IV: A TRIP INTO FAMILIAR TERRITORY

The sensation of teleportation was much more disturbing that it had ever been in the past. Mario felt as if he was impaled by two hooks on his side – even though he did not feel any pain – and was spinning around at a dizzying speed. Sometimes he was able to hear some noises for a short period of time, as if, during his teleportation he was – for a split second – in a place full of people before disappearing right after. When he opened his eyes, he saw many colours mixing too quickly which gave him a headache. The teleportation lasted too long for his liking and when it was finally over, he was almost glad that it was. Almost, because he had not landed on ground, but was still in the air. He was not prepared for that, and Mario fell on his face on the sand. He got up with difficulty, wiped the sand off his face and looked down at where he had landed.

It had not changed over time: Jolly Roger Bay still did not look inviting at all. A white sandy beach that sank quite slowly, a ship with no sail resting in the distance, everything strongly looked like the landscape painted on the castle's painting, except for the few large rocks and pieces of wood floating on the surface.

Mario thought about the painting. Not only it should not have been supposed to work since the last time he had been there – which was many years ago, like the other paintings – but the painting had forced him to get there. Before, he had to jump in to be teleported. These signs did not indicate anything good, added to the fact that it all started right when the masked man appeared.

Mario remembered at this moment that he had been chasing him and that he had seen the painting waving when he entered the Aquarium Room without the masked man's presence. He still did not know who it was, and Mario was thinking that he may have been brought here on purpose. Perhaps he had to find out the masked man's identity and what his intentions were. Besides, Mario had nothing else to do here. The only way to get back to the castle was to get a star that belonged to the castle, but they had already been found and returned to the castle. Apart from that, he could still walk, but it would take several hours – since Jolly Roger Bay is far away from Toad Town.

Exploring the area was the only thing left to do. But, outside of the water, there was only the boat to explore. It was not much, but it was better than nothing. Mario walked along the beach to get closer to the rocks and pieces of wood that would allow him to reach the wreck. The first rock was very close to the beach, but first he had to get his legs into the water. Mario put his left foot in the water and felt a rather unpleasant sensation.

The water was much colder than before. Not enough to risk hypothermia, but it felt like his blood had stopped circulating in his foot. His leg had become very cold, and it took him several seconds to get used to the sudden change in temperature before he put his right foot in the water as well. Unsurprisingly, the same effect occurred, though his period of adaptation was shorter. Mario continued to walk in the almost-frozen water – or at least tried to. At first, he thought it was the effect of his blood not circulating, but then he looked down and realized that a huge pink shellfish, much larger than normal, had closed over his foot without him realizing it. He tried to pull his foot out with his hands, but the clam was much stronger than he had first imagined. He tried to use his right foot, but again he failed to move it. Likewise, a second large pink shellfish had caught him. He had time to see it before feeling the slight vibrations of the shellfishes on his feet, then he took a deep breath before he got carried underwater.

The depths of the sea quickly got darker. The light of the setting sun – although it had been broad daylight before his teleportation – was no longer able to illuminate the area where Mario was located. After a few meters, he could hardly see anything, which made it impossible for him to know where he was going. He struggled, but the shellfishes did not release their grip in the least.

At some point, the shellfishes stopped. But the prisoner knew immediately that they were not at a peaceful spot, because all the fish around him went off to hide at that moment. In front of him was only a hole – a flooded cave entrance, like there were many around him. But this hole was not like the others; and he remembered what was inside right before two large eyes opened inside of it, glowing in the darkness. The eyes came closer and closer, Mario had completely stopped struggling as the monster in front of him intimidated him.

Finally, a giant eel emerged from the cave, and when it started coming, Mario tried to flee again, which was, again, a failure. The eel kept coming closer and closer and began opening its mouth so wide that Mario could easily see the bottom. He finally admitted that it was over when the monster's tongue was only a few dozen centimetres from him. He stopped his attempts to escape and saw his life flash by, thinking that he would be turned into an eel meal in the next few seconds. At least, his death would be quick and not as horrible as if he had to suffocate underwater…

Just as he had given up all hope of escape, a blinding light appeared. He squinted to protect his eyes from it. At the same time, he heard a cry of pain that seemed to come from the eel and the pressures on his ankles eased. He was free to move.

He turned his head and saw that all the aquatic species had disappeared, including the clams that held him prisoner and the monster that almost devoured him a few seconds before.

Mario had miraculously made it out alive. He looked up and saw that the light, which was no longer as blinding as when it had first appeared, was coming from the sky. He figured out at this point: all the animals that lived there were used to live in the darkness, and seeing so much light prevented them from living properly and they had to hide.

Lost in his reasoning about the flight of the animals and the origin of the light, he almost forgot that he was underwater. The surface was far away, and he felt that he did not have enough air left to get there. The only places to go were the few caves around him, and he remembered now that some of them were out of the water water. Which ones? He had to rely on luck. He went as fast as his shellfishes-numbed, oxygen-starved limbs would take him to the nearest cave.

But he began to suffocate rapidly. His swimming speed was gradually decreasing. He was only at the beginning of the hole he was swimming towards. He wondered if he would have enough time to reach the emerged part of the cave – even though if he did not even know if there was an emerged part.

Would the miracle that had saved him haveyspared him only for a few seconds? He was having a hard time making progressing. His oxygen-starved brain was making him see things more and more blurred and dark. What little he could see was water, endless water. What if he had mistakenly went to a submerged cave? His muscles were now too weak to go on, and he let himself be taken by the fresh water around him and the current…

Was he dead? His head was lying on the ground. The place where he was seemed quite dark. Could it be the Underwhere? He had already gone there, using some sort of dimensional door, in this place where souls who had perished awaited their judgement.

He looked up. His vision was blurry.

He blinked. The walls around him looked like those in the Underwhere, with roughly hewn stone walls, but he could still see quite blurred.

He blinked again. He could feel something around his legs but did not know what it was.

He blinked again. His head was resting on sand, his legs were in the water.

He blinked again. He was alive. The current led him to the cave.

The cave was outside the water. He turned his head to see what was inside and could only see some stone pillars.

He got up painfully and walked slowly in the cave. It was familiar to him: he had been there a few years ago, when he had to restore the power of the castle stolen by Bowser. He had to be careful of the pillars that surrounded him: the slightest strong step on the ground would make them fall. The fear of walking too roughly made him paranoid, as his every step he took was repeated through the echo of the cave.

Exploring the cave was the only thing to do. He did not really want to go back into the water. Anyway, this spot was probably the only slightly interesting place in Jolly Roger Bay, not counting the boat and the shore.

He got to the end of it pretty quickly. There was only a small stone platform with a chest on it. His reflex was to rush to it – avoiding knocking over the pillars.

His excitement subsided a little when, at first sight, he thought there was nothing in the chest. Bending down, he saw some pieces of paper and picked them up. The first one seemed illegible, written in a strange alphabet that did not match Latin, Japanese or any other alphabet he knew.

"What the hell are you doing there?" A deep voice said behind him.

Startling, he almost dropped the sheets and turned around. The masked man was a few steps behind him and had seen what was in Mario's hands.

"Which one do you prefer, the sheets or your freedom?"

"Who the heck are you?" Mario asked, pretending not to have heard the question.

"That's not the point." The masked man retorted coldly. "First, answer what I asked you."

"Bowser Jr? Kamek?"

As he mentioned the first two names that came to mind, Mario could see through the holes in his mask that allowed him to see that he seemed surprised. His eyes were small, as if Mario had succeeded to find his identity. But the smile on Mario's face faded as quickly as it had appeared, due the masked man starting to laugh.

"What's so funny?"

His laughter echoed throughout the cave. The pillars were trembling, and Mario was getting scared.

Calmed, the masked man was finally able to answer. "Mario, you're so funny. Have you ever seen Kamek without a broomstick or wand? Have you ever seen Bowser Jr with such a deep voice? Whenever weird things happen, you and your friends directly think it's Bowser's fault?"

Mario realized how stupid his idea was. Even though Bowser is often connected to weird things, the masked man had a point. He laughed again.

"Weird things like the earthquake, uh?"

"Just a diversion."

"To break into the castle?"

"Before you got involved, yeah."

"Why for?"

"To check a piece of information. I heard there's a powerful treasure lying around…"

"The book?"

"Oh, so it really exists?"

His question sounded almost like a cry of joy. His eyes started to shine. Mario realized he made a second mistake in mentioning the book.

"What's in it?"

"That's none of your business."

"It's as much my business as it is yours about the sheets you're holding. Besides, you still haven't answered me, the sheets or your freedom?"

"Maybe it's none of my business. The difference is that I have them, while you don't have the book. If you're anxious about getting them back, it means you have something to hide. Am I right?"

The worried look that appeared inside the holes of the mask proved to Mario that he was certainly right. "Fine."

He took a step back and snapped his fingers. The ground shook and the masked man ran away. Only then did Mario figure out. He tried to escape as well, but it was too late.

The threatening pillars of the cave were moving dangerously. There was a crashing sound and some of them began to fall. Sand and dust from the ground were kicked up by the pillars and blinded Mario, who began to cough. As he ran blindly, the deafening crashes continued as the pillars fell. One of them crashed onto Mario's foot. He screamed in pain and fell forward. Unable to get up, he lied a few moments there and opened his eyes just as a pillar was about to smash his head. His exceptional reflexes allowed him to roll to the side and watch as the pillar crushed the spot where he was one second earlier. According to the noise that had finally stopped, it was the last pillar to fall. His foot hurt far too much to get up right away. He lied there, staring at the ceiling for what felt like several long minutes.

The masked man seemed to have escaped. There was no sound in the cave.

With all these crushed pillars, Mario felt like he was trapped in a giant tomb. When the pain in his foot subsided and he could finally walk again – or at least limp – he pulled himself out of the debris. The only way out of the cave was also the way in, through the water. Even though he did not feel like it at all, he had no choice. As soon as his sore foot entered the cold water, he felt as if it was anaesthetized. He did not feel any pain anymore. At least he could swim quickly and avoid the giant eel.

As he swam faster than expected, he noticed that the fishes were back. The water seemed less scary this way. He went back to where he was before the clams caught him, on a rock. He climbed on top of it. The shore where he had landed at the very beginning had not changed – still as deserted as ever. The same was true for the boat, which was still floating peacefully with the waves and still seemed the only possible destination left. He passed over some pieces of wood floating on the sea to get there. And he met the one he was hoping to find.

"You still haven't answered my question." He said.

The masked man turned around, still wearing his mask. He stared at Mario. Both did not exchange any words and glared at each other. The boat could be heard rocking slightly and the waves crashing on the shore. Finally, without warning, with the speed of lightning seeking to strike the ground, the masked man ran towards Mario and swept him. The latter fell miserably in surprise.

He got up immediately, ready to battle. The masked man went back to where he had been at first. A few seconds passed again, punctuated by more dirty glances, before the masked man attempted a second blow. This time, Mario was ready, and his reaction was immediate. He took a step backwards and swept his front leg, causing him to fall headfirst. They stepped back slightly to stare at each other one more time.

The fight began as the opponents began to run towards each other at the same time. When they were within arm's reach, the exchange of blows began. Series of blows were coming from the masked man's side, while Mario was more on the defensive, backing away. He tried a direct punch just as the masked man attempted a hook. They touched each other at the same time and backed away slightly. Mario tried a jump kick at this point, but his movement was too visible for the masked man who rolled to dodge it. Mario stood still for a fraction of a second too long in surprise and the masked man was quick to exploit this gift, tackling Mario from behind. He tried to strike Mario when he was still on the floor, but Mario rolled to the side and landed a powerful uppercut as he got up. The masked man was lifted a few inches and fell on his back.

"Didn't anyone ever tell you that you shouldn't punch an opponent to the ground?"

This taunt had the desired effect and put the masked man out of his mind. What was not expected, however, was that he would rush headlong, like a rugby player, to tackle Mario. On the floor, he had an impulse that allowed him to hit the masked man with both feet and get back on his feet.

Another exchange of close blows ensued. Both were taking many punches to the face. Not a square inch that either opponent could reach on the other's body was spared. The exchange lasted long enough until Mario kicked him in the liver. He did not stop there and hit him with a few direct blows in the face before landing an uppercut that sent him backwards a few feet.

Despite this violent sequence that would have made anyone faint, the masked man did not seem to weaken. He grabbed Mario by the collar, spun him around quickly and threw him against one of the ship's walls. He seemed thirsty for revenge, and before Mario could even get up, he had grabbed him again, this time throwing him very high in the air.

Mario did not figure out what was happening to him until he felt the pain in his foot. He was still in the air and had not hit anything.

The masked man had made a huge leap and held on to Mario's sore foot. Then he dropped slightly faster than Mario, in order to lift the latter above him.

Mario figured out. He was about to get smashed against the boat, at far too high speed. There was not much he could do, the masked man's grip on his foot was too strong. The two fighters were closing in on the boat very quickly. The impact would be extremely violent, given the speed. The masked man was not afraid and made no attempt to slow his fall. When he was about two meters above the ground, he lowered Mario so that he would hit the boat headfirst…

BOOM!

The boat literally shattered. Hundreds of pieces of wood flew in all directions for several meters. Some reached the shore, others smashed against the nearby rocks. The fishes that were near the boat fled very quickly. As the wooden planks of the boat flew in all directions, a large amount of dust was released into the air. It took a long time to clear.

A wooden plank was left in the middle of the dense smoke. Two figures could be seen on it, one holding the other's throat on the plank and threatening it with his fist.

"How… did you… do that?" The masked man was coughing and looked weak. He seemed to have taken the impact of the fall.

"I just continued your movement when you tried to smash me against the boat. You hit the boat first. Now, answer my question: who the heck are you?"

The masked man coughed again. "Fuck you." He spat in Mario's face.

With the fist in the air that was still threatening the masked man, Mario punched him in the face. His mask fell off.

"You shouldn't have seen that…"

In surprise, Mario had released the pressure on his throat. His opponent would not miss such an opportunity, and kicked his stomach, which took his breath away… but also made him fall into the water.

He had not been able to take a deep breath before diving. He was already not oxygenated enough, and his muscles failed him. He felt as if he could see a light coming from the sky for a split second before everything went black. On the surface of the water, bubbles appeared where he was.