Author's Note: Indeed, I have a new chapter in. More of a transitional chapter if anything, but still a chapter nonetheless. It closes most of the things needed to be done for the England Arc and prepares us for the upcoming Japan Arc. Enjoy!
Chapter 41: I'll Miss You Guys
"Yeah, hello?" asked Kevin.
"Kevin-boy? It is Rolf!"
Kevin became elated. He looked up and Luigi and Terrance for a moment, then back towards the phone. "Rolf! How have you been?! Where are you now?"
"Rolf is leaving his home country. He is traveling toward England now."
"England?" asked Kevin. He also noticed something unusual about Rolf: his tone of voice was much more serious then before. "Did something happen dude?"
Rolf didn't answer his question. Kevin realized about then that perhaps this was something he didn't need to know.
"Do you know where brainy Edd-boy is now?" asked Rolf.
"Hm, no." Kevin said. "We're trying to find him now too, him and the others."
Rolf sighed. "Kevin-boy, if it is not too much to ask, will you accompany me in England? Rolf has been though much toil and could use allies."
Kevin stopped for a moment. He had a lot to consider. He had no leads or clues anymore about where his friends were. Nor anything about the whereabouts of Beldam or any of the stars. He could be taking the right step by leaving the country, or he could have been making it worse by traveling in the wrong direction.
"Yeah, ok." Kevin said, somewhat uneasy.
"Good." Rolf said, somewhat relieved. "Rolf shall meet you at London Stansted Airport."
"Ok, see you later." Kevin said, hanging up his cellular phone. He looked back towards Luigi and Terrance, who were talking to each other.
"Hey guys, pack your bags." Kevin said to them. "We're goin' to London."
"London?" Terrance asked. "Duuuuh, how're we supposed to afford that?"
Kevin paused. He looked down at his shoes.
"That's always-a what it is with you, huh?" asked Luigi. "You rushed out on your own to find this Nazz girl, then you do this. No offense, but-a I think you are reckless."
"What's wrong with reckless?" Terrance jumped in. "I say this guy's got the right idea. Heh, I think I know how I can get us there without having to pay."
"How's that?" Kevin asked, skeptical of his dim-witted ally.
"Oh, I got connections. Heh heh heh..." Terrance smiled rather mischievously and looked on at Luigi and Kevin.
3 days had passed since the events at the Temple of Time. London had once again become quiet in the following days. However, the bizarre events which had occurred spread amount the streets on rumor's breath. It would only be a matter of time until further investigations would be underway.
The group, now heavily increased in numbers, took refuge. It was at a hotel, a large one located near the edge of the city, within it's outskirts, a place that was neither too loud nor too quiet. Most of the members had collectively pitched in to rent rooms for the following few days since the indent. There were enough members now to take up an entire hall of rooms. Members spent almost every day either in the presence of the others, regaling the events that had come before, or spending time alone to think of what had occurred.
Double D checked a clock which hung on the walls nearby the doorway of his room. In a few minutes he would have to attend a meeting. It would be at 2:00 PM, in the cafeteria. He had rented it's use out for the following two hours. He would never every second of that time to address the members of his group. He paused at his door for a second, nervously at first, the proceeded out, cautiously and carefully locking it behind himself.
"Oh, hey, Double D!" shouted a voice as he walked out of his room. He looked forth, then down, and saw Chopper, Luffy's pirate doctor. "I was looking for you!"
Double D looked concerned. "How is she-?
"Vivian is improving. But only just." Chopper stated. He looked down at the floor at first to gather his thoughts. Vivian had been out cold since her own fight against her sister. Chopper had, within these three days, taken her in, tending to her constantly in his own room, monitoring her health.
"I wish we could take her to a hospital." Double D said, a frown on his face. "But that would never work. People are much too afraid about what they don't understand. And with all the attention we've drawn over the last few days, I can't take that kind of risk."
Chopper nodded. "Yes, I know that all too well..."
Double D smiled as he looked down upon the small fellow. "Well then, I trust her in your care. I know you'll be able to get her well and better."
The metal doors creaked open as Double D walked gradually into the cafeteria. This room was big and spacious, and well lit. Arched windows allowed sunlight to stream within it's chamber. Within, it's cleaned blue and white-tiled floors gave a shine, the tables nearly organized and well prepared. Double D felt a bit more encouraged, being in a more clean and normal environment. It was already crowded and packed: the members of the group he had gathered were all present, aside from Vivian and Chopper of course. All were about, either eating a late lunch of conversing with one another.
The sock-hatted leader stood in an open area, one towards the front end of the room where the tables had been cleared. He mentally prepared himself for announcement, then cupped his left hand over his face while waving at the audience with his right hand.
"Your attention please, everyone!" he called out.
In a matter of seconds, the room quieted down to a calm silence. He had their undivided attention now. He paused for a moment, before beginning his speech.
"Thanks everyone. I trust all of you are well-rested after these last three days. It's been very trying so far, and yet we are quite a ways from the end of our journey. Before we begin, I will do a brief roll-call. When I call your name please raise your hand."
"AHEM!" called a distant Goombella, tapping her foot on the floor.
"Erm, um yes, well, just get my attention." he said with a blush and sweat, rubbing the back of his head. He then took out a sheet of paper, then a pencil, and began to mark off the names as he called them out."
"From Peach Creek: Sarah, Jimmy, Marie, and myself."
Double D frowned. He reflected back on the days when he and the kids would play together in their own neighborhood, on their various mishaps and adventures. Now the four of them were all who were left. Jimmy and Sarah stood watching, hand in hand, both looking glumly at the Edd-boy. He also glanced to Marie, who simply wove back with a half-smile.
"...from the Mushroom Kingdom: Goombella, Goombirro, Koops, Koopie Koo, Punio, Petuni, Eduardo Jr, Ms. Mowz, Doopliss, TEC, Vivian, and Princess Peach Toadstool."
"Hi dad!" Eduardo Jr. shouted back. Double D laughed and smiled. Since he had been rescued, Double D had spent quite a long time with Eduardo Jr, when he was not laboring over his planning or sitting with Vivian as she recovered. Many of the other members were not as happy: Goombella looked down, still concerned for the missing Eddy, Goombirro attempting futily in order to comfort her. Koops and Koopie Koo looked on together, mostly undeterred, while the two little Punies looked concerned, having hoped to find Rolf after they were rescued. Ms. Mowz looked on, barely interested, similarly so did Doopliss, whilst TEC watched keenly. Princess Toadstool appeared unfocused and worried, concerned greatly for Mario who had left the group under mysterious circumstances.
The leader examined them all before resuming. "From San Francisco: Mac and Bloo."
The two smallest members of the group looked on. Mac, though a bit bruised, was smiling, covered in head to toe with bandages, while his whimsical friend Bloo looked on without a care in the world.
"From Luffy's Crew: Luffy, Nami, Usopp, Sanji, Zoro, and Chopper."
The crew, sans Chopper, were present, standing in a row in the back of the room, all listening with focused expressions, with the exception of Luffy who was chowing down on a late lunch.
"And finally, from Hyrule: Link and Midna."
Both nodded, looking at the the leader.
Double D wrote everyone's names down on the paper. "That's 26. Our group is up to 26 members. And while that is nowhere near as high as it should be, it's what we have for now."
He paused for a moment, then looked back up. "As you all know, we have 3 goals. Collect the Crystal Stars and save this world from UPCO. Second, rescue all of our friends who have been taken from UPCO. Right now this includes... Eddy, Robin, and Eddy's Brother. Finally, our third objective is to find all of the comrades we have lost along our way. This includes Rolf, Kevin, and Mario, as well as everyone we left behind in Mario's world."
Jimmy rose his hand. "Oh, what about Nazz?"
Double D's eyes widened. He looked down at first, and then back at the group. "Nazz is going to be alright. She was checked into the hospital shortly after Beldam released her. I called in and found out her parents are on the way to pick her up. They should arrive sometime today to take her home."
"Will we get to see her?" Sarah asked.
"It's... too risky." stated Double D. "Nazz is under surveillance until her parents arrive. She has awoken, but she hasn't said a word to anyone since. She is still too injured to join us again. The best option for her is to return home. She will be safe there, after this whole trying ordeal."
"Hahahahahaha!" cackled Terrance!
Kevin smiled as well, a rather michevious grin. "Choice." he commented.
"I don't know about THIS." Luigi stated nervously.
Terrance was leaning against and giant, crude, gritty black dragon creature, concurred with scars and tatoos all over it's scales. It was about as big as a two person aircraft, and as it stood there, it looked on at the three menacingly. Or at least, it would appear more menacing if it did not resemble a doodle of a sheet of paper. It was obvious due to the creature's many anatomical flaws: wings uneven, feet and arms different lengths, all sides of it appearing as though it possessed some form out outline.
"Where did you find this monster?!" Luigi shouted.
"Sssss-h! X-nay on the Monster-Day!" Terrance shouted, making a cutting motion against his neck with his hand. The dragon grunted and eyed down Luigi, just long enough for him to cower down into a fetal position.
"So where'd you get this guy?" Kevin asked.
"It's an imaginary friend, hah! I got him from a friend of mine who... uh, well, let's say he owes me for losing a bet."
Kevin gave Terrance a concerned look, then checked the dragon again. "And this will get us across the Ocean to England?"
"It's as sturdy as the Titanic!" Terrance said, laughing and slapping the dragon on the head. The dragon growled and nearly snapped his hand off.
"Well that's reassuring." Kevin sighed. He took his bike, and propped it on the dragon's back before climbing in himself.
"What? Wait, what are you doing?!" asked Luigi, grasping his head in a panic. "Don't you realize you're about to fly on a dragon across the ocean?!"
Kevin nodded. "I need to find Nazz, and I already promised Rolf that I would come. Whether or not you want to continue following me around is your choice."
"Why are you following him around anyway?" Terrance asked. "You got nothin' better to do or what?"
Luigi gulped. "N-n-no, that's not quite it!"
"Then come on!" Terrance shouted, throwing himself atop the imaginary dragon, without too much concern.
"I'm about to ride on an imaginary creature with a punk kid and a hero across the Atlantic Ocean. Either my dreams are coming true or I have hit a new low."
Luigi at last conceded and jumped atop the dragon.
"Ok, giddy-up!" exclaimed Terrance, kicking the dragon's sides. It did not budge however, instead it merely looked towards the punk on his back.
"Let's go!" shouted Kevin, growing impatient.
"Uh, I don't mind waiting." Luigi added in from the back of the group.
Terrance growled. He punched the imaginary friend on the back of the head and again shouted, with a louder tone of voice.
"MOVE IT, STUPID!"
The dragon groaned and looked backwards, poorly designed jaw opened outward, threatening to chew Terrance's fist off. It was only now that Terrance winced and cowered backwards.
"Allow me." Kevin said. He crawled upwards, taking Terrance's spot on the dragon's neck.
"You heard the guy. Start flying now, dork." As he said this he reached for his wrench.
The dragon, surprised at Kevin's attitude, perked up, then turned forward and flapped it's giant wings, and awkwardly, ascended into the air.
Smug as always, Kevin turned back to terrance, and smiled. "Nothin' to it."
"Now that we have attendance matters taken care of, I would like to discuss our status." Double D stated. He looked intently into the audience as he spoke.
"We have three Crystal Stars right now. The Emerald Star, which is presently built into the Edmobile, as well as the Gold Star and the Sapphire Star, which are free for us to use. Four more remain out there: in Japan, Eygpt, Australia, and Antarctica. We know that an item Nami has on her called the Log Pose can pinpoint the stars by locking onto their unique signatures. After doing the math, we noticed that her log currently directs us due east, towards Japan. And the fact that it is still there indicates that it has not been discovered yet, so it will be our primary objective. But we have a big issue to deal with."
"What's that?" asked Jimmy.
"Our group is huge. 26 of us. While we do have numbers on our side, traveling together all at once will be too hazardous. And furthermore, we only have one automobile, the Ed-Mobile, with a safe capacity of 6 people. That being said, I believe our only course of action is to split up."
"What?!" shouted Sarah. "Are you serious?! We just got back TOGETHER you know!!"
"Yes Sarah, I realize this. I plan to split up the group minimally. Since the capacity for the car is 6, I will lead a group of specially selected individuals to accompany me to Japan. Everyone else will be under care of Luffy and his crew. You'll board his ship and depart for Japan, then sail in our direction when possible.
"Sail?!" shouted Goombirro. "Do you know how long it will take for that group to arrive?!"
Double D was not deterred. "In the event that we need to recall on the rest for reinforcements, we'll rush to pick you up."
"At sea?" asked Punio.
"Yes." Double D said. "Besides, I figure that due to the fact that the ocean is so large and mostly empty, it would leave us with an opportune location for hiding most of our forces. That being said, I need to select 5 of you on the main mission."
"And who is going?" asked Midna, arms folded.
"PICK ME!" shouted Bloo from the distance.
"I... still need to decide. I will have my answer later tonight though." Double D stated. "We'll take care of last minute provisions and then depart tomorrow morning."
"Pick ME!" shouted Luffy, chiming in with Bloo.
Double D narrowed his eyes for a moment. "Uh, well anyway, onto our second priority. We need to come up with a rescue plan. Many of you have just recently been freed from Beldam's grasp, but Eddy, Eddy's Brother, and Robin are all still their hostages."
Goombella, Jimmy, Sarah, Marie, and all of the members of Luffy's crew looked down, worried. Even Double D took a moment to sniff and wipe a brief tear from his eye. "Needless to say we can't let them have our comrades. So in addition to my team of star hunters, I will need to form another team specifically specialized in rescuing their captives. In this case, I imagine I will need to form a team with members who are tactical and efficient."
The members of the group looked amongst themselves, wondering who among them would be placed in the team that would take part in the rescue.
"...lastly." Double D said, breaking the silence. "Our third goal is to locate all of our friends who are not taken captive. Rolf, Kevin, and Mario have all gone missing since our trip began. Furthermore, we still have a large group of members in the Mushroom Kingdom. We need to open a door to that world and find them, to increase our numbers still. The group that will specialize in this task will need to be very smart, in order to properly find such a means of inter-dimensional transport."
Again, the group members looked around at one another, no verbal responses.
"This is all I have to say then, everyone." Double D said. He looked down, then without closing his speech, walked away from the podium. Nobody had said a word as they watched him walk away and out the door, no doubt to check on Vivian's situation again.
Rolf sighed, and sat down on a stool. He arrived at the airport later that afternoon as the sun had begun to set. Twilight was pouring in through the large windows as he sat in a small coffee shop next to the entrance to the aircraft terminals. Having appeared a little beaten up from earlier, he had purchased a new blue jean jacket to wear, though the fact that he had tried to pay using fish and farming seeds delayed the transaction for quite a while. He now sat in a room as many people walked past him, going about their daily lives innocently. Rolf took a sip of his coffee then checked a clock which hung on the wall. He wasn't expecting Kevin to arrive for a little while longer, so he needed to kill quite a bit of time.
Rolf glanced at his new item, the Shepard's Cane, which leaned at his side while he sit down. He had remembers the confrontation he had with his father recently. In a way, he had wished he had not taken the item along with him, but in spite of the fact that he knew his father had lied to him all along about Reina's survival, he thought that he could trust his dad enough to keep the cane.
"Will this be Rolf's undoing?" thought Rolf as he looked down at it. Puzzled about it all, he took another swig of his coffee and grunted after he gulped it down, setting the cup back down on the table.
Rolf turned to look back towards the terminal. As he did, his eyes caught onto the sight of something familiar. Three figures in a crowd. Two were tall and facing the other way: a man and a lady. The man wore a dignified black suit and tie, his hair blonde in color. The woman was similar, wearing a red business suit, her own equally blonde hair down to her shoulders. Both the man and the woman were facing opposite directions. The third and final member of the trio was a young woman, wearing a white dress. She was looking in Rolf's direction, or at least closely enough that Rolf was able to see her face. Her blonde hair, her manor of appearance. It was unforgettable to him.
"Go-go Nazz girl?"
He suddenly jumped. "Wait, no, that should be Beldam. And yet... Rolf sees no relic around her neck..."
Rolf got up from his chair, cane in hand, as he walked towards the terminal, following Nazz. He watched as the three people walked towards the terminal. The two adults faced away, and began talking to the ticket and luggage officer. As they did, Nazz's eyes began to wander across the room. She looked right at the blue-haired fellow. She squinted at first, in an attempt to mentally confirm it was him. When it came time that she realized the truth, her eyes widened, silently mouthing his name. Rolf jumped, realizing he had been spotted. He tried to not to bring attention to himself.
Nazz looked backward at her parents, to make sure they were not watching her, then turned around and walked slowly towards Rolf. He noticed she appeared quite beaten and bruised, with a sling over her arm and a series of bandage wrappings all over her left leg. She appeared to be smiling though. Rolf braced himself, unsure of what to expect.
"Rolf? Rolf, it's you!" she said. "Dude, have you come all this way to find me?"
Rolf couldn't tell whether or not she was really Nazz or Beldam in disguise. Rolf only nodded at the response.
Nazz sensed his skepticism. She smiled a bit, her typical, signature smile.
"Rolf, it's me, Nazz. Nazz Van Bartonschmeer. I don't have the Medallion of Life anymore, someone else does." she said.
"Nazz?" Rolf asked, sensing a bit of her voice. "How can Rolf be so sure that she-who's-hair-is-blonde aren't hiding the medallion somewhere on yourself?"
"You're going to have to trust me on that one." Nazz replied, frown disappearing.
"But shouldn't Nazz-Girl show-"
"I said trust me on it." She snapped back.
Her voice was loud enough to echo in the large room. A few passerby people turns their heads to look for a few seconds as she had shouted. Nazz quickly turned back and saw that the two adults she was with had not checked.
Rolf sighed. "Yes, Rolf sees it now. Welcome back Nazz-Girl! Now that you are free, surely she-who-has-been-purified-of-evil will come with Rolf!"
Nazz frowned and looked down. "No dude, I can't go with you."
Rolf frowned as well. "Why?"
"My parents found me. They're right here, with me." she motioned towards the two adults that had been with her. "I'm afraid they're making me go home."
"Home?" Rolf asked. "To the Cul-de-sac?"
She nodded. "Sorry, but my traveling ends today."
"Nazz-girl, can you not reconsider? Kevin-boy is coming here tonight, and he-who- obsesses-over-you has been searching for you for what seems like an eternity."
Nazz's eyes widened. "He's coming here? To find me?"
"And Rolf." Rolf added. "The three of us will once more be able to adventure, as allies!"
Nazz shook her head. "I can't come. I'm sorry... but."
She once more looked around to check to see if she was being watched by anyone. When the coast was clear, she looked back to Rolf, and talked in a faint whisper.
"I have something important to tell you."
"Hm?" Rolf said with a curious tone.
"I was aware of being possessed. And while Beldam had me captive for three crystal star hunts, I saw a few things. Rolf, the X-nauts are back. They teamed up with a villain named Dimentio. They also have a kraken monster. But most importantly, I saw who they were being lead by. It was an organization named UPCO, lead by three tall men, named King, Keaton, and Bremen."
"...King, Keaton, and Bremen?" asked Rolf. "...where has Rolf heard those names before?"
Nazz shrugged. "At any rate, the event with the Crystal Star here in London was finished. Double D and his group might still be here in London."
"HERE?" shouted Rolf. "They are here?!"
"If not here dude, then I know where they might be headed. I know that the next crystal star that UPCO will hunt is in Japan somewhere-"
"Nazz!" shouted a male voice. Nazz turned around and saw her Mom and Dad, both having finished the ticket purchasing and luggage situation.
Nazz turned briefly towards Rolf. "Rolf, tell Kevin and the others what I told you. Make sure you do that."
Rolf nodded silently. Nazz turned around and began to walk towards her parents.
"Wait, Nazz-girl." stated Rolf suddenly.
"Yeah?" she said, looking back.
Rolf extended his arm and gave her a quick hug. A hug that was rather strong by her standards.
"Welcome back, Nazz-girl. Have a safe trip home."
She was surprised, but she briefly hugged him back as well. "Good luck to you too, dude. Keep in touch."
Nazz and Rolf let go. She then turned back towards and ran to her parents. Rolf continued to watch until after a minute or so, she vanished into the crown of people traveling into the terminal.
As the sun was close to setting down over the horizon of the city limits, Double D stared out of his window. The sounds of the London were slowly dying down. He lay back down on his bed, looking upwards at the ceiling. A breeze from the window brushed into his hotel room, making the blinds shake and curtains wave.
And there he lay, in silence, wondering about whom he was going to assign for the teams. Three very important teams, and it would be best if he had organized them in the most efficient way.
"Including myself, six of us are going to Japan. ...heh, I remember the day when Eddy wanted to send us there. I guess it's finally happening."
He closed his eyes. "Ed. Eddy. Vivian. Most of the people I hold dear seem to be all gone. Was this my fault, for finding TEC and opening the gate between our worlds?"
There was a knock on his door. Double D sprang up into a sitting position. "Who's there."
"It's me!" came Eduardo Jr.'s voice.
Double D got up from his bed, then walked slowly to the door and opened up it. He found on the other end, somewhat shorter then him, a young Yoshi who would call sock-hat his dad.
"Hey, come in." Double D said, motioning for him to walk inside.
Double D shut the door behind him as he entered, Eduardo Jr. walking casually and sitting down in a chair, legs up on a table.
"Erk." Double D cringed.
Eduardo jr. needed a moment to register what Double D mean.
"Uh, sorry Dad, I remember you don't like that." he lowered his feet onto the ground again.
The sock-hat fellow walked back into the room and sat down on his bed.
"So, what brings you here, Jr?" asked Double D.
"Just wanted to say hello dude." he replied with a smile. Double D, unfortunately, did not respond to this. Eduardo Jr's smile slowly faded.
"Uh, well, I was wondering if you wanted to play a game or something?" asked Eduardo Jr. He jumped up from his chair. "Kart Racing, Tennis, Football..."
Double D tilted his head.
"Heh..." Eduardo Jr. laughed. "I know, how about combat practice? What do ya say? Oh, and just because you're my dad doesn't mean I will go easy! I didn't spend the last four years lounging around at the Glitz Pit for nothing you know!"
Double D nodded, and got up from his chair.
"...Dad... Eduardo- no, Double D. ...yeah, Double D..." Eduardo Jr. decided to refer to him by his informal nickname. "Double D, what's going on?"
"What do you mean?" asked the sock-hatted fellow.
"You have been pretty quiet. Is it because of Eddy? Or Vivian..."
Double D looked down. "Sorry. I have just had a lot on my mind right now."
"Well, as you say, 'chin up'! C'mon, your the amazing Eduardo! You are an amazing fighter! There's nothing you can't do!"
Double D chuckled and bit and smiled. "You should have seen me before you hatched, I was a bit of a coward."
"See, I got ya to laugh!" Eduardo jr. said, jumping up and down excitedly where he stood. "And you, a coward? I don't see it!"
"Heh, well..." Double D replied bashfully. "...ok, Jr., let's go practice for a while!"
"That's the spirit!" the yoshi said with a nod, running to the door and opening it, rushing outside.
"W-wait, sheesh, I need to get my key and my shoes and-"
He had already gone, racing excitedly down the halls.
Double D laughed, then reached for his shoes. As he placed them on, a few more thoughts began to race through his mind.
"Silly me, moping around. True a lot of things have happened, but it's nothing we haven't been able to solve before. We've been in worse, right? I should bestow more of my confidence in myself and my allies!"
He placed on his shoes, tying them neatly as he usually would, then grabbed his keycard on a nearby desk, polishing it a bit before proceeding towards the door. Just as he had shut the door behind him however, he was greeted to a voice.
"Hey, just the guy I wanted to see!"
Double D turned around and saw Nami, holding a few sheets of paper.
"I was wondering, with the time left before you announce who goes on what team, if you could give me your analysis on..."
Her voice seemed to fade away as Double D peered over her shoulder, and saw Eduardo Jr. in the hallway, jogging in place, waiting for his "dad".
"Um, my apologies Nami, but can this wait a little while longer?"
She was surprised. "Oh, well sure, that's fine."
Double D nodded. "Thank you."
And with that, he raced down the hall, laughing, as he pursued Eduardo Jr down a corner and out of her view.
Nami sighed, and rubbed her head. "One minute he's moapy, the next he's serious, then he's playing with a dinosaur. What's with that guy?"
Night had fallen soon afterwards. Sitting in her room, alone, was Goombella, reading a book. Since the disappearance of Eddy, she had begun focusing much more on her studies. As she read from an old green journal, she made separate footnotes along the pages, writing diligently, a pencil in her mouth. The standard way for writing for all goombas of course. She stopped for a minute when she heard sounds of shouting. Placing her book on the table, she opened her room's window and looked down a couple floors below to look into the outer courtyard of the hotel.
She could see Double D and Eduardo jr sparring. Some of the other group members, now including Doopliss, Jimmy, and Sarah, crowded around to watch, shouting suggestions and tactics to the participants as though it were a sports game.
Goombella was brought back, briefly, to the days of old when she was on their original adventure with the same people. Goombella remember the scent of Rogueport, an old musty scent as it was, when she and the group would rest at Podley's Inn between star hunts.
"Just like old times." she thought.
The door to her room suddenly burst open. Goombella turned around and to her surprise, saw Goombirro, Koops, and Koopie Koo. The intruding trio walked in unannounced, and had nearly gotten directly into her face.
"Ah, geez guys, what's going on?!" she shouted, surprised.
"Goombella! They're playing games downstairs!" shouted Koopie. "It ought to be fun, who don't we go check it out?"
"I don't know." Goombella stated, looked back at her book.
"Goombella, is everything ok?" Koops asked, tilting his head.
"Sure, it's fine." she replied, with a tone indicating she hadn't quite listened to him.
"Eh, let me take care of this." Goombirro replied. "I'll see you two down there in a minute."
Koops and Koopie Koo turned around and saw themselves out of the room, shutting the door behind them.
Goombirro approached her slowly, and peered over to see the book.
"What's that you have there?" he asked.
"It's a travel log." she replied. "It was originally for a project for U-Goom, but I started writing tattles and keeping a log of the events that occurred in our trip, since the Thousand Year Door event.
Goombirro noticed that she had the book opened to the page where Eddy was discovered in Glitzville, and she had described him initially as a bizarre and greedy man.
"Oh, worried about everyone out there?" asked Goombirro.
"Well, yeah..." she said.
"You got to stop worrying as much you know." stated Goombirro. He shut the book, closing away Eddy's page, and pushed it away from her.
"You can't always dwell in past mistakes." he stated. "You got to move on. We'll be able to find him, and everyone else who's gone missing. I'll make sure of it, that every makes it out safe."
Goombella looked back at him and smiled. "Perhaps you're right." she said.
She got up from the desk and nuzzled her head against his. (This is the closest thing a Goomba can do to hug.)
"Ok, so ready to join in on the fun?" he asked.
"Y-yeah!" she said with a bashful smile.
"Ok, catch up to Koopie and Koops, I'll meet you outside after I get the room key."
She nodded and waddled off, with restored enthusiasm, closing the room's door behind her.
Goombirro waited a few seconds, then turned back towards the window, his own smile reduced to a neutral expression. He turned to look at the book she had lain out on the desk. He approached it, and opened it, conveniently to the page that described Eddy. He stared at it for a brief moment, noticing she had drawn a picture of him.
He gawked at the picture, the moonlight from outside casting darkened shadows on his face. Goomba-fangs halfway protruding from his mouth, and eyes narrowed, he closed the book abruptly, as though slamming it's pages over his face.
"It always seems that the roots of our problems all point to you, Eddy." he said seriously and quietly. "Why is that?"
It was past 9 PM when everyone had regathered inside of the cafeteria. It was late at night after all, meaning they were unlikely to have any other guests other then themselves. The group sat at tables, a bit worn out and tired from all of the games. It seemed almost implausible that this would end.
"I bet he'll pick me!" Bloo shouted.
"For the main team? Maybe, but I know he'll pick ME!" Luffy shouted.
"I hope he picks me..." Sarah said with a sigh.
"He'll definitely pick MEEEE!" shouted Eduardo Jr suddenly.
As they debated, a door opened. From the right side of the room, the group watched, and slowly went quiet as Double D returned to the podium he had just been at hours ago. He cleared his voice, and with a better tone then previously, began.
"Hello everyone!" he said.
Double D paused for a moment to clear his throat in his most polite way possible, before taking out a few sheets of paper and placing them on the podium.
"Well, as you all know, we do have a very important mission to get to. To find the Crystal Stars, we will need a team of 6. One member of that team being myself, I have chosen 5 others. Everyone else will divided into two teams, that will be dedicated towards finding the friends whom have been lost and scattered throughout our exploits, and the last one will be a rescue team for UPCO's hostages."
Double D once again looked towards the rather large audience, before getting back to his papers.
"I have the teams prepared and organized. They are as follows..."
"Ladies and gentlemen, we have now reached our cruising altitude. You may now turn on your electronic devices, but please refrain from using cell phones and wireless internet functions. Please enjoy your night ride aboard our flight."
Nazz sat in her chair, against the plane's right-side window, while her parents sat to her left towards the aisle. They were both asleep already. It had seemed as though the long travel was enough for them to be tried. She was thankful they had not been asking her too many questions, at least now while things were moving so quickly.
Nazz sighed, and peered out her window for a moment. She saw the reflection of the moonlight against the plane's shiny right wing, as the aircraft pierced humbly through the night sky, the occasional mass of cloud zooming past her vision of sight.
She then lay her head on the seat's headrest and closed her eyes. Nazz deeply objected to being there, in that seat, in the sky, going back to Peach Creek. Her parents, sleeping as they were, felt infinitely more dominant then her.
"Maybe it's for the best." she thought. "I feel behind on my homework while I was gone, and I'd be more of an anchor to the group in my current condition. Maybe I can visit them again after I finish healing."
Nazz looked out the window once more. She could feel the plane making a turn in the air: dipping towards the right so that her window faced the distant Atlantic Ocean.
As it did, and the plane looked down below, for the briefest of moments, she could have sworn she saw something large and black, with rather bizarre-looking wings, almost like a dragon's, passing by. She attempted to get a better look at it but her injured arm prevented her from leaning close to the window. Whatever it was, it has vanished as soon as it came.
"Probably nothing." she thought.
"Watch it, you!" Kevin shouted at Terrance. Kevin pointed into the sky above them. "We almost got too close to that plane up there! What would have happened if someone saw us like this?"
"Don't know, don't care." Terrance retorted.
Kevin looked back up into the sky, looking back at the aircraft they just passed. He then faces ahead, looking at what appeared to be land in the distant dark horizon.
"Don't worry Nazz, I'm coming." he said softly.
Nazz closed her eyes again. She was willing to get some sleep after all of this had occurred. She lay back, thoughts of her friends in her mind. As she slowly began her decent into her slumber, she thought aloud, though in a whisper.
"I'll miss you guys."
Author's Notes: Thanks for reading again!
Actually guys, I was wondering who you would like to see be a part of each team. Organizing the team of 6 going to Japan is the most important, and while I have some plans for it, I would like to hear your input.
SO, if you want to do so in a message to me or in a review, vote for the characters you'd like to see my feature in that main team of 6. If any character appears on the list high enough, I'll use that character, or characters, on the team! (Any except for Vivian, she needs to sit this one out unfortunately.)
Thank you for reading and hopefully I will have the next chapter up soon!