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Chapter 10 - Teaming Up

Knock Knock Knock

Bowser Junior opened the door to his room with a long, lazy yawn. Still drowsy, he rubbed his eye with his fist while with the other hand he scratched his stomach, not at all awake. He had automatically got off his bed to go and open the door to the one who had just knocked in such a good morning, not even realizing that he was completely alone in his room. He finally laid eyes on his servant Cinder and three other figures that he absolutely did not expect to meet ... Immediately, the young Koopa stiffened and then widened his small black eyes of amazement at the three Koopalings who were standing awkwardly beside the human. At the eye contact with the prince, they all made a wave of their hands.

"What are they doing here?!" Bowser Jr. exasperated, now fully aware. With a little nudge of his snout in the direction of Ludwig, Morton and Lemmy, he returned to Cinder who kept her arms crossed. Finally, it was Ludwig who spoke first.

"We wanted to apologize... For the last time." He hesitated while nervously playing with his fingers.

"We didn't want to hurt your feelings." Morton continued.

"We just wanted to tease you and play a prank on you, it was so funny. Ouch!" Lemmy yelped in his shrill voice when he received a violent elbow from Ludwig, the mastermind of the gang. Rubbing his aching ribs, he looked at him in bewilderment; "what did I say again?"

"We're really sorry Junior." They finally said in unison after Cinder nodded for them to finally say what she had sought them out for this morning. How had she done it? Well let's just say she had some very good arguments.

"You promise not to tell the Boss?" Morton asked as he clasped his hands together to beg the young prince to listen to their request.

Surprised to hear all this, Bowser Junior simply passed his stunned gaze from Koopa to Koopa until he stopped on Cinder who didn't say a word. The girl was waiting wisely on the side, leaning against the wood of her door with her legs crossed. She was not wearing her white pajamas but the red and black maid's dress except that she had not tied her curly hair in a ponytail as usual, having opted to let it fall in her back. She kept an ear out as the Koopalings all clasped their hands together in front of Junior, lamenting that they would never do anything bad to him again if he didn't tell the big Boss. AKA Bowser. This was the strangest behavior... What had Cinder said or done to make such a scene happen? Nevertheless Bowser Jr. was enjoying this moment.

"Kneel before your new boss and kiss my toes! Then maybe I won't tell daddy..." He challenged with a mocking sniff after lifting his right foot to wiggle his toes. An arrogant expression adorning his face, the little turtle was provoking them and it was working wonderfully.

"What?! Ew no!" Ludwig immediately stuck his tongue out with a shake of his head, his blue hair whipping his cheeks.

"No way thanks I can smell the cheese from here..." Refused Morton who quickly waved his hands in front of him sticking his tongue out like Ludwig. With a disgusted grin, he pinched the tip of his muzzle.

"I'll take it if it's Cheddar!" Lemmy delighted with several small jumps while clapping his hands together after licking his lips. Yummy cheese!

"At my feet, or I'm going to tell Daddy everything you did to me. And you are seriously going to regret it!" Junior threatened again, losing his patience with the three Koopalings not being at all cooperative. Cinder retreated from the doorway to interpose but Ludwig quickly spoke up again to voice his displeasure.

"Not even in my dreams! I will never bow to a whiner like you!" With his hands in fists, the Koopaling leaned toward Bowser Jr., clenched his teeth and jabbed a finger into his chest.

"I'd rather be a crybaby than an ugly, stupid clown with a tiny brain and a lisp!" Junior replied with equal intensity after slapping Ludwig's hand to mimic his posture. Next to him, Lemmy giggled while repeating the word clown several times in a row.

"Repeat, if you dare to repeat? Are you calling me a clown? Rotten lemon face!" Ludwig fumed in return but fortunately Cinder intervened before the situation degenerated completely.

"Kids! Stop it! Stop it, there's no need to fight over so little. I'm sure we can find some common ground..." She said to them while pushing aside the two turtles who were fighting with their eyes. She had to find a solution and fast! Something that could put everyone in agreement ... That would put everyone on an equal footing. Tapping her finger on her lips, the girl finally had an idea.

"A group activity! I propose that we all play a game together. Would that break the ice?" She proposed after snapping her fingers in the air, having caught that gesture of the young prince.

"Oh yes a game! A game!" Lemmy exclaimed, jumping nervously to his feet.

"No way! I'm not playing with that cake face. He's a sore loser and a dirty cheat!" Refused Ludwig abruptly with a little hiss from his big tooth as Junior frowned his red eyebrows to give him a proper black look. Morton growled.

"Yeah, a dirty cheat!" The big, darker-skinned Koopa crossed his big arms over his chest, sensing that the tension was building. The fight was about to break out! But Cinder positioned her hand in front of him before he could act with a warning look.

"There will be no cheating. We're going to play in teams. The object of the game will be to get from point A to point B as quickly as possible." Reassured the human with a hand resting on her hip as a smirk appeared on her face. However Ludwig snorted mockingly, not really excited by this proposal.

"And what would we gain?" He asked.

"A nice reward will be given to the winning team." Instantly answered Cinder without thinking about it for a moment, not even having thought about what the purpose of this activity with the Koopalings would be. All she wanted was for them to finally stop making fun of Junior and then bury the hatchet permanently.

"Let's confer!" Ludwig twirled his finger in the air and then grabbed Morton and Lemmy by the shoulders to whisper about the pros and cons.

"Are you sure this is a good idea?" Bowser Jr asked to Cinder, placing his hand next to his snout so the three Koopalings wouldn't hear him. Worried, the little turtle nervously played with her bandana when the girl waved his off just as Ludwig turned around with a cocky smile.

"Alright. We'll play your silly game... But I don't want to kiss her majesty's stinking feet. No chance!" Complained the latter with a repulsive grimace, which made Lemmy laugh beside him.

"Nobody will kiss anybody's feet..." Sighs Cinder except that Junior decided otherwise.

"We'll see about that!" He replied by clenching his fists, his small black insolent eyes squinted at the three Koopalings who did not hesitate to return the favor.

It seemed that it was more complicated than expected ...

In barely an hour of work, Cinder prepared the ground for her new activity with the precious help of the two Koopas guards who had volunteered. Having recruited a few more Koopas for specific roles, the human gathered the seven Koopalings for this great occasion. The very first game to be played in two large teams, with duos facing off each time. Nothing too complicated. You just had to combine speed with determination, an activity that was within everyone's reach and especially within the reach of Bowser Junior. Bowser Jr was desperate to prove his worth and had a golden opportunity to show the Koopalings what he could do, hopefully with some respect at the end.

"The game is very simple." Cinder crossed her arms behind her back as she paced back and forth in front of everyone in her game. This included the Koopalings in their entirety, Bowser Jr, her as well as the youngest guard Koopa. Purposely pausing for suspense, she smiled as she turned to the players with a small bounce.

"We're going to do a relay race. Follow the course carefully to the finish line front of the kitchens. Be careful, there will be obstacles along the way! No tripping each other, insulting each other, destabilizing your opponent, spitting on him or anything else ... We're playing fair play." She emphasized the word fair play as her green eyes purposely lingered on Ludwig and Junior both side by side. Both turned their heads in the opposite direction.

"Any questions?" Cinder asked with a shrug. After a few silent seconds, it was finally Roy who spoke after raising his finger.

"I have a question. What is the reward?" He questioned while scratching the top of its bald head, his eyebrows rising behind his pink glasses. In front, Cinder's expression became uncertain as she quickly began to think.

"Uh, well... The team that triumphs will get to... Pick the cake of their choice?" Embarrassed, she raised her hands, hoping that this reward wasn't too disappointing. But more importantly, that Koopa Cook wouldn't hold it against her! At the initially skeptical looks, Cinder thought that maybe it wasn't such a good idea however the final reaction was unexpected to say the least.

"Oh great, cake! Yay!" Iggy enthused.

"I want a double layer chocolate vanilla cake!" Screamed Iggy.

"A meringue cake!" Dreamed Morton, who licked his lips at the image of his favorite cake.

"A delicious apple pie ..." Wendy placed her hands to her cheeks.

"I want a strawberry cake! I get to choose!" Junior jumped on his little feet to attract the attention of Cinder who giggled at his friend's excited behavior. At least he had regained his smile and his enthusiasm... It was already a victory!

"For that, you'll have to win. So give it all you've got to make sure your team comes out victorious. Helping each other and trusting each other will be the key!" She warned with a wink as Junior's shoulders slumped with a small groan of disappointment. She continued.

"Now let's proceed with the team selection. We need a leader-" She didn't even have time to finish as the two stubborn little Koopas automatically stepped to the side to take the role of team leader. Proudly puffing out his chest, Bowser Jr. nudged Ludwig, who was quick to return the favor.

Cinder moved to the prince's side as he pointed to her for selection while Morton was chosen by the Koopalings' leader. Lemmy, Iggy and the Koopa guard went to Junior while Larry, Wendy and Roy went to Ludwig. Each was assigned a number to run in the race. The first to leave the starting line were the two leaders determined to win this competition, with Cinder and Wendy facing off in the middle of the race and finally it was a head-to-head with Morton and Lemmy. Once all agreed on their positions, Cinder grabbed the two scrolls in the hands of the second guard to serve as messages sticks. Armed with a stopwatch dangling around his neck, the elderly guard hurried to the finish line before the start.

But just before everyone moved to join the ground markers, Ludwig cleared his throat to say one last thing.

"By the way, we've changed the course a bit for more fun. So a tip, run fast!" He informed with an evil smile as he gave Morton a friendly pat on the hand. They snickered slyly as the other participants walked away.

Why would he say that? Cinder looked at them in puzzlement, but when she laid eyes on the first part of this race, her arms almost fell off in surprise. Indeed, the course was not exactly the same! There were traps, more difficult obstacles, piranha plants and probably much more in the other corridors used for this activity. Nervously swallowing her saliva, she walked to her seat next to Wendy, who kept putting her pink bow back on her head with a little snap of her tongue. This was shaping up to be a really complicated competition. At least much more than she had imagined... Hopefully she wouldn't regret it.

"I'm going to make you miserable!" Provoked Ludwig with a scowl at Junior at the starting line.

"Forget it! I have the best team. I'll win!" Retorted the latter who was undeterred by the blue-haired Koopaling. He grabbed his white bandana with his father's menacing mouth on it and pulled it over his muzzle to look even more intimidating to his opponents. Ready to fight.

At the start, Ludwig pushed Bowser Jr hard to get the advantage. Laughing madly at his low blow, the older Koopa ran down the hallway with Junior in tow. The two avoided the piranha plants with ease, narrowly escaping their sharp fangs and making their way to the second hallway on the right. They ran as fast as they could to reach their teammates who were at the end of this one, behind a new row of piranha plants. Bowser loved these plants... he thought they were graceful and adorable! But Junior didn't feel the same way since he had to dodge them to make up for the slight delay he had on Ludwig. The Koopaling reached Roy first, who immediately grabbed the baton to take over the race. The Koopa guard waved encouragingly to Bowser Junior and then thanked him when he received the baton in turn before running into the next lane.

There was no time to lose! They had to win the competition in honor of the young prince.

The green-shelled Koopa used his featherweight to his advantage to catch Roy, who was not as adept as he was at passing between the various obstacles, even allowing himself a small jump over his shell to pass under his nose. Whereas he turned in his direction to raise his inch to him, the guard hurried to give his witness to the next runner who was none other than Cinder in front of Wendy. Surprisingly, Roy managed to give the Koopaling the roll at the same time as the guard, which allowed him to leave at the same time as her. The only two girls in the group rushed as fast as they could into this third round. Without glancing at each other, they reached the top of the steps of the main hall to see that the halberds of the armored knights were lowered to the ground.

Cinder and Wendy were leapfrogging over these obstacles. Using their agility not to waste a single precious second, they lay down at the same time to pass the highest halberds. Crawling like snakes without worrying about getting dirty. It was imperative to get ahead of the other team to win! Such was the watchword. And Cinder was determined to make Junior win. The young girl let herself slide on her dress to avoid the knight's spear when the latter lowered to the ground as if by magic then returned quickly to her feet after the obstacle. Her long hair whipped around her face as she made sudden but controlled movements. She could hear Wendy behind her but didn't want to look so as not to fall behind, or to be destabilized by the Koopaling who seemed really upset.

The next to receive messages sticks were none other than Larry and Iggy. The smart one of the bunch versus the more athletic one. As soon as their fingers wrapped around the parchment, they sped off down the next hallway of the castle where new physical challenges awaited. At first glance, there was nothing alarming, until they laid eyes on red-shelled Koopas on either side of the corridor. Hiding behind the Bowser statues, the turtles retreated into their shells and began to slide across the floor and ricochet off the walls. Crossing each other as they got closer to the duo. The two Koopalings managed to get past the first line of shells by slaloming between them, almost getting their feet stuck in the carpet in the process. They were both evenly matched on the course! This had to be remedied. About to trip Iggy, Larry suddenly heard a pop of sound.

And Kamek appeared in the middle of the race.

"Woaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!" Howled the two Koopalings as they suddenly collided with the blue-robed wizard and then all three of them ended up in a ball on the ground. The commotion was so big that it drew everyone's attention as moans were heard in the hallway. Cinder, Junior and the others quickly ran over to see what had disrupted the race.

"Are you out of your mind?! Can't you watch where you're going! You little rascals." Kamek grumbled once he straightened up to dust off his dress. Angrily, he cracked his back while glaring at the two young Koopalings still lying on the ground by KO.

"Are you okay? Nothing broken?" Worried Roy kneeling beside his companions.

"On top..." Groaned Iggy as he held up his thumb in front of his worried face.

"What about our cake?" Shrugged Lemmy who started to cry, or rather throw a fit because he wasn't going to get his award. The ugly not handsome had ruined their competition!

"We were running an important race!" Junior began with a groan after stamping his foot on the ground however the hooded wizard quickly cut him off with a very serious look.

"His Wickedness requires your presence right now." He informed as he stared at the human alongside Wendy and Morton, running his hands over his dress several times until he felt it was spotless after that little snag. No way! These ruffians would deserve a good beating.

Cinder froze on the spot. Bowser wanted to see her? What was the reason? What had she done wrong? Besides, Kamek's tone of voice did not bode well for her... Now terribly worried, she looked at Junior and the other Koopalings who seemed to be thinking the same thing as her, from their worried expressions. No one felt like laughing anymore as she followed the wizard down the hall, apprehension and fear quickly replacing the adrenaline of competition.

To be continued ...

A little bit of Koopalings in the story, it adds humor and a touch of competition! Now, it remains to know what Bowser of Cinder wants... Mhm, suspense!

See you soon, VP