"Ah, I must go and inform my senseis about this at once!" Blue said dutifully to herself, as she stared at her prisoners in triumphant glee. "They'll be so happy and grateful that I not only defeated, but CAPTURED the awful, mustachioed villain that they were looking for, they might finally make me a full fledged Koopa Brother! Ooh, I can feel it in my shell! But first things first..." Marching over to the cage where Luigi and Yassie were, Blue balled up her fist in anger and glared threateningly at the duo. "Tell me what you've done to the village elder, you criminal scum! Don't make me discipline you even further!"
Yassie scoffed in contempt. "Ugh, we already told you, we didn't do anything to him, he's safe and sound in his office back at Nimbihurst. Go check yourself, if you don't believe us!"
"Ha! And leave you three unguarded?" Blue retorted. "Just how stupid do you think I am?" Yassie opened her mouth as if to respond to Blue's query, but was quickly cut off by the Koopa. "Irregardless, I'm not falling for your pathetic tricks, villain, you'd have to do a lot better than that to pull one over on a Koopa Brother! Now, assuming you're telling the truth, which I am 103% certain you are NOT, I will go and check the elder's office... Once my senseis have arrived to deal with you properly, that is!"
Turning away from the group with a sneer, Blue walked over to the ancient monitor that Sliver had appeared on earlier and began poking and prodding its buttons until another blurry, low-quality image showed up on it.
"Oh, for the love of..." came the muffled, irritated voice of Red from within the monitor. "What did you mess up this time, Blue? And pray tell, how did you mess something up just milling about in the hideout?"
"Ah, sensei, do not fret, for I come bearing excellent news!" Blue stated, bowing in respect to the monitor regardless of the fact that Red clearly couldn't care less. "In a testament to just how absolutely foolish they are, the great mustachioed menace and his sinister saurian accomplice, whom Master Sliver was so rightfully worried about, mere moments ago tried breaking into our dojo! BUT, they clearly weren't expecting to run into me, sir, for they were no match at all for my elite ninja skills!"
"Wait, what?!" Red exclaimed, turning his full attention to the monitor. "Hold the phone! Are you trying to tell me that YOU somehow managed to beat HIM single-handedly?!"
"Indeed, sensei." Blue said simply, bowing again. "Of course, I'm sure you guys would have done so in an even easier fashion had he and his conspirators made their way into the volcano, but thankfully, they were so disgustingly helpless that even I was able to dispatch them with ease."
"Helpless? With ease?" Red repeated, the skepticism in his voice heavier than his master's figure. "I don't think we're talking about the same dude here. Let me get a real good look at this guy!"
"Certainly, sensei!" Blue said eagerly, before picking up the monitor and carrying it over to the cage where Luigi was. The monitor's reception seemed to get even worse as she did so, however, as Red's voice and image became nearly nothing but static until Blue had placed the device back upon the table. "Well, sensei? He is the fiend Master Sliver was speaking of, is he not?"
"I... Think so?" came the conflicted reply of Red. "I mean... I couldn't really make out much detail thanks to all the interference this stupid volcano causes, but those overalls, that hat, and that mustache, I don't know who else would dress like that on purpose EXCEPT him! But then, that means... How in the world did YOU manage to beat him?!"
"I'm... Not sure what you mean, sir." Blue said with a small shrug. "He and his partner hardly even put up a fight at all. I think they may have still been weakened from our earlier encounter."
Red stayed silent for a moment, pacing back and forth before finally bursting out in maniacal laughter. "Ehehehe... Hehehehehehehehehehehehehehe! Oh, this is awesome. This is BEYOND awesome! Sliver's gonna freak when he hears this! And just think, it's all because of MY genius idea to make that gullible idiot part of the crew. Silver's gonna LOVE us for this! The Koopa Brothers are BACK, baby, aw yeah! Hehehehehehehe!"
"...Sir?" Blue spoke worriedly as Red's laughter continued on for well over a minute, oblivious to what he had just been mumbling to himself.
Red finally stopped as he heard Blue's voice, and realizing he was still on the monitor, cleared his throat loudly. "Uh, yes, well... I can't believe I'm saying this, but good job, Blue! I suppose in light of this development, I'll put in a good word for you with Master Sliver to let the punishment for your last botch slide... So uh, just, stay there, and DON'T take your eyes off of him, alright? He's crafty, oh is he ever crafty... Me and Sliver and the boys'll be there ASAP, so just, DO NOT MOVE until then, got it?"
"Roger that, master, you can count on me!" Blue stated with a salute.
"Great, now let's see how well you actually listen this time..." Red muttered low enough that Blue couldn't hear. "But anyways, yeah, be there in a few, and you BETTER both still be there when we arrive!"
Red faded out before Blue could respond, and as he ordered, she quickly turned her gaze back to Luigi and Yassie, where it stayed firmly glued.
"Ugh... Luigi, what are we gonna do?" Yassie whispered quietly after a few moments of silence, her voice carrying a tone of urgency. "We can't just sit here, who knows what the Koopa Brothers plans on doing with us... We have to think of something!"
"I... I know..." Luigi whispered back, glancing at Blue to make sure she didn't notice them talking. "But... I don't know what we could possibly hope to do in this situation... I'm sure if Mario were here, he'd be able to figure something out, but... I'm no Mario... I'm no hero at all..."
"Luigi, now's not the time to..." Yassie began, ready to scold him for his pessimism yet again, when suddenly an idea popped into her head. "...Wait, Luigi, that's it!"
"H-Huh...?" he murmured back in confusion. "What's it?"
"Just... Follow my lead!" Yassie whispered back, before loudly coughing to get Blue's attention. Giving the Koopa a dirty look, she let out a small, sinister sounding chuckle. "Ha, okay, I guess there's no point in hiding it anymore. You're right, we can't hope to fool someone as smart as you!"
"What are you on about now, you loud-mouthed larcenist?" Blue said suspiciously, narrowing her eyes and folding her arms at Yassie, who merely continued to grin evilly back at her.
"You're right... We really are evil, dastardly villains!" she sneered, laughing hammily and drawing bizarre looks from the rest of the prisoners. "Isn't that right... Uh, Reggie?"
"...O-Oh, yeah, that, uh, that's right!" Luigi stuttered once he realized Yassie was talking to him. "W-We're the absolute worst! We're so bad, we even make guys like Bowser wet his bed in fear!"
"Aha! I KNEW it!" Blue shouted, gasping overly dramatically in response. "But... Why are you guys admitting this now? If this is some sort of trick to try to get me to leave you alone-"
"Oh, I assure you, it's no trick." Yassie said, chuckling darkly. "At least, as far as you know."
"Grr, out with it, you fiends!" Blue said, rushing up to the cage and glaring menacingly at the duo. "If you have something to say, then do it! I'm not the kind of person you want to toy with!"
"Ha, okay, okay..." Yassie said with a smirk, clearly enjoying this more than she should. "Well, I wasn't lying earlier when I said your grandfather was in his office back in Nimbihurst... I was lying about the part where he was safe and sound, however."
Letting out another hyperventilating gasp, Blue reached into the cage and grabbed Luigi and Yassie by their collar and scarf respectively. "WHAT HAVE YOU DONE WITH MY GRANDPA, YOU CREEPS?!"
"Oh, nothing... Yet." Yassie said, her grin spreading wider and wider with each word. "You see, we had a feeling this might happen, so we took out a little... Insurance plan, so to speak. Sure, you COULD stay here and keep an eye on us until your leaders get here, but then, I hope you have some earplugs, because this volcano erupting won't have ANYTHING on the sound Nimbihurst is gonna make once it goes sky high, along with your precious grandfather."
"N-NO! E-E-EVILTONS!" Blue cried, releasing her grip on the two as she backed away and glanced in a panic towards the doorway, the other prisoners having much of the same reaction.
"Yeah, unfortunately for you, the bomb we put in the Town Hall is set to go off very soon, certainly sooner than it's going to take for your bosses to get here and deal with us." Yassie claimed. "It's probably too late for you to save your grandpa and that pathetic little town of yours now... But you're welcome to try."
Blue looked frantically back and forth between the doorway and the cell. "N-No... If I leave, you guys will surely escape, and the others will all get mad at me again, and I'll NEVER become a real Koopa Brother... B-B-But if I don't, then grandpa and Chompers... H-How do I know you're not lying?!"
"Oh, you don't." Yassie said deviously. "But can you really afford to assume I am? Is the acceptance of those stupid Koopa Brothers really more important to you than your grandfather's well being?"
"I... I..." Blue whimpered, before finally crying out and rushing towards the door, glaring back at Luigi and Yassie before shakily opening it. "C-Curse you, you... You awful, horrible JERKS! You... You haven't seen the last of me! Mark my words!"
Slamming the door shut behind her, Blue began to book it back to Nimbihurst faster than she ever had before, not noticing that something had fallen out of her glove in the process. Back in the shack, meanwhile, Luigi and Yassie were breathing a momentary sigh of reprieve.
"Oh man, it's a good thing she's so gullible..." Yassie said, shaking her head.
"Yeah, that was... Quite a performance, Yassie..." Luigi stated in slight bemusement. "Something tells me you have experience doing this kind of thing..."
"Well, when you live in a place like New Appelle, you sorta learn to adapt to people, and act accordingly." Yassie replied, shrugging. "In this case, she was acting like a complete loon, so obviously the best way to react was to be an even bigger loon."
"W-What's WRONG with you freaks?!" cried one of the other prisoners in the cell, unable to keep quiet any longer as Luigi and Yassie talked so casually to one another. "H-How can you act like that when Nimbihurst and our poor mayor are about to be blown to kingdom come at your hands?!"
"Oh, relax, that was all an act." Yassie said, rolling her eyes at the dirty, malnourished looking Toad. "We're not REALLY evil, that girl is just completely nuts and THINKS we are, thanks to those idiot Koopa Brothers and Axem Rangers and whoever else. There's no bomb or anything in Nimbihurst, but... Well, let's just say if we don't get out of here and stop those freaks soon, the volcano's gonna do all that and more to this entire area."
"W-W-What?!" blubbered another prisoner, a frail, female, wilted looking Bub-Ulb. "W-What are you talking about?! The Axem Rangers are already in there risking life and limb to keep that from happening! And how dare you lump them in with those insidious Koopa Brothers! They're heroes with nothing but our best interests in heart, unlike those... Those... Koopa Brothers! It's all their faults we're stuck here in the first place! Just because we accidentally wandered over to 'their' side of the volcano, the think they have the right to lock us up like this?!"
"Oh please." Yassie said dryly. "Open your eyes, there's no difference between them, neither of them are heroes and they certainly don't have any of your best interests in heart. If you would've just listened to your 'poor mayor', you would've realized that long ago, but instead you're stuck in a jail cell in this hundred degree oven of a shack."
"Stop it!" cried a third prisoner, another skinny, dirty Toad. "What gives you the right to say such blasphemous lies about the great Axem Rangers?!"
"Yeesh, the mayor was right, these guys HAVE been brainwashed..." Luigi muttered to Yassie out of earshot from the other prisoners.
"No kidding..." Yassie muttered back. "No wonder that poor girl is so delusional... These are the people she sees on a daily basis?"
"What are you two mumbling about over there?" asked the first Toad suspiciously.
"None of your business." said Yassie. "Anyways, we'd love to try and convince you that the Axems are evil, but we don't really have the time for that. We have to try to figure out a way out of here before the Koopa Brothers show up, so unless any of you know of a means of escaping, kindly shut up."
"Why don't you just use your dumb little ghost dog?" said the second Toad in annoyance. "Can't he just go through the bars and get the key to unlock this cage?"
Spooky growled at the Toad, taking exception to being called dumb, before Luigi shook his head at him and told him to stop.
"Well, sure, he can get through the bars, but he can't exactly get the key, since Blue took it with her when she left." Luigi explained, sighing at the fact that they had forgotten about that fact until just now, which was mirrored by Yassie's groan at the same thought.
"Well, that's just great, then." muttered the Bub-Ulb. "We're probably going to get punished along with you guys, just because the Koopa Brothers are like that! Oh, if only the Axems knew we were here, they'd rush in here and rescue us in an instant..."
"Aw, shut your yap about those dumb Axems already, will ya?"
All eyes in the cell turned towards the previously silent final prisoner, a gruff, older looking Parakoopa with an expression that signaled his head had fallen out of the clouds far earlier than any of the other prisoners had.
"Get a grip, all of you. These two are right, we should've listened to the mayor. Just look at where following those Axems has gotten us! And look at where it's gotten everyone else, and everyone following the Koopa Brothers! They're all in an even worse place than us, they're still in Mount Manjaw! And for what? Do any of you even know WHY they brought us all into that accursed furnace for in the first place?"
"Yeah, so we could help them find the sacred treasure before the Koopa Brothers or that Scarlet Neckbeard guy or whatever his name was do!" replied the Bub-Ulb emphatically.
"Bah, there IS no sacred treasure, you nincompoops!" the Parakoopa spat. "And there is no Scarlet Neckbeard, either! Whatever it is they're doing, it sure isn't for any of our benefits, that's for sure! They needed a bunch of gullible shmucks to use for manual labor to find some imaginary treasure, and we all fell for their little show, hook, line, and sinker!"
"H-How can you say that?!" whimpered the Bub-Ulb, as she and the Toads looked at the Parakoopa with contempt.
"Because, I'm hungry, tired, hot, and just plain miserable, and so far, those are the ONLY things the Koopa Brothers or Axem Rangers have brought any of us." the Parakoopa replied bitterly. "Now, I don't know and I don't care what you guys think, but I'm of a mind to help these two, since they sound like they know what's going on FAR better than any of us do. You all can either help as well, or you can just sit over there and wait for your precious Axems to come and save you. But whatever you do, just zip it, because I don't wanna hear another word of praise for the Axems or the Koopa Brothers for as long as I live!"
The other prisoners all sat in a stunned silence as the Parakoopa turned to Luigi and Yassie. "I'm not rightly sure of how much help I can be, but I'm willing to do whatever it takes if it means it'll get us out of here and back to Nimbihurst in one piece."
"Um, th-thank you, sir..." Yassie stuttered, slightly taken off guard by the Parakoopa's sudden outburst. "Uh, do you have anything in mind, Luigi...?"
"...I'm thinking..." Luigi responded absently, as he was indeed lost in thought trying to figure out some sort of escape plan. Before they got out of the cage, he and Yassie would have to get untied from each other, and so would the other prisoners. They both had been struggling to no avail to loosen their bindings on their own, but they were just too sapped of strength still to be able to make much headway. Glancing around the room for anything that could possibly cut them loose, his eyes suddenly fell on Spooky, who cocked his head and looked back at him in that curious way that dogs do. "...Say, Spooky, I know you're a ghost and all, but you still have teeth, right?"
On cue, Spooky made a terrifying, completely undoglike grin, showing off his large, gleaming choppers.
"G-Gah, d-d-don't do that anymore, Spooky..." Luigi said, shivering as Spooky's face relaxed back into its natural state. "B-But anyways, quick, come here and see if you can't chew this wire enough for us to get out of it!"
Spooky obediently trotted up to the tied up duo and began to valiantly try to rip and tear the wire apart with his teeth. Unfortunately, the wire proved too strong, and all he really managed to accomplish was accidentally getting coating Luigi in another layer of slobber in the process. Whimpering, he layed down at Luigi's feet in apology.
"Urgh... It's okay Spooky, you... You tried..." Luigi said dejectedly, trying to shift around enough so that the drool soaked portions of his clothes weren't pressing as much against him. "...Wait a minute..." In the process, however, he realized that while Spooky hadn't managed to loosen the wire much, his ectoslobber had made it slick enough that Luigi was able to squirm around within it much more than he had been able to before, and with great effort, he finally managed to get one of his arms loose from the wire, giving it enough slack for himself and Yassie to get out of it entirely. Once he was free, he beamed brightly at Spooky. "Scratch that, you did it, Spooky! Good doggie!"
Spooky instantly bounded back up to Luigi in response, Yapping happily and wagging his tail a mile a minute.
"I never thought I'd actually be glad to be covered in your drool..." Luigi muttered wearily, as he and Yassie got to their feet. Realizing that all three of them were still in terrible shape, he quickly procured a slightly smushed Mushroom out of his pocket and split it three ways between them, giving them all a much needed energy boost.
"S-Say, is there any chance you've got any more of those with you?" came the quiet voice of one of the Toads, who spoke with regret. "We haven't had anything to eat since they put us in here, and that was days ago..."
Glancing at Yassie, who nodded back in confirmation, Luigi stifled an involuntary sigh and pulled out two of his last three (edible) Mushrooms. He really hoped they would be able to find some more along the way in the volcano... Regardless, he knew the Nimbihursters needed them far more, and once he and Yassie had untied them, they quickly devoured the Mushrooms, thanking Luigi and Yassie profusely for them immediately afterwards.
"Alright, maybe... Maybe you're right..." the Bub-Ulb said once her stomach had been slightly satiated. "...I don't want to believe it, though. Why would the Axems and Koopa Brothers deceive us just to use us for manual labor?"
"Because they're evil, duh." Yassie stated simply. "There may not be an ancient treasure, but whatever it is that they ARE looking for, it's our job to stop them from getting it."
"Yeah, but first, we still have to get out of here." Luigi added, reminding everyone there was still a cage surrounding them.
"Perhaps I can help." said the Parakoopa, walking up to the group.
"How so?" asked Yassie.
"Well, I know it seemed like Kobaltia took the key with her, but why don't you have your dog look over by the door there?" the Parakoopa exclaimed, pointing towards the shack's only entrance, which was almost entirely obscured by random junk that had been piled up on the other side of the cell's bars.
"Uh, okay, Spooky, go over to the door and see if you can find anything that could get us out of here!" Luigi exclaimed, to which Spooky happily obliged, rushing through the bars over to where the Parakoopa had indicated, coming back almost immediately afterwards with a small, rusted key in his mouth, which he promptly dropped at Luigi's feet.
"The key!" cried everyone but the Parakoopa in unison.
"But, how did you...?" Luigi began in bewilderment as he reached down to pick up the (predictably slobber covered) key, to which the Parakoopa chuckled.
"I heard something drop when she left. Plus, she's always been a bit of a butterfingers, particularly when she's nervous." the Parakoopa explained. "I should know, she used to come over to my house all the time to play with my daughter when they were younger, and she was always dropping my wife's vases and other assorted fragile objects during their little games of superheroes and whatnot. Such a shame they've been able to manipulate her so badly, I'm sure Kolby must be beside himself with worry over her..."
"He is, sir." Yassie said, nodding sadly. "But it's not just her he's worried about, he's sick with worry about all of you, he feels as if he's failed in his duty as mayor by allowing you all to put yourselves into danger in the volcano."
"Oh, no..." said one of the Toads, the look of guilt on his face mirrored by his fellow prisoners. "We... We didn't mean to worry him... Honest!"
"Oh... We really have been going about this wrong, haven't we...?" whimpered the Bub-Ulb ashamedly. "I'm sorry, I... I didn't mean to worry the mayor... I just... Don't know what came over me, it's always so boring in Nimbihurst, and when the Axems and Koopa Brothers came, it was so... Exciting, for once!"
The Toads and Parakoopa all shook their heads in agreement with the Bub-Ulb's assessment.
"We're not the ones you need to apologize to." Luigi stated, shaking his head as they all piled out of the cramped cage into the shack proper. "If you guys want to help, just head back to Nimbihurst and let the mayor know you're safe. Mr. Parakoopa Whom I Somehow Haven't Gotten The Name Of Yet, you seem capable enough, do you think you can get these guys back to Nimbihurst in one piece? We would escort you all ourselves, but we kind of have to stop those guys and get the rest of the townsfolk to safety."
"Certainly." the Parakoopa replied, nodding confidently. "And I'll make sure the mayor knows how foolish we realize we were too. Thanks again for the food, and for helping us get out of here. Good luck sticking it to those so-called 'heroes', and be careful, this side of the volcano's crawling with these goggle wearing goons with X's all over 'em. I think they're affiliated with that wrinkly Ratooey, I saw him giving orders to 'em right around the time we got captured and stuck in here."
"How lovely." Yassie said sarcastically. "What about the Axems, do they have anyone under them, or are they using you guys exclusively?"
"No one that we could see." replied the Parakoopa. "Their side of the volcano's filled with all the creatures that were already in there when we showed up, though, since the Koopa Brothers and their goon squad went and drove 'em all over there, so I'm sure they're all good and agitated by now, what with us all disturbing their home and the like."
Luigi let out a weary sigh. "Great. Creepy, X marked weirdos, and angry, fiery wildlife. So much for easing into things... But uh, anyways, thanks for the info, but you guys should probably get going before the Koopa Brothers show up, I doubt they're gonna be in a very forgiving mood if they find you guys out and about."
"Ah, gotcha." the Parakoopa said, nodding. Leading the other prisoners out the door, he turned back and gave Luigi and Yassie a small salute before closing the door behind him, the prisoners all thanking them once more on their way out.
"We should get going too, Luigi." Yassie stated once the prisoners had left. "I don't really fancy fighting them right now, at least not until we know exactly what it is we're up against."
"Right." Luigi agreed, nodding as he led Yassie and Spooky over to the door. Peeking his head outside to make sure no one was coming, he quickly made his way out, motioning for the others to follow him. As they left the shack and rounded the corner on the mountainside to where the entrance was, however, their timing couldn't have been worse, for at that very moment, out from the entrance poured what looked to be an entire army of the strange, X marked goons that the Parakoopa had mentioned, being led by none other than the ugliest Ratooey that Luigi had ever seen in his life and the Koopa Brothers themselves. Panicking, Luigi dashed back behind the turn, then scooped up Spooky and dragged him and Yassie back towards the shack, hoping and praying none of them had noticed them.
"Alright, you bums! Look alive!" barked a voice that was unfamiliar to Luigi, which he guessed had to have come from the fat Ratooey. "I don't need to remind any of you of how dangerous this guy is, do I? Just because he's locked up, that does NOT mean you should let your guard down around him! I'm not about to take any chances this time, you guys are ALL going to keep an eye on him until we find what we're here for, got it?!"
A smattering of disorganized shouts of confirmation sounded from the army in response, and the noise of their footsteps marching closer and closer prompted Luigi to lead his group to the only place they could get to that wasn't out in the open; back into the shack.
DON'T WORRY GRANDPA, I'LL SAVE YOU!"
"B-Bwah, what in the-?!"
Mayor Kolby was startled awake from his evening nap by the shrill, panic-stricken voice of his granddaughter, who had burst through his office door and was no sooner tossing everything in the room about in some sort of frantic search for something.
"K-Kobaltia!" he cried out in shock at the sight of his beloved granddaughter, a sight he had been deprived of for far too long. The sight of what it was she was doing, however, made him less than pleased. "What in tarnation are you doin', girl?! Stop throwin' everything around like some sort of deranged tornado, you're scarin' poor Chompers!"
"But grandpa, I have to find the bomb those awful villains planted in here before it goes off and blows you guys and all of Nimbihurst to the Overthere!" Kobaltia said in urgency, as she continued to tear her grandfather's office apart with a purpose.
"B-Bomb?!" Kolby squawked in shock, as Chompers buried himself even further under his desk at the word. "What bomb?! What villains?!"
"The bomb that that vile, green-clothed mustache-twirler and his smart-aleck Yoshi underling planted here!" Kobaltia replied, looking at her grandfather with great concern. "They're the most dastardly villains I've ever layed my eyes upon, them and their awful little phantom pooch! They're making me risk everything by coming here to save you guys!"
"Mustache-twirler? Yoshi? ...Pooch...?" The gears began to turn slowly in Kolby's mind as his granddaughter's description of the so-called 'villains' formed a familiar picture for him. "...Wait just a minute, Kobaltia! You'd better not be talking about who I THINK you are!"
"W-What?" Kobaltia stuttered, stopping momentarily in her frantic search due to the tone of strictness in her grandfather's voice. "G-Grandfather, don't tell me you know of these villains as well?"
"If you're talking about that Luigi feller and his pal Yassie, then you bet your sweet bippy I do!" Kolby exclaimed, causing Kobaltia to elicit one of her trademark over-dramatic gasps.
"Grandfather, PLEASE don't tell me you bought into any of their honeyed lies!" Kobaltia cried, rushing up to her grandfather.
"Bah, they're the only people around here who HAVEN'T been lying lately!" Kolby stated, folding his arms and giving Kobaltia a stern look. "Don't you go and tell me you mistook them for villains, young lady! Why, there's nothing villainous about them or their sweet little dog in the least! The fact that you would even THINK to CONSIDER them villains is appalling, Kobaltia, and you should be ashamed for letting such a blasphemous thought enter your mind!"
"B-But grandfather!" Kobaltia pleaded. "You don't know them like I do! You haven't heard some of the things I've heard them say! Things like, for instance, THAT THEY'VE PLANTED A BOMB HERE IN YOUR OFFICE!"
"Oh, stop it, Kobaltia!" Kolby said, shaking his head in severe disapproval. "I've had it up to here with your tall tales, young lady! I'll have you know that those two are risking life and limb going into that awful volcano to rescue the rest of the poor townsfolk from the clutches of those awful 'heroes' of yours! Don't you tell me you've been causing them any trouble, because if you have been, then I FORBID you from causing them any more!"
"N-No, that's not fair!" Kobaltia pouted, dropping the pretense from her voice. "Really grandpa, those guys are up to no good, I swear they are!"
"No, Kobaltia, the only ones up to no good are those dirty rotten 'heroes' that have been feeding you and the rest of the townsfolk all those lies!" Kolby said firmly. "Please, Kobaltia, listen to me when I tell you that those guys are NOT heroes! Whatever they're up to, it's nothing good, and whatever it is they're doing in Mount Manjaw is going to doom us all if they're not stopped!"
"N-No..." Kobaltia whimpered, tears beginning to form in the corners of her eyes. "H-How can you say such things, grandpa?! You... You don't know anything at all about the Koopa Brothers! They ARE heroes, really and truly! They have to find the volcano's sacred treasure before the Crimson 'Stache and those cheating Axem Rangers do! It's for the good of Nimbihurst, and the good of the world! Why can't you understand that?!"
"Kobaltia, open your eyes!" Kolby said, hopping angrily to his feet and slamming his cane down with authority. "There IS NO SACRED TREASURE! That whole business is nothing but a bunch of hoopla! The fact that those fakers think that it's real should be proof enough that they're lying! Wherever they got their info from, it's wrong! Please, Kobaltia, stay here and wait for Luigi to bring everyone back, then you'll be able to see the truth with your own eyes!"
"...No..." Kobaltia said quietly, her voice raising in volume dramatically as her head went back and forth rapidly. "No! You're wrong, grandpa! You're wrong about everything! You've always been wrong about everything! I'm not gonna let you tell me what's right and what's wrong anymore! I'll... I'll prove it to you that the Koopa Brothers are real heroes, and that that Loogie jerk is the ACTUAL villain!" Pushing herself away from her grandfather, Kobaltia bolted out the door from his office and then out of the Town Hall entirely, not bothering to close the doors behind her as her tears streamed from her face into the wind.
"K-Kobaltia, WAIT!" Kolby cried, as he scrambled away from his desk after her. He had no hope of catching up to her, however, and stopped once he got to the building's entrance, panting and wheezing as he watched Kobaltia run back off in the direction of Mount Manjaw. Chompers stopped beside him and whimpered loudly.
"Oh, Kobaltia..." Kolby said to himself quietly as he hung his head. "I'm so sorry... I just want you to be safe..."
"...M-Mayor!"
Kolby's eyes shot back upwards at the sudden sound of another voice, and he was shocked as he watched a small group of townsfolk make their way up to the entrance to Town Hall, led by an old Parakarry friend of his. The expression on the Parakarry's face was as shocked as Kolby's however.
"W-What in the world?!" Kolby exclaimed, at a near loss for words at the sight of the townsfolk. "W-What are you guys doing here, ain't you all supposed to be off in the volcano doin' those fake heroes' dirty work?!"
"We're sorry, Kolby..." the Parakarry said, bowing his head in deep regret. "We know we were wrong now, Luigi helped us realize that."
"L-Luigi?!" Kolby cried, his face taking on a look of hope for the first time in forever. "S-So you mean to tell me he and his group have actually made progress into the volcano?! Is there anyone else coming?!"
"Ah, n-no, sorry, mayor..." stated one of the two Toads that were in the small group. "We were all trapped in the old souvenir shack outside the volcano, the Koopa Brothers had us 'arrested' and thrown in there a while ago..."
"But they freed us from the prison they had constructed within it, and they even shared some of the last of their food with us!" said the Bub-Ulb tearily.
"Yeah, if it wasn't for them, we probably would've starved to death in there... All the while believing the Axems were coming to save us..." the other Toad added, letting out a small shiver at the thought.
"S-So you mean you guys don't...?" Kolby began, his eyes lighting up.
"No, we don't believe their lies anymore." the Parakoopa said, nodding firmly in confirmation.
"Yahoo!" Kolby exclaimed, jumping up in celebration, momentarily forgetting completely about all the pain in his battered old body. "I knew they could do it! And if they can convince you guys, they should be able to convince everyone else, too!"
"Yeah, I hope so..." the Parakoopa said, though he appeared to have other things on his mind. "Uh, Kolby, not to pry, but is everything right with Kobaltia? She just booked it past us back to Mount Manjaw, and she didn't look too happy..."
"Oh..." Kolby mumbled, all of the sudden happiness escaping from his body. "...She's still too stubborn to see what's right in front of her, I'm afraid... All I can hope now is that Luigi and Yassie can get through to her like they did with you guys before she goes and does something she regrets..."
"Buh huh huh huh huh, alright, tubby, looks like it's finally game over for you!" shouted the Ratooey, as he and the Koopa Brothers barged in through the shack's door not even ten seconds after Luigi and Yassie had. As he stood in place, unable to keep himself from giddily chortling in his strange, buhing and huhing manner, he didn't notice that anything was amiss, at least, not until he realized no one was saying anything. "Buh huh huh... Huh? Oh come on, don't tell me you've got nothing to..." The Ratooey's giddiness soon came to an abrupt halt the moment he opened his eyes and noticed the distinct lack of mustachioed plumbers and blue Ninja Koopas there were in the room. Looking around the shack, the only other people he could see were the Koopa Brothers, who all stood with looks of anger and disbelief on their faces. Why, even the Axem sympathizers that had been in the shack's prison cell were nowhere to be seen, the cell's door swung wide open! As he turned to the Koopa Brothers, the look of unbridled rage that he shot them was enough to make them all retreat into their shells in fear of his upcoming tantrum.
"WHAT... IS... THIS?!" he bellowed at the Koopas, stomping in place angrily and looking so red that he appeared to be ready to erupt at any moment. "I THOUGHT YOU TOLD THAT IDIOTIC CO-HORT OF YOURS TO STAY HERE AND KEEP AN EYE ON HIM UNTIL WE GOT HERE! WELL, WHERE IS SHE?! AND WHERE'S THE PLUMBER?! WHERE IS EVERYONE?!"
"Ah! W-We d-d-d-don't know, M-Master Sliver!" cried Red, who seemed to be at just as much for a loss of words as Sliver was. "Sh-Sh-She gave me her word that she wouldn't take her eyes off of him until we arrived! Sh-She had him locked in the cage too, I saw him with my own eyes! I-I-I have no idea what could have happened!"
"Bah, I do!" shouted Sliver, shaking his head angrily and pointing his fat, wrinkly finger at Red. "She messed up, just like she always does! She hasn't been able to do even ONE, single, itty bitty little thing competently since you recruited her! Do you realize how bad you're making me look?! What kind of villains ARE you?! Between that moron, and the fact that it's taken you guys this long and you STILL haven't been able to find a simple measly legendary treasure, is this the thanks I get for picking you losers up out of that home for has-beens children's entertainer circuit that I found you guys slumming it in?!"
"N-No, Master, w-w-we're so sorry!" Red groveled, as he and his brothers bowed their heads at him in shame. "P-Please, f-f-forgive us! W-We'll f-find that treasure before the day's over, you have our word! And d-don't worry, we're going to be having a change in membership immediately, we were fools for thinking we needed a fifth member to compete with those dumb Axems! I promise, you won't have to worry about Blue messing things up for you anymore, she was never a REAL Koopa Brother in the first place, we were just stringing her along all this time, because she was so gullible she was willing to do anything we asked her to do! But no more, if she ever shows her face around any of us again, we'll show her what happens when you try to make fools out the Koopa Brothers!"
"...Buh. Whatever." Sliver said uncaringly after a good minute of the Koopa Brothers begging on hands and knees in front of him. "I'll give you guys one more chance, but if you don't find that treasure today, or if another little incident like THIS happens, then I'LL show YOU and everyone else what happens when you try to make a fool out of me. GOT IT?"
"Y-Y-Y-Yes sir!" the Koopa Brothers cried in unison, nodding rapidly in agreement.
"Good." Sliver grunted. "Now get your butts in gear back to the volcano, and take the X-Nauts with you, I don't trust you guys to make it back in one piece on your own. I swear, if those stupid Axems end up finding that thing and getting all the credit..." As the Koopa Brothers hung their heads and began to file out of the shack, Sliver could've swore he saw something move out of the corner of his eye in the massive mountain of souvenir junk that had previously been the shack's main reason for existence but which was now piled high against the empty make-shift jail cell in one big useless lump.
"...Wait a minute!"
The Koopa Brothers all turned on their heels to face Sliver, as the Ratooey went over to the pile of junk and looked it over curiously, particularly the part sticking out that looked suspiciously like the zoom lens of a video camera with a dog's tongue wrapped around it in a poor attempt to camouflage it as some sort of strange, strawberry volcano churro. Especially once it started dripping some kind of foul, slimy goo from the pink part.
"...Ugh, and remind me to have one of you losers clean this garbage up later, it's been festering here for so long that I think it's starting to gain sentience..." Sliver muttered in disgust as he turned to look away from the vile 'churro', his appetite instantly lost. A few seconds later, he and the Koopa Brothers had exited the shack, as they and the X-Nauts marched their way back into the volcano. A few seconds after that, the mountain of junk collapsed, and Luigi, Yassie, and Spooky emerged from within it.
"Shimmerin' Starman, that was too close." Yassie said lowly, wiping her brow in relief. "But um, thanks for the save, Spooky, I can't believe I bumped the zoom button like that..."
Spooky yipped happily as he sucked his tongue back into his mouth from around Yassie's camcorder and walked over to her to give her a licking.
"Oh, jeez..." Yassie groaned once Spooky was done with her, as she walked over to pick her camcorder back up. "Ugh, I don't think my warranty covers ectoplasm..."
"Hey, at least you don't have a mustache to worry about getting it out of." Luigi said with a chuckle, as he handed Yassie a couple of souvenir towels from the pile of junk. His laughter soon faded, however, and Yassie was quick to notice the troubling look that had appeared on his face.
"What's with the sour expression, Luigi?" she asked worriedly as she dried her face and camera as best she could.
"Uh... Well, there's good news and bad news, I suppose..." Luigi said after a moment, though judging by his tone of voice, it was more like terrible news and slightly less terrible news.
"Oh boy..." Yassie said in concern as she finished drying herself and gave Luigi her full attention. "I take it you know who that Sliver guy was?"
"Er, no, actually." Luigi replied, shaking his head. "I have no idea who he is, but boy, if I could go the rest of my life without having to see his horrifying, wrinkly face ever again that'd be great. Uh, but no, I don't know who he is, but... I do know who those other guys were, those X covered freak shows. Those were X-Nauts, like the Ratooey said, though who knows why he knows what they are. Again, this is all second hand information from my brother, but not too long ago, he and the princess got caught up in this awful mess over in Rogueport involving some doohickeys called the Crystal Stars, and the X-Nauts were the reason why they got caught up in it in the first place. They kidnapped the princess, and Mario had to go on this big ol' adventure to rescue her like always. He said the X-Naut's leader, some mechanical creep called Gro... Gro... Gropher, or something like that, was trying to use the princess and the Crystal Stars to resurrect some ancient, evil witch of some sort that was buried underneath Rogueport for the past thousand years so he could use her terrible power to take over the world. Mario, of course, stopped that from happening, but he said after he got back, one of his friends from that journey had told him that the X-Nauts had been disbanded, and that Gropher had been reduced to nothing but a head. So something is wrong here... Either Gropher is somehow managing to lead the X-Nauts as only a head, or someone else has gotten them back together... And the Koopa Brothers too, apparently."
"Yikes, I take it that's the bad news..." Yassie said, looking grimmer and grimmer the more Luigi had to say. "So, what's the good news, then?"
"The good news, if it can even be considered that at this point, is that at least this means Bowser isn't involved with this." Luigi answered. "But, well, I kind of figured that was the case already, so..."
"...Okay, so basically, all we know about these guys so far is that they've somehow gotten ahold of various groups of evil-doers that your brother stopped in the past, all of whom were unaffiliated with each other up until now... Right?" Yassie asked once she had pooled everything Luigi had told her about who they were up against in her head.
"I... I guess..." Luigi responded, letting out a whimper soon afterwards. "It sounds so much worse when you say it like that, though..."
"Well, whoever these guys are, the only connection they seem to have so far besides being evil is your brother." Yassie stated, putting her hand to her chin in thought. "In that, they've all had their butts kicked by him."
"That's not saying much, though." Luigi said, shaking his head. "My brother's kicked a LOT of people's butts, pretty much anyone who has ever done anything remotely evil in the general vicinity of the Mushroom Kingdom has gotten beaten by him at one point or another, I'd imagine."
"Hmm..." Yassie shook her head. "Well, I guess now's not the best time to worry about it. Let's just focus on one thing at a time right now, alright?"
"Yeah..." Luigi said, nodding absently. He had been the one to bring up the counterpoint, but he couldn't help but feel apprehension at what Yassie had pointed out...
Regardless, he did his best to shake the thoughts out of his head, for he knew the task at hand was going to be dreadful enough as it was.
"We should try to hurry." Luigi stated, as he led the others back towards the door. "I've been in more volcanoes than I can count, and they are NOT fun. The longer you spend in one, the more you begin to understand what being a meatball feels like."
"Duly noted." Yassie replied, sounding just as enthused as Luigi was about getting to adventure into such an oven.
"Hopefully, we'll be able to get everyone out without too much trouble... But I doubt that'll be the case." Luigi stated, letting out a sigh as he knew nothing on this adventure was going to be anything close to lacking in trouble. "But oh well, as long as we can get to whatever it is that's in there before the Koopas or Axems do... Assuming there's even anything in there at all."
"And that's a pretty big assumption..." Yassie added, frowning. "But either way, we still have to get everyone out of there to safety, so get ready to try and talk some sense into more delusional nutjobs."
Luigi nodded wearily in response as he opened the door.
"LYING SCOUNDRELS!"
"Well, that was a lot sooner than I expected it to be." Yassie said with a heavy sigh, as she looked back in annoyance at the delusional nutjob that stood on the other side of the door. "We're never going to actually make it into the volcano, are we?"
"Not if I have any say in things, you fiend!" Blue shouted dramatically, though by this point her shtick had worn itself more than thin on Luigi and Yassie, and they merely sighed in response.
"Listen, we don't have time for this anymore." Luigi said, almost pleadingly. "Please, we have to get into the volcano so we can rescue the rest of the townsfolk."
"HA!" Blue snorted. "Don't even TRY to go back to pretending you're not cold-hearted, ruthless villains, fool! Your lies won't work on me!"
"Oh, for crying out loud, didn't your grandpa talk any sense into you?" Yassie said irritably, not at all wanting to put up with any more of Blue's nonsense.
"No, because you two have corrupted his mind beyond hope!" Blue proclaimed angrily. "You somehow have him believing that you're truly not villains, I shudder to think what heinous tricks you used on him to convince him of such an obvious lie! Now enough chatter, get back into your cell where you belong before my senseis arrive, unless you want to do it the hard way again!"
"Oh honey, your 'senseis' already came and left a while ago." Yassie said, giving Blue a look of pity as she remembered what her idols had said about her. "And if I were you, I wouldn't go looking for them any time soon."
Blue froze in place, unable to even let out one of her usual gasps. "W-W-What? Oh n-no, then that means..." Blue flashed an almost murderous glare at the two of them. "You made me look bad in front of them! You made me look like an incompetent, lying IDIOT! Now I'll NEVER become a real Koopa Brother, and it's ALL YOUR FAULTS!"
"You weren't ever going to become a 'real' Koopa Brother in the first place!" Yassie shouted, returning Blue's glare in kind. "Are you REALLY so blind as to not see what's going on here?"
"Okay, if you're so sure of yourself, then SHOW ME!" Blue demanded, getting right up in Yassie's face. "SHOW ME how blind I am! Go on, prove to me that you're not villains and that I've been wrong all along!"
"...Fine, but don't say we didn't warn you." Yassie said, as she pulled out her camcorder and began pressing buttons on it until a frozen image appeared on its display.
"W-Wait, what's that...?" Blue said shakily, as she stared at the image of the Koopa Brothers and their master that was displayed on the camcorder's viewfinder.
"Your proof." Yassie said quietly, as she pressed the play button to start the recording.
"WHAT... IS... THIS?! I THOUGHT YOU TOLD THAT IDIOTIC CO-HORT OF YOURS TO STAY HERE AND KEEP AN EYE ON HIM UNTIL WE GOT HERE! WELL, WHERE IS SHE?! AND WHERE'S THE PLUMBER?! WHERE IS EVERYONE?!"
"Ah! W-We d-d-d-don't know, M-Master Sliver! Sh-Sh-She gave me her word that she wouldn't take her eyes off of him until we arrived! Sh-She had him locked in the cage too, I saw him with my own eyes! I-I-I have no idea what could have happened!"
"Bah, I do! She messed up, just like she always does! She hasn't been able to do even ONE, single, itty bitty little thing competently since you recruited her! Do you realize how bad you're making me look?! What kind of villains ARE you?! Between that moron, and the fact that it's taken you guys this long and you STILL haven't been able to find a simple measly legendary treasure, is this the thanks I get for picking you losers up out of that home for has-beens children's entertainer circuit that I found you guys slumming it in?!"
"N-No, Master, w-w-we're so sorry! P-Please, f-f-forgive us! W-We'll f-find that treasure before the day's over, you have our word! And d-don't worry, we're going to be having a change in membership immediately, we were fools for thinking we needed a fifth member to compete with those dumb Axems! I promise, you won't have to worry about Blue messing things up for you anymore, she was never a REAL Koopa Brother in the first place, we were just stringing her along all this time, because she was so gullible she was willing to do anything we asked her to do! But no more, if she ever shows her face around any of us again, we'll show her what happens when you try to make fools out the Koopa Brothers!"
Yassie stopped the recording, and she and Luigi waited in silence.
"..." Blue, for the first time since Luigi and Yassie had crossed paths with her, appeared to be at a complete and utter loss for words. Even as Yassie put it away, she stood rooted in place staring at where the camcorder's viewfinder had been. She opened her mouth, as if to say something to dispute what she had just watched, but no words came out, and her body quickly began to quiver.
"...Look, we're sorry, Kobaltia." Luigi said, as he and Yassie gave her heartfelt, compassionate looks of pity. "You shouldn't have had to have found out about it in such an awful way, but... There's nothing you can do."
"Now you see how awful they truly are, don't you?" Yassie added softly. "That's the kind of two-faced creeps they all are, and that's why we have to stop them."
"...Kobaltia... You should go back home to your grandpa." Luigi said, trying to keep from upsetting Kobaltia anymore than she already was. "We can handle the rest from here, but you don't need to get hurt any more. I'm sure he's missing you terribly, so why don't you just-"
"NO!" Kobaltia suddenly screamed, causing Luigi and Yassie to cover their ears in pain. "NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO! I D-DON'T BELIEVE IT! I D-D-DON'T B-BELIEVE ANY OF IT! IT'S L-LIES! I-IT'S ALL L-L-L-LIES! GRANDPA'S LYING TO ME! YOU'RE LYING TO ME! EVERYONE IS LYING TO ME!"
"Kobaltia, please, denying this is just going to hurt you even more." Luigi pleaded, as he reached out to place a hand on the Koopa's shoulder. She rebuked it, however, pushing him over into Yassie and knocking both of them to the ground.
"DON'T ACT LIKE YOU CARE!" she shrieked, as she began to back away from the doorway, shaking her head rapidly once more. "Y-YOU'RE VILLAINS! N-NOT THE KOOPA BROTHERS! TH-TH-THEY WOULD NEVER SAY THOSE THINGS! ALL I HAVE T-T-TO DO IS FIND THEM AND APOLOGIZE, AND EVERYTHING WILL BE OKAY!"
"W-Wait, no it won't!" Yassie cried in alarm, as she and Luigi stumbled back to their feet. "Kobaltia, they're going to hurt you if they see you!"
"NO THEY WON'T!" Kobaltia insisted. "THEY WOULD NEVER HURT ME, THEY'RE MY SENSEIS AND I'M THEIR STAR PUPIL! AND THEY'RE HEROES, AND HEROES ONLY HURT BAD GUYS, SO I'LL BE FINE!"
"THEY'RE NOT HEROES!" Luigi and Yassie cried out in unison, but it fell on deaf ears, as Kobaltia was already racing off towards the volcano by the time they had finished.
"N-No, you idiot!" Yassie shouted in vain as they took off after her towards the entrance of the volcano, her figure disappearing from their sights as she entered the volcano. "Luigi, we have to stop her! Kolby'll never forgive us if we let anything happen to her!"
"I-I know, but she's too fast!" Luigi cried as they reached the volcano's entrance, Kobaltia already nowhere to be seen. Suddenly, Luigi got an idea, and he glanced down at Spooky in urgency. "Spooky, quick, follow after her, and leave a trail! Don't let those Koopa Brothers or that Ratooey do anything to her!"
Spooky let out a bark of compliance, and immediately darted into the volcano as fast as his little feet could carry him, his nose working overtime as he struggled to find the Koopa's distinctive scent, and his tongue dragging between his legs as he left a trail of goo for Luigi and Yassie to follow. Before long, he too had disappeared from their sight, and the two stood quietly in the dark, ominous opening, their hearts pounding out of their chests.
"Spooky's trail isn't going to last long." Luigi stated, trying desperately to keep himself from panicking.
"Then what are we doing just standing around here for?!" Yassie cried. "Let's go!"
Without a second thought, Yassie plunged herself into the hot, unwelcoming volcano, Luigi scampering quickly behind her, both of them overcome with a feeling of dread in anticipation of what Mount Manjaw would have to throw at them.
"Oh, mama mia..."
So... No idea how I managed to somehow write ten thousand more words without Luigi and company setting foot in the volcano, but... Well, it happened. Maybe someday I'll write a normal, non-glacial paced chapter. Oh well, sorry for the delay, and hope you enjoy. Next part should be up some time before the Cubs win the World Series. I think.