Author: Sorry it took so long for me to update; had many things to do. Well, KILL THE EMPIRE here working on the next chapter of La Belle. Enjoy!
"So let me get this straight," Marth said as he crossed his arms, "you want to motivate them by showing them Captain Falcon's severed head…"
"I know it seems crazy, but there's a message behind this." Isolde said as she continued to embrace Marth.
"Excuse me, but does Albrecht know about you two?" Zelda asked.
"I don't think daddy would be very comfortable with us, so please don't tell him." Isolde pleaded to Zelda.
"It doesn't matter if you date him or not," Bowser said as he entered the room with the head in the bag, "what matters is that the people are scared and we must motivate him. Show them that this guy is not invincible, show them that we can beat him, and we will."
"Right, and you plan on showing our spirit using a severed head…I still don't get it." Marth said as he shook his head.
Look at the expression etched on his face," Bowser commanded as he dug into the bag to pull out the head. "See? He has the look of a warrior."
"More like the look of someone who saw a string tied to a cat's tail." Marth jokingly admitted.
"That's not funny!" Isolde shouted.
"Sorry, I'm kidding." Marth said as he reached down to peck her on the cheek. HE withdrew his head and finally asked what the expression meant.
"Look, he was defiant to the end, a rebel." Bowser tried to explain to Marth, "This look has motivated me to believe that we can catch this guy."
"Hmm, now that I look at it more closely, he does look kinda cute," Marth said after taking a closer look at it. "Can we keep it, Isolde?"
"I don't think I'd be very comfortable with a severed head in our living room, dear."
"Living room?" Bowser asked.
"Dear?" Zelda asked. "Jesus Christ, are you already engaged?"
"No, not yet," Isolde said, "but after this is over, he'll propose to me, right?"
"Right." Marth smiled as the two reached over to kiss again.
"For Christ's sakes, get a room," Fox said as he walked into the room, "so what did you want, Bowser?
"I wanted to show you something." Bowser said as he threw the head in front of Fox. Fox gasped and jumped back against Marth, who decided to start laughing at that point.
"Holy crap! Is this supposed to be some kind of sick joke?" Fox screamed.
"No," Bowser said, "It's supposed to show that Captain Falcon died a rebel, look."
Fox jumped off of Marth and took a closer look at the head. "Wow, looks like this murderer didn't scare him. It kind of makes you think, doesn't it?"
"Exactly," Bowser said as he stuffed the head back into the bag, "now I'm going to show this to everybody, its proof that this guy isn't invincible."
"Supposed to be some kind of motivation thingy," Marth whispered into Fox's ear. Fox nodded and opened the door for Bowser.
"Wow, after hearing that speech," Mario said to Bowser, "that was the first time I wasn't scared of this guy. Kudos to you!"
"Thanks." Bowser said.
He was in the room with the whole investigation team, being congratulated on the stunning speech he gave to the whole mansion. It was so great, everybody stood up and applauded, even that messenger guy Bowser met earlier, who gave him the creeps every time he saw him. The pale faced man would smile and say "hello" to Bowser every time he bumped into him. As polite as he was, he still gave Bowser the creeps.
"I just don't get it," Bowser said while shaking his head at Mario, "That guy's face is so pale, and he always dresses in a black trench coat. He looks exactly like the murderer."
"Do you think he is?" Mario asked.
"I'm not sure, I have talked to him a few times; says the name is 'Sergio'."
"Oh, Albrecht told me he was a messenger who just lives in the mansion." Mario told him. "I wouldn't think he's the murderer, he always watches the matches, and seems like he's very into the match."
"Really, has he mentioned anything about the murders?"
"Told me he really liked that Ganondorf, saddened when he died."
"Have you seen him with any friends?"
"Yeah, I see him hang out with Roy every once in a while."
Bowser placed his hand on his chin to think. After a few seconds of thinking, he decided to have a talk with Roy.
"I heard you were seen hanging around a man named 'Sergio'." Bowser said to Roy.
As soon as Roy heard the name, he jumped and began to shake.
"What's wrong?" Bowser asked.
"Yeah, I've hung out with the guy a few times," Roy said in a shaky voice, "Every time I see him, I get these huge migraines."
"Really,"
"Yeah, I thought he was the murderer, but he wasn't because from what I understood, he was nowhere near the murder sites when they happened." Roy said in a shaky voice. "He also told me he knew who the murderer was."
"He did?" Bowser nearly screamed. "Why didn't you tell me earlier?"
"Because recently, I've been very tired, and every time I run into him, he makes me feel like I have more energy. I'm not afraid of him, because he helps me."
Bowser shook his head and left the room. After turning a few corners, he saw the man dressed in black leaning up against a corner, staring at him.
"You wanted to see me?" He asked in a dark voice.
"Yeah, I heard you knew who the murderer was, so I want to know what you know!" Bowser nearly screamed.
"I see you've talked to my good friend Roy, oh well." He shrugged and let out a small chuckle. "I've noticed the murderer kills people in the tournament, so I have no worries, not to mention he seems to kill those who loose the match."
"I already know that, so who is it?"
"How would I know? I'm not the murderer." Sergio said with a cracked smile on his lips.
"Why do I not believe you?"
"Because I dress in black, and have a deep voice, and seem so mysterious, is that correct?"
"Y-yeah." Bowser was quite taken back at that comment. "Alright, game's up!"
"From what I understand, the game is still on, and while you're interrogating me, you must prepare for your next match, is that right?" Sergio asked. "Now if you'll excuse me, Albrecht needs me. And if you have any concerns, please feel free to talk to me."
He turned to leave, but stopped and turned his head. "By the way, I gave Roy some energy pills, so he wouldn't sleep much, but I'm still curious about his sleep walking. Don't worry, it's just some psychological mumbo jumbo, I'll get him to stop sleepwalking in no time."
He chuckled as he began to walk off.
"He seems to care for Roy," Bowser told himself, "there's no way he'd be the murderer."
He then remembered he was up next to fight his match and he must train.
The next day, Zelda, Mario, Fox, Nana, Popo, Isolde, and Marth had entered Bowser's room to wish him luck.
"Thanks guys, I'll be sure to win." Bowser said. Zelda then stepped up to him with a frown on her face. "What's wrong?"
"Look, we know this must be very hard on you, and I just wanted you to know I'll support you on what ever decision you make." Zelda said.
"What are you talking about?" Bowser asked.
"Look, don't try and act like you're okay, we know how much trouble this is to you." Fox said after stepping out.
"Guys, seriously, I have no idea what's going on." Bowser said as he forced out a small chuckle.
"Bowser?" Zelda asked. "Do you know who you are going up against?"
"Nah, I forgot to check up on who my opponent was, I just found out yesterday I was up next, too busy on this whole murder case."
Fox and Zelda stared at each other and sighed. Fox decided he would break the news to Bowser. "Bowser, "He said, "You're going up against Young Link."
Bowser gasped, and said nothing.
"Look, let's give him some time alone." Fox said. The others nodded and left the room silently.
Mario was the first to speak. "Guys, what's wrong with Bowser?"
"Mario, don't you know?" Zelda asked. "Bowser has a son."
"Oh yeah!" Mario nearly cried out. His expression soon turned into a frown. "Wait a sec, Bowser Jr. Is the same age as Young Link…Now I see why he's so worked up. Poor Bowser, he's a father and now he must decide between himself and a young boy."
"Well, what ever he decides, even if he chooses to end his life, I'll support him." Zelda said. "Well, it's early, and the match isn't until way later in the day, so we must prepare for other stuff."
"Like what?" Nana asked.
"Didn't you hear?" Fox asked. "Due to the murder trial, the media is suspicious about the disappearances of the smashers who lost."
"So what's gonna happen?" Popo asked.
"They're going to send an inspector to investigate the disappearances, and ask some question about the murder trial." Marth said. "It already got out that Ganondorf was convicted of murder and executed, but Albrecht is doing his best to make sure that's all the media know. So while this guy is here, he must know nothing about other murders and this whole thing that's going on."
"Oh crap!" Popo shouted. "So now not only do we have to investigate, we have to stop the media from knowing what's going on?"
"Afraid so," Mario said.
"Don't worry, Albrecht has a plan." Zelda said.
Albrecht opened the door to greet a middle aged bald man dressed in a dark blue business suit.
"Hello, you must be the inspector," Albrecht said with a smile, "Welcome to my mansion."
"It is an honor to be here. My name is Hector Orsak." The inspector said as he grabbed Albrecht's hand to shake. "I suspect you know why I'm here."
"Yes, to investigate the trial and the disappearances." Albrecht said. "Please, feel free to trek anywhere you wish."
"Thank you." Hector said. "Please, continue your daily businesses, act as if I'm not here at all."
"Will do." Albrecht said with a smile.
Hector was soon off investigating other rooms while the smashers went back to their daily businesses.
The day got brighter, and the match came closer, and Bowser was still trying to decide what he would do.
The time for the match had finally come, and Bowser had finally made his decision to the investigation team.
"Are you sure you wanna do this?" Zelda asked as she let a tear trickle down her face.
"You know what happens if you throw in the towel," Fox said as he patted Bowser on the back.
"Yeah, but I also know what happens to that innocent boy if I win the match, too." Bowser said as he bowed his head. "Well, I'll miss you guys."
"We'll miss you too." Mario said.
Bowser walked out to the arena, where he greeted a nervous Young Link.
"READY!" The announcer screamed.
The rest of the investigation team took their seats and watched with intense eyes. The inspector waited eagerly for the match.
"GO!" The announcer screamed.
"Is it me?" Sergio asked Roy, "Or is Bowser going easy on him."
"I'm not sure." Roy said. He looked up at Sergio. "Tell me, who are you?"
"You should be worrying more about who you are before you worry about me." Sergio said with a cracked smile. Roy shrugged and looked down at the match.
"It's now down to one stock," Mario said, "I guess this is how he wanted it to end, fighting the good fight."
"So what will we tell Bowser Jr.?" Zelda asked.
"The truth, that's all we have to offer." Fox said.
Bowser backed up to the ledge, and waved at Young Link. Young Link gasped and threw his boomerang at him, forcing Bowser to duck.
"What are you doing?" Bowser asked.
"What are YOU doing?" Young Link asked, "I cannot let you die, I'm willing to die right now!"
"You've lived your life; it is me who will die today!" Bowser screamed.
He felt a hard thud on the head, and fell on his face. Bowser looked up to see Young Link jump over him and run to the edge. Damn that boomerang!
Bowser jumped up and ran after Young Link.
"WAIT!" He screamed.
Young Link leapt off the edge and began his fall, but it was soon ceased when Bowser reached out and grabbed his hand.
"What are you doing?" Young Link asked.
"I have no idea how I will go on if I let you die." Bowser said.
"Please, you're the only one who can catch this man!" Young Link screamed. "Now let go of me!"
"I compliment your bravery, but now is not a good time to be sacrificing yourself!" Bowser screamed.
"You have a better idea?"
A thought just hit Bowser.
"Actually, I do!" Bowser said with a smile. "Hang on!"
He threw Young Link in his arms and jumped off the ledge.
GAME!
The crowed stood up in silence.
"What just happened?" Isolde asked.
"Whoa!" Marth screamed.
Fox stood in silence for a long time.
"Fox, are you alright?" Zelda asked. Fox said nothing.
"Yo Fox, we're talking to you." Mario called as he waved his hand across Fox's face.
"BRILLIANT!" Fox finally screamed.
"What's brilliant?" Zelda asked.
"What Bowser did!" Fox screamed in excitement.
"What did Bowser do?" Mario asked.
"He grabbed Young Link and carried him down with him." Fox said in excitement, "Thus, ending it with a tie!"
"So it was a tie?" Zelda asked.
"Yeah,"
"So what does that mean?" Mario asked.
"Due to the tie," Albrecht announced on his announcer, "the match has been adjourned until tomorrow at the same time."
"Brilliant!" Mario screamed. "So that means we have an extra day!"
"Actually," Marth said, "If he continues to tie like that, they will keep having a rematch until a victor is finally decided, meaning nobody looses, and nobody wins."
"So if they keep this up," Zelda started,
"Then there's no way the murderer can murder anyone." Mario finished.
Isolde cheered in happiness. "Now we have a chance of stopping the murderer!"
They all quickly returned to the mansion where Bowser and Young Link stood facing each other.
"Bowser!" Nana called.
"That was brilliant!" Popo finished.
"Thanks." Bowser said with a smile.
"You have officially stopped the murders!" Mario announced, "Just keep this up, and nobody will have to die!"
"Yeah, and now that we have more time, we can get back to solving this murder case." Bowser said as he began to chuckle. "I'm guessing the murderer is now pissed at me."
"Well, we did beat him at his own game." Zelda said with a smile.
The investigation team finally split up and continued to investigate the impermeable walls, but the happiness soon halted when Mario went into Bowser's room.
"Bowser," Mario said as he took off his hat and bowed his head.
"Is something wrong, Mario?" Bowser asked.
"You may wanna come take a look at this."
Bowser was shocked at the scene. Zelda, Mario, Marth, Isolde, Nana, Popo, and Fox watched Bowser slowly step closer to the scene.
There were two hung bodies dangling from the ceiling, one belonging to Hector, the inspector; the other belonging to Young Link.
Hector had a scared expression etched on his face, but Young Link had a bag over his head and still hung by a rope dangling down from the ceiling.
"How could he do this?" Fox asked.
Bowser was still silent, and his mouth gaping.
"That bastard!" Isolde shouted.
"Has he no heart?" Mario asked.
"Why do you suppose Young Link has a bag over his head?" Zelda asked.
Fox walked up to Young Link's dangling corpse, and removed the bag, revealing Young Link's smirk.
"He's…Smiling…" Marth said while letting his jaw drop.
"The murderer must have gotten angry at young Link's smile, so he covered it up so he wouldn't look at it." Mario said as he bowed his head. "Just like Falcon, except this time, the murderer was expecting it…"
Bowser continued to stare at the two corpses, eventually collapsing to his knees, letting tears fall down to the floor.
"Why…" Bowser asked himself. "He was innocent; he should have taken me…"
Bowser was alone in his room, sitting on the edge of his bed, thinking.
There was a thud. Bowser looked up at his opened door. Another thud, it sounded like footsteps, coming towards his room. Bowser could only watch, and wait for what was to come.
Another thud, except this one was louder. The sound became louder and louder with each thud. The pounding soon stopped, and before he knew it, there was a cloaked figure standing at the foot of his door.
"Hello, Bowser." The figure said. The voice sounded like it was half demon, the other half man, like the kind you hear when one is possessed by a ghost. You hear the voice of the ghost, but the voice of the man at the same time.
"You…" Bowser muttered. "You're the murderer!"
Bowser jumped up in rage and raised his right claw and began to charge. His body stopped, and twitched. Bowser tried to move his arms, but they wouldn't move, neither would his legs. He felt himself sit down on his bed.
"You're voice…" Bowser muttered, "You sound like Sergio…"
"Little do you know…Sergio is in his room, happily asleep…" The cloaked figure growled in his sinister voice, "and so is everybody else, except me and you…"
"You have me trapped, like a bird in a cage, so what will you do now? Murder me?" Bowser asked.
"I'd love to, but I'm afraid I cannot." The murderer said. "I've already did my business, and just came by to pay you a visit."
"You bastard! WHY DID YOU TAKE HIM, WHY DIDN'T YOU TAKE ME INSTEAD?" Bowser screamed. "HE WAS AN INNOCENT BOY, AND YOU KILLED HIM! WHY!"
"Because he lost the match. He jumped off the edge." The murderer began to chuckle.
"NO! IT WAS A TIE!"
"He chose to jump, and you chose to save him."
"IT WAS STILL A GOD DAMNED TIE!"
"Alright, I'll play by your logic, but you did fail to see one other point."
"And what was that?"
"That I consider ties as both loosing, and I am to decide which looser lives, and which looser dies. Young Link was willing to sacrifice himself, and receive the gift of death, in exchange for you to receive the reward of life. Congratulations, Bowser, you have been spared."
"NO! I WANTED TO SACRIFICE MYSELF INSTEAD OF HIM! I ALREADY LIVED MY LIFE! HE WAS STILL A BOY AND HAD MANY MORE YEARS AHEAD OF HIM!"
"I'm sorry,"
"SORRY? YOU KILLED THESE PEOPLE IN COLD BLOOD, AND YOU SAY SORRY?"
"You poor pathetic bastard, do you have any idea why I chose Young Link over you?"
"WHY!"
"You are a father, and you already bare a son. It is not in my heart to separate a father and a son."
"YOU HAVE NO HEART!"
"Also, Young Link was an orphan; he had no place to go. After the death of his brother, there was no other place for him to live, who would have taken care of him?"
"I WOULD HAVE BEEN GLAD TO ADOPT HIM! I WOULD TAKE HIM IN AS MY OWN SON! I COULD AFFORD TO GIVE HIM AN EDUCATION AND A CHANCE AT LIFE!"
"Life is tough, but you must not kill yourself over this, you have been given a second chance. If you win this tournament, you get to live for ever."
"I swear, as God is my witness," Bowser growled, "I will kill you!"
"You shall be rewarded with the gift of ending my life if you win this tournament, but until then, live, breath, and enjoy life. From what I understand, life is more important now-a-days due to others ending."
He turned around to leave.
"Wait!" Bowser called.
He stopped and turned, "Yes?"
"Why the inspector; what did he ever do to you?" Bowser asked.
"Why, I can't have people snooping around my business, now can I?"
He was soon gone, leaving Bowser to lie in his bed. Bowser son felt his body cooperating with him again, and kneeled over the bed, to cry. He cried all night long, not stopping until sleep drifted over him.
Author: Well, I hope you enjoyed my chapter; sorry for waiting so long. Until next time!
- JIMBOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO