Chapter 7:
The next day came; the time had finally come. Kevin gazed out of the window of his bedroom inside his quarters as the sun rose over the horizon and shined over the barren wasteland that surrounded his father's castle. He had spent most of yesterday going over the final plans for the executions and the security deployments, making sure that there were no holes in the net. Bowser had wanted to tell the rest of the Koopa Kingdom about the failed attempt to rescue the Mario Brothers by the rest of their allies, but Kevin had advised against it. He felt that doing so would alert Peach and the others inside the Mushroom Kingdom that the plans of Mario's allies had failed and that they would be needed in order to save the Marios. While Kevin did not doubt that he, or any other member of his family, could defeat Peach in a fight, she had managed to save Mario on one occasion when the Marios and their friends were under the influence of the Vibe Scepter. Even though Peach did not have access to the powers or the effects of the Vibe Scepter anymore, that he knew of, he still did not put it past Peach to try to mount a rescue attempt of some kind. In fact, he would have been disappointed if she had not launched a rescue attempt, assuming she knew of the fate of the first attempt. Still, he wanted security to take every precaution possible to ensure that the Mario Brothers were not rescued. There was still the issue of the fact that two of Mario's known allies had not been spotted in the rescue attempt. Lady Bow, the leader of the Boos in, and the mistress of, Boo's Mansion in the Forever Forest, along with the former Shadow Siren, Vivian, had not been a part of the rescue attempt of the rescue attempt of the Mario Brothers. Kevin, however, had not for a second believed that they were not a part of it, though, and had everyone in the castle searching for them, issuing flashlights to the entire security force inside the castle. As it was, though, no one had spotted the two missing allies, and some had even said that they might not have been part of the assault or infiltrating forces.
Next, Kevin went to work on securing all of the items that had been taken off of the persons of the assault force members. He had managed to obtain several Shooting Stars, Thunder Rages, and Egg Missiles, Egg Bombs, and even a couple of Zess Dynamites, cakes that had sticks of dynamite emerging from the cake, from the assault force members. Kevin made certain to keep hold of the Zess Dynamites and Shooting Stars, just in case he could use them if worst came to worst. He also confiscated any and all of the healing items that the allies had had in their possession and had given them to his father and siblings. He then gave the rest of the items to various guards and squad commanders. He had also admonished them to be on the lookout for Princess Peach or any other assault force that the Mushroom Kingdom might muster and send against the Koopa Kingdom. Even a feint might be enough to allow Mario, Luigi, and the others to escape.
As it was, though, nothing had happened as of yet. The Koopa Prince continued to gaze out the window of his bedroom as the sun continued to rise. Could today be the day? Could today be the day that the war between the Koopa Kingdom and the Super Mario Brothers finally came to an end, in victory? The young prince was almost giddy with excitement and he grinned. If all went well, he would not be constantly going over to the Mario War Memorial to gaze at the ever increasingly long list of the dead. Over a million had died in the war against the Mario Brothers. Kevin wanted to make sure that it would all end today. To that end, he vowed to do whatever it took to ensure the final victory of his father over the Super Mario Brothers. He soon looked over at his clock and found that it said 5:30 A.M. He still had six and a half hours to get ready for the rest of the day. And he did so, preparing by eating a good breakfast, doing his normal morning exercises, and equipping himself properly for when he would go down to meet with his father and the rest of his family.
Before leaving, though, he went into his study once more and took out a series of items that had been confiscated from Mario's allies. He set out before him a Zess Dynamite, Life/Super Mushroom, Fire Flower, Tanooki Suit, Raccoon Leaf, Penguin Suit, Thunder Rage, Ice Storm, and Shooting Star. He then took out a special magic wand of his own design that had the ability to absorb superpowers and items. He held the wand over the items and activated it. The clear crystal head of the wand vanished and the wand began to suck the items and power-ups into it. As the wand absorbed the power-ups, they vanished, but the wand began to change color from a gray rod to a golden rod. Once each of the power-ups had been absorbed, the wand head reappeared, only its color fluctuated between a wide variety of colors, from red, to blue, to green, to gold, to white, to silver. Once the wand had absorbed the powers, Kevin smiled. It would be a perfect tool for his father, should the Marios and their allies attempt to escape before their executions.
When the time read about ten o'clock, he knew that it was time. Putting on his usual black robe and getting his wand, his remaining Zess Dynamite, and a couple of Shroom Steaks that had been confiscated from the allies, he went down to the Main Castle Hall to join his father and siblings.
Back at Princess Peach's Castle, Peach stood out on the balcony of her bedroom, looking up at the stars, wishing and praying for the successful rescue of the Mario Brothers. She had yet to hear anything from Goombella or any of the other rescue team members and she was now becoming quite worried. She gave a sigh and returned to her bedroom to prepare for the rest of the day. As she went back into her room, she heard a knock at the door. "Who is it?" she asked.
"It's me, my Princess," the familiar voice of Toadsworth said. He seemed to be speaking in a normal tone, so her hopes that he was coming to report on the success of the rescue of the Marios were dimming quickly.
"Enter," she called back.
The door swung open and the elderly Toad entered her room. She stared at him, her concern for Mario and Luigi evident on her face and she eventually asked, "So, is there any word on the rescue of Mario and Luigi?"
Toadsworth slumped forward in disappointment. "None as of yet, my Princess," he replied. "I would have thought we would have heard something by now."
"Yeah," Peach agreed, nodding. "So would I." The princess then went over to her balcony once more and stared out into the morning sky. Despite it being a sunny day, there was no cheer in the air or the sky at all. That was when she knew. Something had gone wrong. Goombella and the others had failed to rescue Mario, and were likely in need of rescue, themselves. The only evidence against this supposition was the fact that Bowser was not proclaiming on the news that he had captured all of those who had tried to rescue Mario. However, if Bowser was actually listening to Kevin's advice, then chances were that he would not be broadcasting this victory until it was already too late. It was then that Peach decided that it would be better to be prepared for the worst than to hope for the best. She then told Toadsworth, "Toadsworth, get to one of our captured Koopa airships and alert the crew to get ready for departure."
Toadsworth's eyes went wide and he gasped. "What? What are you doing?"
"Saving Mario and the others," Peach responded. "Now get the airship fueled and armed. Mario and Luigi need our help and I'm not going to standby and do nothing. They've saved me too many times. Now it's my turn to help them."
"But one airship against the entire Koopa armada…" the elderly Toad began, but Peach cut him off with a swipe of her hand.
"The airship I'm going to use is a captured Koopa airship," she explained. "With luck, we might be able to get to the castle, especially if much of the airship fleet is there, doing its best to keep the Marios in, rather than anyone else out."
"But that won't work," the Toad countered. "Kevin will likely order a security check of any and all incoming airships and you'll be vastly outnumbered and outgunned. I know it's hard, but the best thing you can do right now is wait. While there has been no report, chances are that if the rescue team were compromised or killed, we would have heard of it by now." Toadsworth gave a sigh before continuing, "I know that sitting here is the hardest thing to do, but if you were to go and get captured, you would become a significant liability for the Marios. The best thing you can do is wait. Once we hear something, one way or the other, then we can take action."
Peach could see the wisdom in Toadsworth's words. In the end, she sat back down and said, "Okay, you win." She grimaced at having to sit and wait idly by as Mario and Luigi were in danger. It was now that she vowed that she would never be this helpless to assist them ever again. She clenched her hands into fists and slammed them down on her bed. She vowed to train and get stronger so that the next time the Marios were in need of help, she would be fighting alongside them in battle.
Kevin arrived in the Main Castle Hall at precisely ten-thirty A.M. As he entered the hall, he found his father sitting on his throne, with the rest of his sibling surrounding Bowser, fawning over him. When Kevin entered, the other Koopalings immediately ceased what they were doing and looked over at the entrance. Upon seeing Kevin enter, Wendy beamed towards him, almost seductively, while Ludwig and Bowser Jr., seemed to scowl. "So, you finally made it," Ludwig and Bowser Jr. both said harshly. Bowser said nothing.
"Forgive my tardiness," Kevin said as he approached his father, kneeling before him more like a loyal subject than the son of the Koopa King. "I was finishing up the final touches on a special magic wand that I hope will give you an edge should the Marios and/or their allies make an escape attempt in the last couple of hours." He pulled out the wand and set it on the ground before his father.
Bowser rose from his throne and stepped forward towards his son. He bent down and picked up the wand, saying to Kevin, "Rise."
Kevin rose and waited as Bowser examined the wand, noting the constantly changing color of its round head. "So, what does this wand do, Kevin?"
"It is designed to absorb and copy any powers and power-up items that it comes into contact with," the Koopa Prince answered. "So far, it has the powers of Mario's Fire Flower, Life/Super Mushroom, a Zess Dynamite, Tanooki Suit, Raccoon Leaf, Penguin Suit, Thunder Rage, Ice Storm, and Shooting Star. These are not one-time use items and powers, either. As long as this wand is intact, you can utilize any and all superpowers that have been absorbed and/or copied by the wand. It was a special project of mine in Magic School, but I recently managed to finish it. It can also absorb enemy powers that are used against you, however, it has to come into contact with the power-up item, or the energy unleashed by said item or power, in order to absorb it, and while in that mode it can work like a vacuum, it can leave you vulnerable if you try to absorb an area of effect power or spell."
"I see," Bowser said, liking what he was hearing. "So why give it to me?"
"I was always making this wand for you, Father," Kevin replied, bowing.
Bowser was not entirely convinced, but he did not want to start a fight with Kevin in front of his other children and the guards that were still inside the room. After an awkward few moments of silence, he asked his son, "How does it work?"
"It works the same way any wand does," Kevin answered. "Wave the wand and will its power to come forth. The images of the powers, items, or other spells, as well as their effects, will flash in your mind. From them, you will be able to choose. Even better is that you can also stack the powers on yourself, something that the Mario Brothers are not able to do with their own normal superpowers. Give it a try?"
Bowser did so and he waved the wand. Immediately, the images of the explosive nature of the Zess Dynamite, the fireballs of the Fire Flower, ice balls of the Penguin Suit, and the names, demonstrations, and effects of the other superpowers that had been absorbed by the wand flooded into his mind and were engrained into his memory. He then willed himself to be a Fire Koopa. After willing the transformation, he suddenly found that his normally green shell and head had turned a fiery red. Kevin and the guards then parted before Bowser as he pointed towards the door to the Main Hall and fired a volley of fireballs. Each of the fireballs sailed through the air from his hand and struck the door, leaving massive burn marks on the metal doors. Bowser also felt as if his fire breath was also powered up, so he tried it out on the door. Indeed, the stream not only maintained its coherency and strength as it sailed across the room towards the door, but upon colliding with the door, it melted a hole completely through the door in one second flat. After he ceased his attack, Bowser stared at the door, his eyes wide with wonder and glee. Kevin also smiled. This wand worked better than Bowser had imagined it would. "This is awesome!" the Koopa King exclaimed.
Kevin could only echo his father's sentiments. "Yes it is, Father."
"Wow, Daddy's strong!" Wendy blurted as she went over to hug her father. The other Koopalings scowled at Kevin, but they did so in such a way that it was obvious that they were doing so because they were kicking themselves for not thinking of making such a magic wand in the first place. Still, they went over and joined their father.
"Man, you're pretty impressive, King Dad," Lemmy said, looking over at the hole that had been melted into the door, whose outline was still cooling. The others echoed Lemmy's sentiments and then fawned over their father once more. Kevin merely smiled as the others were hugging their father and playing around him. Ludwig, however, was standing at arm's reach along with Kevin, but still smiling.
"Man, Dad. No one anywhere will be able to beat you now," he said.
Bowser thanked him, but then cast an uneasy glance over at Kevin. Kevin had heard what Ludwig had said and almost cringed at the statement. The last thing he had wanted was Bowser getting worried about his standing in power compared to that of his oldest son. Bowser continued to stare at Kevin, but did not scowl. Kevin then glanced back at his father, smiling affectionately. Unlike many Koopa princes, who would have smiled merely to keep suspicion of their wishes to rule the kingdom sooner or later after their father or regent had died, oftentimes sooner, and held no love for their parents, Kevin actually did love his father.
The Koopas continued to talk amongst themselves for a while as the time of the executions of the Mario Brothers and their allies fast approached. Kevin stood a ways off, letting the others make small talk with their father. He had never been all that good at making small talk, only tending to speak when he had something important to say. The more he thought about it, the more the comparisons to him and the Mario Brothers were becoming more appropriate. In another time, another place; he could actually see himself as a friend of either or both of the Mario Brothers. Unfortunately, right now they were foes, and he hated them with a passion due to the number of Koopas and other soldiers of his father's army that they had killed in battle. And soon, they, too, would die, and the bloodshed would finally come to an end.
Soon, the time came for the family to leave the Main Hall and go out into the Castle Courtyard and carry out the ceremony of the executions of the Mario Brothers and their allies. Bowser then led the rest of his family, with Kevin standing at his right, followed by the others, according to age: Ludwig, Lemmy, Roy, Iggy, Wendy, Morton, Larry, and Bowser Jr.
The outer courtyard was bustling with activity with only minutes to go before the Mario Brothers and their allies were to be brought out and executed. Lady Bow and Vivian hid in the shadows, waiting for the right time to strike and try to give the Marios and their friends a fighting chance at escape. They knew that it would be difficult, though, with the many guards that were stationed at the courtyard, as well as the airships and fighters that were on patrol around the castle. Just as they had thought of the fighters, the roar of jet engines sounded as four fighters buzzed the castle overhead, prompting Bow, Vivian, and the others present to cover their ears until they had passed. Koopatrols armed with machine guns were stationed at every exit, often in pairs or even fours. Some of them were even Dark Koopatrols. In addition, a number of Magikoopas were also assigned to support the Koopatrols should the Marios attempt an escape. Koopatrols, Gloombas, Hammer Bros., Boomerang Bros., Fire Bros., and Sledge Bros., and Sumo Bros. rounded out the guards that were patrolling the stands. Still, numerous Koopa Troopas, Goombas, and others were still on standby should Mario attempt an escape. In addition, Bow and Vivian had learned that many of the security forces were in place at Kevin's request. Glancing around at the extra security, the two spirits knew that any escape attempt would be difficult at best, to downright impossible at worst.
They immediately stopped scanning the crowd when the massive doors that lead to the interior of the castle clanked and began to slide open. The grinding of gears and the creak of metal and wood on each other created a cacophony of sound as the doors swung open. Once they were open, four Elite Magikoopas dressed in black robes stepped out, along with a Koopatrol that was dressed in golden armor, known as a Gold Koopatrol, the elite of Bowser's elite guard. Two trumpeters followed the Gold Koopatrol herald as he went to take his position in the center of the formation. The Elite Magikoopas then formed a square around the Gold Koopatrol and held out their wands. As soon as the Magikoopas had taken their positions, the Gold Koopatrol took out a scroll and stood regally in the center of the Magikoopa formation. He then proclaimed loudly, "Subjects of the Koopa Kingdom, members of the Koopa Troop, hearken all! I present to you the most valiant and noble King Bowser, King of the Koopa Kingdom and the Koopa Troop!" Bowser then stepped out from the castle to the sound of thunderous cheers and applause. "You go, King Koopa!" could be heard from various audience members. He then took his place to the side of the herald and stood, waiting for the rest of his family to be introduced. It was then that the herald spoke again.
"May I present to you Prince Kevin, eldest son of Bowser Koopa, Crown Prince of the Koopa Kingdom, General of the Koopa Troop, Master Magician of the Magikoopa Force." Kevin then stepped out and gave a curt bow to the herald, and then to his father. The whole castle cheered and applauded as Kevin stepped out into the makeshift arena. He commanded a great deal of respect from the military and the Magikoopa Force, and they were quick to let him know that they had his back. In addition, though, there were a large number of young female Koopas that were instantly smitten with the handsome, by Koopa standards, prince and were blowing kisses to him and squealing in delight as he stepped out onto the platform. Kevin blushed as he heard the girls squeal as he proceeded to take his place, standing right next to his father, glancing at the others, giving respectful nods. The herald then continued, "I present Princes Lemmy, Roy, Iggy, Princess Wendy, Princes Morton, Larry, and finally, Prince Bowser Jr., namesake of King Bowser Koopa!"
Each of the Koopaling came out as they were called and each took their place at their father's side. Bowser could not help but beam with pride as each of his children came out and took their place next to him. The only one he had any concern for was Kevin. Glancing over at his oldest son, he could see that Kevin was nervous. He felt that Kevin was probably thinking about how many things could go wrong with the executions and how the Marios might manage to escape, or worse, kill Bowser and/or members of the Royal Family. Bowser then clutched the wand that Kevin had given him and he gave a soft rumble of satisfaction. He had everything he would need to stave off an escape attempt right there.
After a while, the rest of Bowser's court followed him. Leading the tide of courtiers were Kammy Koopa and Kamek, the leaders of the Magikoopa Force under Kevin. As they walked out, Kevin gave his mentor, Kamek, a salute, which the Magikoopa returned. Following Kammy and Kamek were other members of nobility. These were mainly Hammer Bros., Dark Koopatrols, normal Koopa Troopas, and Koopas that were a bit more like the Royal Family in size and strength. As soon as the court had assembled and taken their seats, Bowser stepped forward and began the proceedings.
Upon stepping forward onto the center of the platform, he proclaimed, "My loyal subjects. Today, the war against the Mushroom Kingdom, or rather, the Super Mario Brothers, has finally come to an end!" The entire assembly then cheered, applauded, and gave loud whistles. Bowser raised his hand, saying quietly, "Thank you, thank you." He even gave a few bows, taking in this moment for as long as he could, for he knew that he would never have this opportunity again, and that this moment would only be surpassed when he finally married Princess Peach. And marrying Peach would be easy, for without the Mario Brothers to defend her, she was practically helpless against him and the rest of the Koopa Troop.
The applause continued for the better part of ten minutes, during which, Bowser merely waited, basking in the glow of his impending final victory, as did the rest of his court and all but one of his children. Kevin was beginning to get nervous. Bowser was foolishly assuming that he already had his final victory well in hand, when the fact was that Mario and Luigi may have still had a chance to escape, or make a fight of it. Kevin soon subtly activated a small, chip-sized radio that he had hidden in his robe and said, "Captain Patroopinator, report."
"Still no sign of the Shadow Siren or Lady Bow," the Dark Koopatrol, said softly in response, his voice echoing faintly over the radio. "If they're here, they are doing their best to remain hidden."
Kevin grunted. "Well, keep an eye out. I don't want any surprises."
"Don't worry, my lord. My best troops are making sure that Mario and Luigi are properly restrained and have eyes on them. They aren't going anywhere."
"Good," Kevin told him. He then cut the line. What he had not told the captain was that his primary concern was not the Marios escaping before being brought out, but escaping during the executions, themselves. And if that happened, Bowser would never be able to live it down.
Once the applause had subsided, Bowser spoke again. "Today, our nemeses, the Super Mario Brothers, are finally going to pay for the crimes they have perpetrated against the forces of the Koopa Kingdom!"
Bowser then motioned for the guards to bring out the Mario Brothers. The two Koopatrols who were standing in front of a series of smaller doors nodded and they pulled back two large wooden doors. As soon as the doors were opened, a quartet of Magikoopas brought out the two humans. Beams fired from the tortoise sorcerers bound the arms and legs of the Mario Brothers as they were being led to a large platform, higher than the one that Bowser and the other Koopalings were currently occupying. The Marios did their best to look somber and defeated, but Kevin could not help but notice that they were merely appraising the situation and actually seemed to like what they saw, each brother turning towards each other and giving a knowing smile. As they were being led out onto the platform, the members of the assembly were assaulting the Mario Brothers with jeers and catcalls, some of them quite vulgar, but the Marios merely sighed and smiled. This caused Kevin to become concerned. He wished that he could have gone over to his father and alerted him to the fact that the Marios were planning something, but he knew better than to interrupt his father while he was giving his speech.
Soon, Bowser continued, "And not only that, but see here, we also have the rest of his conspirators and allies!"
Another smaller door opened and over two dozen Magikoopas and Koopatrols then led out the rest of Mario's allies, minus Lady Bow and Vivian, who were still hiding in the shadows, waiting for the right time to strike and give the Marios a decent chance of escape. One by one, Mario's would be rescuers were led out in chains and magical bonds by Koopatrols and Magikoopas. Bow, Vivian, and the Marios watched the proceedings as the assembly hurled insults and profanations down towards their friends. The captives looked up at the Mario Brothers glumly. They felt as if they had failed Mario and their gazes said it all. "We're sorry," both Goombario and Goombella mouthed towards the Marios, which drew more taunts from the guards as they unveiled magical whips and proceeded to lash the two Goombas. They continued to lash the Goombas, and some of the other allies for good measure, until they had finally reached their positions, where the Magikoopas cast a painful paralyzing spell on them, causing them to collapse onto the ground, and freeze them with unimaginable pain should they move, which the guards forced them to do by kicking them every once in a while. Bowser grinned at the scene, while Kevin grimaced. He was not a big fan of torture, especially when it was done for pleasure and not in the gathering of vital information, as was being done to Goombella and the others. This type of sport sickened the young Koopa Prince. He glared at the guards, his gaze telling them to stop. The guards merely laughed and mouthed back, "Sorry, but we follow your dad, Prince."
Kevin merely scowled once again.
Bowser soon motioned for the crowd to quiet down once again. Once they had quieted down, Bowser began to speak once more, projecting his voice over the crowd, saying, "The Super Mario Brothers Mario Mario and Luigi Mario; and their cohorts, Goombario, Kooper, Bombette, Parakarry, Sushie, Watt, Lakilester, Goombella, Koops, Flurrie, Yoshi Kid, Admiral Bobbery, and Ms. Mowz have been found guilty of innumerable counts of murder, sedition, theft, and…a whole host of other crimes that haven't come to the top of my head at the moment. The punishment is death by whatever means I and/or the guards see fit. The more painful the death is, the better. The executions are to be carried out immediately." Bowser then stepped up onto a large platform a couple of steps higher than the platform that he had been addressing the audience from and commanded the Magikoopas and others restraining the Marios, "Bring me the Super Mario Brothers!"
"Yes, sire," the Magikoopas and guards proclaimed in reply, complying with the order. A look of worry began to cross Kevin's face, for he had a gad feeling that the Marios were planning something, and the dark smiles given off by Mario indicated that Bowser was stepping headfirst into a trap.
Before Bowser said another word, Kevin whistled to him and told him, as quietly as possible so that the microphones would not pick up on it, "Father, don't give the Marios any final requests or anything. Just kill them now." It was normally a tradition for the Koopa King to give a condemned prisoner one final request, as long as it was not a stay of execution, but such requests were not always honored, despite the fact that Kevin had informed Mario about the possibility of having such a request granted yesterday during his visit with the plumbers. In fact, in Bowser's case, he almost never honored such requests. He merely looked back at Kevin and waved off his comments, not paying any real heed to Kevin's warning.
The Koopa King went up to Mario and Luigi and stood over them, grinning. "You know, it's customary for me to give you one last request," he said mockingly. "Usually, you would each get one final request, but since you're brothers, I've decided that the two of you only get one final request. My son over there," he pointed to Kevin, "even said that I shouldn't even give you that much, but since I'm such a nice guy," he rolled his eyes, prompting a chuckle from the audience and all of his children, save for Kevin, "I'll grant you one final request. Tell me, what do you want?"
Mario tried to move forward, but his bonds prevented him from moving. Bowser scowled and looked over at the guard. He told the guard, "Remove his leg binds."
"Yes, sir," the Magikoopa guard answered unwaveringly and, with a wave of his wand, Mario's leg binds vanished, allowing the plumber to step forward.
Mario stepped forward and faced Bowser as Bowser asked once more, "Well? What is your final request?"
"I request that you free Goombario and the others that you have captured, while allowing me and Luigi to remain behind for execution," Mario answered. He cast a melancholy glance at Luigi, who simply gave him a sad smile.
Bowser broke out in almost maniacal laughter, prompting the rest of the assembly and the Koopalings, save for Kevin, to laugh with him. Kevin could only look on in dread as he knew exactly what would come next. "Don't entertain him," Bowser's eldest son warned. "Just kill him and get it over with!"
But Bowser did not listen. He continued to laugh for several minutes before calming down. Once the laughter had died down, he cried amusingly in retort, "No!" This only prompted more laughter from the audience. What Bowser was not noticing, though was that both Mario and Luigi were smiling now, and even laughing softly to themselves. They had him.
Mario then went over to Bowser and proclaimed in a loud voice that the microphones were easily able to pick up, "Then since you refuse my request for the freedom of my friends, I challenge you to a one-on-one fight, winner take all!"
Kevin's heart sank at the sound of Mario's challenge to his father. This was what he had been afraid of the whole time. He knew that Mario would first ask for the safety of his friends and comrades. It was his way. He also knew that his father would refuse the request, opening the way for Mario to challenge him directly. And proclaiming a challenge like this would allow for far more, for there was no way that Bowser could refuse a direct challenge from Mario, especially with his record against Mario, and the one who had actually managed to defeat the Mario Brothers in battle standing by his side for so long. Eventually, Bowser responded by asking, "Interesting. So, what exactly do you mean by 'winner take all'?"
The Koopa Prince knew exactly what was going to come next. Mario then responded, "What I mean is that if you win, you get to kill me, I'll already be dead anyway, so it won't matter, Luigi, everyone else that has helped me that you have captured. In addition, I'll let you send the word recorded right here and now that Yoshi is to not fight for the Mushroom Kingdom on my behalf, or seek vengeance for my own death." The plumber's gaze then focused met directly with Bowser's. "However, if I win, me, Luigi, and all of my allies get to go free and return to the Mushroom Kingdom unmolested in any way, by anyone. Oh, and no interference is allowed on either side of the fight. That means I can't rely on any partners, or any superpowers or items at all in my fight against you. However, you can't call upon any of your allies either, especially your oldest son, Kevin. If you do so, you automatically forfeit the fight and I will win!" He then focused his gaze down at the Koopa Prince, who looked ready to faint.
"Don't do it!" Kevin called up to his father.
"Shut up!" Bowser roared at his son. Kevin then recoiled as if he was hit with a wrecking ball. Still, he could not move as his father then turned to face Mario. "I accept," Bowser proclaimed proudly. Soon, the battle to decide the fate of not only Mario and Luigi, but that of all of their friends, and likely the Mushroom Kingdom, was about to begin.