Chapter 14 Shellock's the Bomb

The cries of the little boy trapped underneath the building were almost loud enough to hear. As Shellock trekked across Sparksville with a cart full of bob-ombs in tow, he sympathized with the little boy immensely. He was stuck underground, with no access to food, water, or even air. Statistically speaking, he was most likely dead by now. Also statistically speaking, Shellock wasn't going to give up.

The bob-ombs rattled in the cart like maracas. The wheels of the cart bumped against the rocks and niches in the road. Shellock could see that some people were looking at him strangely, and others even ran away in what appeared to be terror. Shellock didn't care. The boy needed his help, and he wasn't going to let some silly looks of judgement get in the way.

"Don't you worry, young chap," Shellock said out loud. "I am going to rescue you." Suddenly, the progress that Shellock was making with pulling the cart was stopped. Shellock gave an effort filled tug, but it would not budge. His mind filled with confusion as he slowly turned around. "What the heck?"

To Shellock's complete and utter surprise, he saw that the purple shelled brute named Roy Koopa was pulling the cart in the opposite direction. His teeth were gritted, veins in his arms were being showcased to the world. He gave the detective a smug smile.

"Ha!" he said. "Try to pull it now!"

Shellock merely gave the Koopaling a bored look. He took a drag of his bubble pipe before speaking.

"Amateur." He scoffed. He started pulling on the cart again, gritting his own teeth as he did so. The grunts of effort and the pain in his arms did not do anything, as the cart remained still as a stone. He turned back to Roy and saw that the smugness of his expression was increasing by the second.

"What are you going to do now that I've saved the day?" he asked. Shellock merely sniffed.

"If there is anyone who is going to 'save the day,' it's going to be me." Shellock reached into the cart and picked up three bob-ombs. With that, he started to run.

"Hey!" Roy yelled. Shellock did not stop. He barreled down the streets, not even bothering to worry about his rapid breath and aching chest. Before he could get very far though, he saw Iggy step in front of him.

"Lemmy!" he called out. "Please cease with this insanity!"

"It's not insanity! It's detective work!" Shellock said. Once he got close enough to the bespectacled Koopaling, he slid in between his legs. Iggy looked down in surprise, as Shellock continued to run. As he ran, he wondered why the Koopalings were providing such a roadblock. Surely, they recognized the gravity of this situation! Shellock was going to help the boy; he had no other choice!

Unfortunately, right at that moment, the limitations of Shellock's little body finally caught up with him. He stopped to catch his breath, his lungs feeling like they were going to burst like balloons. He clutched the bob-ombs to his chest just as an odd sound could be heard. It sounded like a projectile, whizzing through the air. Shellock was taken aback when he felt his feet be knocked out from under him.

"Oww," he groaned. "Oww." He lifted his head and saw that, lying on the ground, was a golden bracelet. He heard footsteps approaching him, footsteps as sharp as pins. He looked up and was shocked to see Wendy. She was approaching him with a stern yet gentle expression.

"Lemmy, please," she said. "Think rationally about this for a moment." She approached and placed her hand on his chin. Shellock could see a glimmer in her eyes, a compassionate smile outlining her face. "If you do this, then a lot of people will get hurt. Is hurting a lot of people just to do this really worth it?"

Shellock's mind started to go into overdrive. He had to admit, what Wendy was saying had some weight to it. He could imagine the people who would potentially be severely injured. Their cries, even though Shellock was just imagining them at this point, were enough to bring tears to his eyes. As Wendy helped him up, he stared into her face with a sense of hesitance.

That is, until he bolted away from her.

"Hey!" Wendy called out to the great detective.

Shellock didn't stop. What Wendy failed to understand was that it was his solemn duty to solve any case that came his way. He would not rest until that small boy was safe in his family's arms.

Besides, there was a way to avoid any unnecessary casualties. Shellock would just explain to the people in the building what his intentions were. Surely, that would be enough to have everyone evacuate! Yes, yes, that was the best solution.

Unfortunately, Shellock might not be able to enact that solution. Just as he was formulating all of this, Morton stepped in front of him. He placed his hands on Shellock's shoulders, causing Shellock to gasp. Before he knew what was going on, Morton lifted him into the air. This caused Shellock to drop the bob-ombs. As they rolled away from him like a bunch of apples, Shellock kicked and struggled against Morton's hold.

"Let me go!" he cried. The three other Koopalings approached. Iggy looked at Shellock with a mixture of concern, fright and anger.

"These shenanigans have proceeded for long enough, Lemmy," he said.

"Yeah," said Roy. "I mean seriously, even I'm not dumb enough to purposely blow up a building!"

Shellock wanted to scream. Why were these people so determined to hinder him?

"You have no idea what you're talking about!" he yelled. Wendy approached, her eyes shining with empathy.

"Lemmy, please..."

"MY NAME IS SHELLOCK!" Shellock cried. With that, he bit down on Morton's hand. The brown skinned Koopaling shrieked in pain and dropped the detective. Shellock hurriedly started to grab the stray bob-ombs and rushed away from the Koopalings. Unfortunately, he was hit by a nasty surprise.

"Hey, Lemmy!"

Shellock came to a complete halt. Was that...Watson? No, it couldn't be; Watson was in jail! Surely, Shellock was hearing things! Unfortunately, one look up at the proved that he wasn't hearing things. There was Watson, accompanied by a magikoopa on a broomstick. Both were descending toward the great detective, who was looking up at them in shock.

"Watson! What are you doing here?"

Watson landed on the ground and looked at Shellock in determination.

"Kamek and I are here to help you," he said. Shellock saw that the magikoopa was brandishing his wand.

"NO!" Shellock screeched. He started to bolt away. As he did, he heard Kamek start to chant.

"Encantus heeringu nijiro MAZOH!"

Before Shellock knew what was happening, he was bathed in a torrent of rainbow lights. The colors were warm, like the sun on a warm, summer day. They wrapped around Shellock, causing him to feel...safe. Somehow, these lights were good. Somehow, Shellock just knew that everything was going to be just fine.

...

Ludwig watched as the rainbow wisps overtook his brother. Lemmy didn't even scream as he was wrapped in the anomaly. Ludwig watched, completely enthralled by the sight.

Before long, the lights died. This left Lemmy lying on the ground. His detective costume was torn in places, his hair was messed up. Patches of dirt were scattered around his face. Ludwig, Kamek, and the Koopalings approached Lemmy as he slowly started to open his eyes.

"Lemmy, are you okay?" Ludwig asked. Lemmy blinked and sat up.

"Ludwig," he said. Ludwig had never been so relieved to hear Lemmy say his name. He smiled.

"Oh, thank the developer," he said. Lemmy smiled as he started to sit up. However, before he could, he put his hand to his forehead.

"Oh, my head." Ludwig held onto him as he withered to the ground. As Lemmy slowly closed his eyes, Kamek and the others approached.

"It seems that the purification spell drained a lot out of him," Kamek said. "Let's take him back to the castle so that he can get sufficient rest."

"That seems like a very sensible idea, Kamek," said Iggy. Ludwig nodded, hoisted Lemmy into his arms, and started to fly.