Bowser approached the lava river across the mountain's summit and stopped to examine it. There was no solid ground to cross over it. But he could vaguely make out an area where the lava was not boxed in by the mountain's tall edges. It was pouring down to somewhere. Maybe there was a way off the mountain nearby.
Turning back around, the Koopa King spotted several small fragments of the ground floating towards the middle of the lava lake in a line. Bowser gathered that they recently broke off. But why? He carefully lowered one foot down on top of one of the ground pieces, but instantly retracted it when he noticed the platform sinking under the weight of just one of his legs. Bowser was too heavy to stand on these in order to get across. There had to be another way.
Back-tracking a bit, Bowser climbed up a small cliff near the lava river's other side. He could just barely make out some solid ground above. Hoisting himself up on to the higher level, Bowser made a mental note of the vast array of purple crystals protruding out of the earth around him. He was strong enough to pluck one out with one arm, and he stared at it for a moment or so.
Suddenly, the entire mountain erupted and shook all around. The tremor was so widespread that deep down in the bottom of the hole, Junior slowly woke up. Out of the lava lake, a towering serpent emerged and set its sights on Bowser.
"Another bothersome pest…," said the creature. "Leave my mountain at once before a make a meal out of you!" Bowser glared at the serpent.
"What's your beef, soot-breath?" Bowser replied. "It's a free kingdom! I can walk wherever I want!"
"You dare to challenge the ruler of this land!?"
"You bet your scaly butt I do! You must not know who you're talking to right now!" The serpent unleashed an ear-bleeding screech. Junior sat up and listened carefully as the noise poured in from the hole high above him. Did he hear his father talking just now?
"Your words hold no weight in my presence! Your existence is meaningless in my wake!" the serpent exclaimed. Bowser smirked and cracked his knuckles.
"Is that so? Well then, let me introduce myself!" Bowser threatened. The serpent launched straight down towards him. Bowser met the monster's attack head-on. He gripped the serpent's jaws in each of his hands to kill his opponent's momentum. After sliding back a few inches, Bowser had managed to maintain his stance. He released the serpent's upper jaw, but still held the bottom one tightly. With one free fist, Bowser punched the serpent square in the nose and sent it flying backwards into the lava. Bowser shook his hands sporadically. The creature's flesh was boiling hot. Direct contact with it was asking for trouble. The serpent shot out of the lava once again and lunged towards Bowser.
The Koopa King reached for the crystal he pulled out of the ground moments ago and smacked the creature with it when it got close. The serpent was persistent as it continued to snap at him. Bowser repeated his attacks as he battered the snake with his crystal. Eventually, the makeshift bat shattered after enduring one too many hits. Bowser jumped out of the way of the creature's attempt to capitalize on his vulnerability. The Koopa King couldn't tell if his attacks were having any effect at all.
"ENOUGH OF THIS!" the serpent roared. Taking a deep breath, it shot a stream of fire from its mouth. From the ground, Bowser countered with fire breath of his own. Despite his best efforts, Bowser still wasn't operating at 100%. His breath lost the wager and his skin was badly burned as he tried to dodge. Bowser slowly rose to his feet. The Koopa King plucked another crystal from the ground and stared the serpent down.
The fire demon accepted Bowser's challenge as it snapped at him. The Koopa King jammed the crystal vertically into the serpent's mouth and propped it open. Startled by this, the serpent crashed to the ground at his feet and jerked its head around as it tried to shake the crystal loose. Bowser slammed his fists directly on top of the serpent's head. The crystal snapped into pieces under the serpent's teeth, and the creature retreated from its opponent's presence for a moment. Bowser grabbed yet another crystal.
"Whatsa matter, lizard lips!?" Bowser taunted. "That all you've got!?" The serpent jerked its tail out from the lava and swung it with blazing speed. It swatted Bowser and sent him flying against a wall behind him. The Koopa King tumbled to his knees and nursed the long burn mark against his chest. Deep down, he wasn't sure how much more of this he could take.
"You fight with some heart, I'll give you that…," the serpent admitted. "Perhaps you'll be a worthwhile meal, unlike the other smaller turtle that came before you." Bowser's eyes widened upon hearing this.
"Smaller turtle…?" His brain lit up. "JUNIOR!" Bowser gritted his teeth. "WHAT DID YOU DO WITH MY SON!?" The serpent smirked.
"Wouldn't you like to know?" The serpent lunged at Bowser once again. The Koopa King grabbed the serpent by the sides of its head and dug his claws in deeply.
"TELL ME WHAT YOU DID WITH MY KID NOW!" Bowser roared. "BEFORE I SKIN YOU ALIVE!" The serpent shot a quick fire blast to break free. Bowser was cornered as he nursed his burns. It was getting harder to stand up.
Junior was sure of it now. Bowser was up there and he was fighting the snake monster. But judging from the groans and screams, it wasn't going well. Should he do something? Was he worth helping? The little Koopa hadn't forgotten why he parted ways with his dad in the first place.
Bowser reached for another crystal, but the serpent's tail wrapped around his leg and hoisted him high up into the air. Bowser's ankle was burning from the monster's touch.
Still, Bowser was in trouble. So was he. Junior realized that he needed Bowser's help if he was ever going to get out of here. It was time to put his grudge aside. Even if it was just for now.
"Dad!" Junior called out. No response. How was he going to get his dad's attention from down here?
The serpent tossed Bowser higher up into the sky and prepared to catch him with its mouth. Bowser spun as he fell and triggered his spike ball technique. The spikes stabbed the insides of the serpent's mouth. It shrieked in pain and spat him out immediately. Bowser crashed to the ground with a thud as he uncurled himself.
Junior attempted to hoist himself up onto a rock again. He managed to climb up a little higher than before, but his foot slipped and he tumbled back down to the bottom again.
"Dad!" Junior called out again between coughs as he ingested the rising dust.
Bowser's arms trembled as he forced himself to sit up. His body was screaming and begging for him to give up. But his mind was too stubborn. The serpent's head descended down slowly to savor the moment as it went in for the kill.
"That shell of your's is quite bothersome," the creature commented. Bowser looked up at it but didn't say anything. "I'll have to remove it first before eating you."
Junior continued attempting to climb out, but in vain. He tumbled into the dirt several more times. Upon standing up, the dust had become too much. Junior huffed, puffed, and finally sneezed. From his mouth, the little Koopa shot out a small burst of fire straight up into the air and out of the hole.
Bowser caught a glimpse of a small light from the corner of his eye. It looked like fire. Bowser dove out of the way of the serpent's bite just in time, scrambled to his feet with pure adrenaline, and approached the source of the light. It was a hole. He couldn't see directly down inside of it right away because of a thick cloud of dust, but he heard a small sniffling sound coming from below.
"Hello?" Bowser called out. Junior's eyes widened upon hearing his father's voice.
"…Dad?...DAD!" the little Koopa exclaimed.
"Junior…? Junior! Is that you!?" Bowser sighed tremendously in relief at the sound of his child's voice. He was still alive.
"Dad, it's me! Help! I'm stuck down here!" Bowser turned around again just in time to avoid another advance from the serpent.
"Hang on!" Bowser exclaimed. "I'll get you out somehow!" he promised. He had to think on his feet as he dodged for his life. Bowser plucked two more crystals and maneuvered his way back over to the hole where Junior was. The serpent attempted to stop Bowser from reaching his goal. But when he got close enough, Bowser stabbed the creature in the eye with one of the crystals. The monster roared in pain and retreated temporarily. Bowser had managed to buy himself some time, but not much.
The hole was too small for Bowser to fit through so he couldn't climb down to Junior's level. But he already had another idea in mind. He lowered a crystal down into the hole with one hand.
"Junior, here! Grab on to this and I'll pull you up!" the Koopa King directed. Junior hesitated. With only one arm, hanging on tightly was going to be difficult. He couldn't let go once he was in the air. Junior was positive he couldn't take another fall. Junior wrapped his good arm around the crystal and dug his tiny claws into it as he let his broken arm dangle. He wrapped his feet around the bottom of it as well. Bowser yanked the crystal up. When Junior began to feel himself slipping, he bit the crystal with his front tooth to buy himself a few more seconds.
As the crystal reached the outside air, Junior lost his grip and flew upwards freely. Bowser caught Junior on his way back down and hugged him tightly in his arms before the little Koopa could panic. He looked up, and was greeted with a barrage of kisses and tears. His chest bounced against Junior's cheek as he sobbed.
"Dad….I'm okay…," said Junior.
"I know….," Bowser cried. "I'm just…glad. I'm so happy to see you…" Junior smiled and patted Bowser's arm with his good hand. Bowser set Junior down to his feet and put his massive hands on the little Koopa's shoulders.
"Dad….I-"
"Shhhh," Bowser stopped him. "Don't worry about that right now. We need to get out of here." Junior nodded in agreement.
"But what about that snake monster?" the little Koopa asked.
"We need to get rid of him first."
"We…?" Bowser looked directly into Junior's eyes.
"I need your help, champ," Bowser clarified. "I can't do this alone." Junior was startled to hear this. His father never asked anyone for help before. He didn't let Junior help last time against the golems. Why was this time so different?
"But…I broke my arm again when I fell down that hole…," Junior confessed sheepishly.
"Then just use your other one," Bowser argued. "Can I count on you?" Junior smiled.
"Yeah!"
The serpent monster resurfaced once the pain in its eye had subsided. It had gone partially blind thanks to that crystal, but the creature was determined to make Bowser suffer for it. It returned to the place where Bowser was last, but its future meal had disappeared. The serpent searched around the mountain top. Finally, it found Bowser standing confidently nearby. He had been waiting.
"It's about time you came back!" Bowser shouted.
"I will make you pay dearly, you abomination!" the serpent retaliated.
"Yeah? Let's see you try!" The serpent began another series of snaps and lunges at Bowser. The Koopa King dodged and ran as he evaded the attacks. He was luring the creature away from the spot where he had been standing. Meanwhile, Junior was behind a rock, executing the plan his father had discussed with him. Junior stomped a crystal into slightly smaller pieces that he could carry with one hand. He repeated this process on another crystal, then another, and another. The little Koopa pulled from a pile he had as he prepared his arsenal. By the time Bowser jogged back around to his location with the serpent in pursuit, Junior was ready.
The little Koopa handed Bowser two crystals, which the latter used to fend off the serpent when it got close. Feeling dizzy and fatigued from all of the damage it had taken, the serpent gradually lowered its head. Bowser jumped on-board. His nerves were practically exploding under the blistering heat, but Bowser ignored them. He had to in order for this plan to work.
The Koopa King stabbed the crystals into the creature's flesh. The serpent roared and jerked around to try to shake Bowser off. Bowser dug his claws in and held on for dear life. Junior ran out from behind the rock. After taking a running start, he threw another crystal into the air. The Koopa King caught it and jammed it into the serpent. The creature flailed wildly as it continued attempting to remove Bowser. It was getting harder to stay on. The pair repeated their maneuver several more times until the serpent's head was practically covered in implanted crystals.
Eventually, the serpent finally managed to shake Bowser off. The Koopa King flew and crashed down near Junior.
"Dad!" he cried out as he hurried over to assist his father. "Are you okay?" Bowser picked himself back up.
"Yeah…," he responded weakly. "How's this thing still standing?" he wondered aloud. The serpent definitely looked weak now, but if it wasn't finished off, the battle wouldn't end. Junior spotted one final crystal. The two nodded as they understood what to do next.
"ENOUGH!" the serpent exclaimed. Its fangs dove towards Bowser for one final attack. It was all or nothing now. Bowser sprinted forward to confront the serpent one final time. Using the last of his strength, Junior threw the last crystal before face-planting into the dirt. Bowser reached back and caught it without losing any speed. The serpent was still up high and Bowser couldn't wait for it to come down. When he ran out of solid ground, the Koopa King leaped off to face the serpent head-on.
Lava was directly below him now. There was no certainty of where he would land. But that didn't matter. All that did was this moment. Bowser jammed the final crystal directly into the serpent's forehead. As it was cemented into place, Bowser lost his grip and fell.
The pain was too great. The demon had no strength left. It reluctantly admitted defeat as it fainted. The serpent crashed into a rock, breaking one of the crystals loose, and was engulfed by the lava with an immense splash.
Bowser collided with the same rock and fell into the lava as well. His shell managed to cushion his fall and prevent him from going under for too long. Everything was burning, but he wasn't dead yet. This was a very familiar predicament. Bowser once again found himself floating on lava by his shell, but unable to move or climb out of harm's way. Unfortunately, his shell was in a lot worse shape now than it was last time.
The rocks from the cave had managed to create cracks and chips in the Koopa King's otherwise impenetrable backside armor. His flesh was directly exposed to the lava in several places, and the pain was almost unimaginable. The time Bowser had left to get off the river before he burned to death was half of what it was previously.
To make matters even worse, the serpent's collision with the rock had created a chain reaction that shook the entire mountain to its core. Junior tumbled down a slope and landed at the bottom level near the edge of the lava lake. He sat up and processed what was happening as the mountain began to erupt. The little Koopa grabbed a crystal nearby; the very same one that broke off the serpent's head. He raced over to the edge of the lava river and spotted Bowser.
"Dad, here!" Junior exclaimed. "Grab on!" Bowser reached for the crystal with all his might. He just needed fate to allow him to float a little closer. Bowser grabbed onto it at last and Junior pulled him over to the lava's edge. The Koopa King managed to roll up onto shore. But there was no time for either of them to catch their breath.
The very ground under their feet was breaking apart. In fight or flight mode, Bowser stumbled to his feet, picked Junior up, and placed his child over his shoulders and behind his neck in a piggyback.
"Hold on tight!" Bowser instructed. Junior nodded without a word. Thinking quickly, Bowser charged into a massive crystal that was embedded into the wall nearby with his shoulder. The piece that broke off was large enough for Bowser to roll into the lava. He hopped on-board and used it as a raft to navigate the perilous ocean of magma.
The crystal was carried down a steep decline at the other side of the mountain. The path it took sharply turned left and right as it rode the slope. It jerked Bowser in each direction, and it took everything Junior had not to let go of his dad's head. After several minutes of close calls, the crystal raft reached the foot of the mountain as it descended into a tiny, calm spring of lava. The ride was over.
Bowser stepped off of the crystal and back onto solid ground as he caught his breath. Junior was unconscious, but the little Koopa had managed to hang on for the entire ride down. The Koopa King looked back and watched from a safe distance as the volcano finished erupting. He was sure the serpent had survived since it lived in the lava, but that hardly mattered. Bowser had bested him in battle and escaped from the mountain alive with Junior in tow.
There wasn't much to see on the road ahead. It looked to be a flat, safe, and boring walk from here on out. After what he had just been through, Bowser couldn't have asked for anything more. The pain from his injuries was catching up to him in full force now. It took everything he had left to keep limping forward. As long as he was still alive, it didn't matter how much he was hurting. His quest wasn't over yet.
He still had to keep his promise to Celia.