School really sucks… really. I've had a lot of work so expect weekly updates every Sunday or Saturday; maybe even Friday nights. The next chapter might be the ending so keep an eye out for it.

Chapter 8:

Final Thoughts

"Are you finished yet?"

"No."

"How about now?"

"No."

"How abo-"

"For the sixty-seventh time no, Doopliss I'm still not finished yet!" Croco had taken the gang to his "home" where he continued to work on his D.I.P. As usual, Doopliss could not wait for him to finish it so he stood over him, watching him work.

"Could you stop breathing down my neck? It's really annoying." Croco said.

"Okay, fine have it your way. I'll just look around the place, maybe even touching things worth a lot of money."

"Okay you can watch but don't stand so close to me."

"Golly this place is filled with worthless junk." Mimi said.

"Worthless? This stuff is worth more than you could ever imagine!"

"Dude, can you stop arguing and finish the stupid machine?" Crash asked, or more like demanded.

"I still don't understand why you would have a hideout underground a dirty old mine." Vivian said. Yes, they were under Moleville Mines.

"Maybe I haven't told you guys enough. Okay listen closely: me have home in Keep, bridge go boom, me no home." Croco said.

"Hey we're not babies you know!" Koops said.

"Whatever. Doopliss, go make yourself useful and hand me that laser beam over there."

"You mean this one?"

"No! That's a-" BOOM!

"Dynamite stick."

"Oh, oops."

"Just give me the laser."

"Okay, okay. Here."

"Thanks. Now all I need to do is connect these wires with that wire and… Finally! It's finished!" Croco exclaimed.

"Gosh, it sure took you long enough." Mimi said.

"You can say that again." Doopliss said.

"Hey at least I got it done."

"Does it work?" Koops asked.

"You tell me." Croco pressed a few buttons on the machine and typed in the coordinates. In an instant, a small portal opened up in the middle of the room. The portal showed an image of a small hill, which was in front of a large castle.

"Aw sweet! Is that Vista Hill?" Crash asked with enthusiasm in his voice.

"Yup, it is. It looks like I finally got it to work." Croco said triumphantly.

"Finally! Now let's go!" Doopliss charged into the portal but was stopped by Mimi grabbing the collar of his sheet.

"Hold on! Gosh, you can't just charge in there! We're not ready!" Mimi said.

"What are you talking about? We have the team, the transportation, what more are we missing?"

"Do we have a plan?" Vivian asked.

"What, are you guys serious? You came all this way and you don't even know what to do when you get there? How stupid can you be?" Croco said to the group.

"Uh if I recall correctly, wasn't it you that dropped the machine in the first place? If Mimi hadn't found it and someone else did than you might not even have it right now."

"You've got a good point there turtle boy." Croco said.

"Well Doopliss, what do we do dude?" Crash asked. Everyone stopped to turn to him, expecting an answer.

"Okay uh… let me think."

"Well could you think fast, we don't have all week." Crash said. Everyone just stared at him, obviously not finding his joke funny.

"Too early for jokes?"

"Hey would you keep it down? I'm trying to think over here!" Doopliss said. He paced around the room trying to think of a plan. He paced and paced and paced… and came up with nothing.

"Why is this so hard?!" Doopliss shouted at the ceiling, frustrated and angry.

"I knew you shouldn't have waited until the last minute to think of a plan." Mimi said.

"Hey it's not my fault! Besides, if you knew than you should've told me!"

"Are you trying to blame this whole thing on me?"

"Well you were in this group for as long as I was and you didn't think of anything!"

"Well maybe if you had common sense you would've had a plan before you came to find me!"

"Guys just chill out!" Croco yelled.

"Look we don't have time for any of your 'couple crises' moments right now okay?" Doopliss and Mimi were stunned by his comment.

"C-c-couple? You think me and Doopliss are… dating? What would give you that idea?"

"Yeah I mean c'mon! We're like complete opposites; we have nothing in common!"

"Well you guys do fight like a couple." Vivian said.

"And you guys always agree on everything, kind of like me and Vivian." Koops added.

"Not to mention that you both shape-shift." Crash added as well.

"T-that doesn't mean anything." Doopliss said.

"Okay forget it! We have bigger problems here, like saving the kingdom. Does that ring a bell?" Croco said, reminding the group of their mission.

"We don't have a plan though." Koops said.

"Well lucky for you guys I was able to think of one instead of arguing like an immature child." Croco said, glaring at the group.

"Fine… well we have a plan so let's just go." Doopliss said a little bit sadly.

"Gosh, it's about time." Mimi said.

"Alright, we all go into the portal now." Croco said.

"Uh you guys go ahead. I need to talk to Doopliss about something." Koops said.

"Uh fine but just hurry it up." Everyone but Koops and Doopliss followed Croco into the dimensional portal that would lead them to Vista Hill and Bowser's Keep.

"Well what do you want to talk about?"

"Okay, what's up? I know you like Mimi. Why didn't you just tell her?"

"What?! I don't like Mimi!"

"Doopliss it's okay, you can tell me."

"Okay, fine… I guess I sort of have a little crush on her?"

"Little?"

"Okay fine! I'm totally in love with her! But you heard her, she doesn't like me anyway."

"You don't know that for sure. She was probably just embarrassed to be put on the spot like that. Look, just tell her soon. This is the final battle and we have no idea what could happen. Tell her, and I'm sure she'll return your feelings."

"Thanks Koops, but I think we should go now; the gang's waiting."

"Alright, let's go!" And with that, the two quickly ran into the portal to catch up with the rest of the group.

"Let me get this straight, you want me to help you two defeat an evil mastermind with the powers of an ancient demon at his command?" Jr. Troopa asked.

"Precisely." Dimentio said.

"Are you two nuts? I can't do that! That guy sounds like a madman! I'll be killed!" Dimentio and Bowser were still trying to convince Jr. Troopa to help them in their mission to stop Grodus. Unfortunately, it wasn't very easy to persuade him.

"Hey shrimp, I didn't let you join Bowser's Association of Destroying just so you could whine and be a wimp."

"You do realize that 'Bowser's Association of Destroying' spells B.A.D. don't you?" Dimentio asked.

"It does?! I-I mean of course it does! That's what it was supposed to spell."

"Okay whatever you say." Dimentio said with a hint of doubt in his voice.

"Oh c'mon, man up kid! Have some backbone you spineless baby! This is a matter of crush or be crushed and I want to be the crusher, not the crushee!"

"Does that even make sense?" Jr. Troopa asked.

"Of course it does! I got it form the evilest person I know… me! Gwar har har har har! Besides, with my strength, Dimentio's magic, and your uh whatever skills you have, we'll be unstoppable!"

"That didn't exactly work out when we teamed up with Grodus now did it?"

"Well… no… but I have faith in this kid. He's got talent and i know talent when I see it."

"Uh hello, I'm right here."

"Oh uh… right I knew that."

"So… what's the plan?" Jr. Troopa asked.

"Oh why don't you just leave that matter in my hands. After all, any problem can be solved… with magic!"

"Ugh just shut up and take us to Vista Hill."

"Fine have it your way." Dimentio snapped his fingers and transported them to Vista Hill, where they would have a surprise in store for Grodus.

"Gack ack ack ack ack! With these new powers, I shall be invincible! I can take down all who oppose me! So say goodnight you two blubbering idiots because this is where the era of Grodus begins!" Grodus yelled into the distance as he made his way to Vista Hill.

With all three groups making their way to the final battlefield, which side will reign supreme?