lips, and stared cold-heartedly at his arch enemy. "Mario…" His stomach churned just saying that horrid name.
"Bowser… Did you miss me?" he taunted. "I'd spar with you again, but we both know how this is gonna end. So I'll cut to the chase. WHERE'S PEACH?!"
[BGM end]
"She's not here… you fool." A smirk formed on the devious king's face. "In fact, my plan is too far along now! You really think you can stop me?!"
"We can, and we will!" Luma spoke firmly.
Bowser merely chuckled in response. "Well, I'd love to catch up with you and fight again, but your friend already gave me a little beat down. Plus, I've got some business to attend to. So, catch you later!"
Bowser jumped up into the air with a spin and disappeared in a dark flash right in front of them. Shortly afterwards, one of the domes on the Star Reactor cracked open, revealing a Grand Star that happily floated down to the duo.
[BGM: A Chance to Grab a Star!]
"Bowser…" Aster muttered in a loss for further words.
"Hey, you okay, pal?" Mario asked in worry.
"I'm… I'm fine. I just…"
"Tough fight, wasn't it?" Mario finished for him. "I don't blame you. Bowser's no pushover."
Luma chimed in. "So… I guess this makes you guys even, right?"
"Even?" question both.
"Aster saved Mario back in Good Egg Galaxy, and now Mario saved Aster here. So that makes you both even."
"Hey! You're right! Good observation, Luma!" Mario praised. Then he turned to his partner. "I haven't received a 'thank you' yet, by the way."
Aster hesitated for a moment. One part of him was saying that he didn't deserve Mario's kindness and should just come clean. But… he also didn't want to ruin their friendship. Something about him was really rubbing off.
So Aster, for the first time in a while, gave Mario a warm smile and embraced him in a hug. "Thank you…"
Half a minute passed when the two let go. The Grand Star shone in the center of the arena, happily watching their hug, and patiently waited to be taken home.
"Well… let's head back…" said Aster.
[Grand Star Get! - Super Mario Galaxy]
Both of them smiled as they revolved around the star, as it shimmered and shone with them at their side. Aster gestured Mario to do the honors. The plumber flipped over and hit the star to send it into the air spinning faster.
"Yah!"
The star came back down and Mario hit it again, but just a little lighter.
"Wah!"
Mario grabbed ahold of the massive star using his two hands and did a victory pose with it in his hands. Aster crossed his arms and leaned against the star, smiling as well.
YOU GOT A GRAND STAR!
"WAHOO!"
"HA HA!"
[BGM end]
Meanwhile…
Back at Peach's Castle, Bowser walked out of a warp hole not feeling the boastful energy he had when he initially left. Kamek and Bowser Jr. approached him.
"Good to see you in one piece, your growlyness," Kamek greeted.
"How was it, papa?!" Junior asked eagerly as he demonstrated kicks and punches. "Did ya give 'em a good ol' one two?"
Bowser giggles briefly at his son's enthusiasm, then frowned again. "No son. I'm afraid not. But I will next time! Don't you worry." Bowser solemnly sat down in Peach's throne. It was a little small for him, but he could care less. "For now though, I'd like to relax for the night. I'll resume plans tomorrow morning. For now, I'm putting Topmaniac in charge."
Bowser took out a black device with a telegraph and typed in 'Topmaniac, I'm on break. You're in charge until tomorrow morning.'
Kamek looked puzzled by this decision and tapped Bowser on the shoulder.
"Um, with all due respect sir. Are you sure this is a good idea? I don't really trust that robot. I can do it instead."
"Hey, I wouldn't have been able to do all this if it weren't for him. So it's only fair that I give him some leniency," Bowser argued. No further questions came from Kamek. However, Bowser Jr. asked one.
"Wait, dad. Before we go to relax, shouldn't we check up on Mama Peach?"
The mention of the so-called 'love of his life's' name made Bowser sprout wide awake, remembering how he locked her up in the 'Endless' Stairs this morning.
"OH, KOOPS! I FORGOT ABOUT PEACH!"
Bowser rushed up the spiral staircase, ran to the right up the next staircase, into the Star Door where the entrances to Tick Tock clock and Rainbow Ride would be, and then up to the last Star Door, all while Junior and Kamek followed close behind.
"How long has she been in there?!" Junior asked in panic as Kamek began to unseal the door.
"Let's see…" Kamek counted his fingers quickly. "Around 11 hours. Yeah, she must be starving by now."
"What was I thinking?!" said Bowser.
[BGM: Endless Stairs - Super Mario 64 (reversed)]
When the door was finally unsealed. Peach was… not okay to stay the least. She was lying on the floor, hair ruined, legs curled up, body twitching, eyelids blinking, and pupils shrunken. It may have only been 11 hours, but her tattered appearance made it look as if she's been in there for weeks, or even months.
"Princess…? You feeling okay?" Bowser asked bluntly.
Peach rolled her eyes towards the one who locked her up. A grin appeared on her face, and it stretched much wider than usual.
The damsel in distress released an unnerving giggle. "I-I was starting to think… you'd never come back. Hehe… So… many… stairs…"
Bowser scratched his head, knowing his own screw up. "Yeah… I'm sorry about that, dear. I got so caught up in all this universe conquering biz that I forgot all about you. But hey, I'm free for the rest of the night! So how about this? No more abuse, no more punishments, and no more escape attempts." He forced both Kamek and Junior into a hug. "It'll be just the four of us!"
The two slithered out of his grasp and scurried out of the room looking scared.
"Well okay, the two of us. Maybe that's for the better.
Peach solemnly grunted at him.
"C'mon! Take that frown off your face! Let's do something romantic. I'll do anything you want. We could watch a movie, play some Wii Sports, have some snacks-you must be starving by the way-, or maybe we could discuss our wedding plans," Bowser rambled on.
[BGM end]
"W-W-WEDDING… PLANS?!" Peach growled through her teeth.
"Ahh, getting excited about that, are we! Good for you, my love! You finally moved on from that stingy, no good little-!" Bowser was caught off guard when Peach jumped up and tackled him to the floor. "Ooh! Making the moves, eh? Take it easy though. You're kinda hurting my che- OW!"
[BGM: Giant Bowser Battle - Super Princess Peach]
Peach slapped Bowser across the face, leaving a noticeable red marking on his cheek.
"LEARN TO TAKE A DAMN HINT, YOU MORON!" Peach yelled with uncontrollable levels of rage that not even Bowser himself could not comprehend.
"Woah! Woah! Peach, take it easy! This isn't like you at all!"
Peach only responded with a shell breaking scream that shook the room. As she did, she took a framed photo of her family off the wall and threw it at Bowser's head, giving him a black eye.
"EEEEEEYAAAAAAHHHHH!"
"I DON'T CARE ANYMORE! WE'VE BEEN DOING THIS SONG AND DANCE FOR THREE YEARS! AND ALL THIS TIME, I'VE BEEN PATIENT WITH YOU! I'VE EVEN ACCEPTED THIS AS MY LIFE AT THIS POINT! BUT I REGRET IT ALL NOW!"
"P-Peachy! J-Just calm down! Please!" Bowser begged for mercy, only for Peach to punch him again. "I-I don't wanna h-hurt you anymore!"
"TOO LATE, YOU MISERABLE CRETIN! YOU'VE HURT ME IN MORE WAYS THAN YOU COULD THINK!" Peach started to tear up and breathe a bit. "A lover… is supposed to put their loved one's happiness above their own, to show how much they care… But you do the opposite! You only care about your own happiness, while you proceed to make my life a living hell! You murdered my parents, attacked my people, hurt my friends, and took me away from everyone I've ever known and loved! EVERY DAY of my life, I have to live in fear because you just won't LEAVE ME ALONE! Even on birthdays, celebrations, holidays, events, and now the Star Festival!"
Peach held Bowser's face close. Bowser always wanted to get closer to her, but this was FAR from how he imagined it.
"So Bowser, if you think ANYONE could ever love you… then that would all just be apart of your delusional fantasy that will never become reality. Especially when you continue to abuse me. Speaking of which…"
Peach opened up the Star Door again and sealed Bowser in it.
"LET'S SEE HOW YOU LIKE IT!"
Peach was about to slap her hands together in satisfaction… until Bowser broke out of the trap within mere seconds using only his fist.
"PEACH, THIS HAS GOT TO END!" Bowser finally snapped. He mentally and physically prepared himself for whatever else Peach had to throw at him. But Peach simply fell down to her knees and cried into them.
[BGM end]
"Forget it! Just forget it! Why do I even try?! You'll never understand my pain! No one does! AND YOU'LL NEVER LEARN!"
Peach ran out of the room, having given up. Bowser tried to reach out to her, but was too weakened to do so.
"Peach… wait…" Bowser in a rare instance, felt tears streaming down his face as well. As much as he didn't want to show his sorrow or fear, he just couldn't bottle it up anymore. Kamek reentered the room soon after, looking at the damage that had been done, then at Bowser.
He wheezed a bit at the pain he saw. So much so that he could feel it himself to some degree. "Looks like things got more hectic than I thought. You okay?"
The koopa king couldn't do much besides groan. "Wh-Where's Junior?"
"He… ran away crying. The poor kid just couldn't handle what he was hearing. I really can't blame him."
"Me neither, Kamek…" He groaned again from the agony he felt. Including his legs, his face, his eye, his head. Everything. But none of them could even compare to the guilt he felt. For making a girl he loved so miserable. "What am I gonna do? I've done so much harm to her life… How could I possibly make up for it?"
"Do you think I could just hypnotize her so she can just forget everything bad you did to her?" Kamek suggested.
"NO!" Bowser got up and slapped him. "She wouldn't be herself anymore! I gotta do something that'll prove to her that I can be a better husband! But what?"
Kamek grunted. "Well for starters, maybe you could take her on a dinner date. Y'know, like a NORMAL PERSON!"
Bowser would normally strangle him for giving him a backhanded comment like that. But the idea struck him like a lighting item from someone near last place.
"Dinner… date… THAT'S IT KAMEK! YOU'RE A GENIUS!" Bowser was so ecstatic that he gave him a kiss on the cheek. "I'm gonna make preparations right now!"
Bowser ran out of the room, forgetting about his injuries. Kamek just stood there in the trashed room silently.
"What just happened?" he asked himself.