Do you know what's worse than having writer's block during summer vacation?
Yeah. Me neither.

Great news, though! Coooool123 helped me conquer the block! So let's hear it for her! *applauds*

Disclaimer: Just because I can pwn them, doesn't mean I own them.

Chapter 11: Identified

Minutes that seemed like hours passed in anxious silence. No sign of Goombella or anyone else who could have responded to Koops' e-mail. No doctor had come out of the clinic either.

Waiting was maddening. The whole group perked up at every approaching footsteps and every opening door, hoping for a face to bring relief. Thirty minutes of constant disappointment and frustration.

Koops huffed after the seventh door in a row was a false alarm. I don't know how much more of this I can take. Someone, please come.

"Koops!"

Everyone jumped at the new voice. Heads darted this way and that to identify the speaker. They started to wonder if they had imagined it when a Shadow emerged from the ground.

"I came as quickly as I could. What's going on?"

"Vivian!" Koops and Ms. Mowz said.

Koopley added, "It's a shame that this reunion is bittersweet."

Koops, Koopie Koo, and Ms. Mowz relayed the day's recent events to Vivian, each taking turns as the details progressed.

By the time they finished, she was frowning.

"So you're saying we still know nothing," Vivian reaffirmed.

Ms. Mowz nodded, "That appears to be the case."

Vivian sighed, "So what now? Do we wait until Goombella gets here or somebody comes out of the clinic?"

Koopie Koo groaned, "I don't think I can take any more waiting."

Koops shook his head. "Me neither. I thought I was going to go crazy until you showed up, Vivian."

"We don't have a choice, son," Koopley said.

Koops ran a hand over his head. "I know, I know."

Ms. Mowz nodded towards the father and son. "This stress isn't going to do us any good, either."

Nobody could argue with that. Everyone hated the tension that was building up with each second. They needed a distraction. But how could they focus on something else without feeling guilty about ignoring three Koopas who could possibly be lying on their deathbeds? They managed to get a break last time when Vivian arrived. Unless someone else came, the stress would continue to grow.

"Yo! Koops! Ms. Mowz! Vivian! What's up?"

Right on cue.

The group looked down the road to see a green Mini-Yoshi fast approaching with a Goomba girl not far behind.

Mini-Yoshi, also known as The Great Gonzales Jr., skidded to a halt and wiped a bead of sweat from his brow.

Gonzales grinned when he saw Goombella was panting when she stopped. "Too bad you're not an athlete or a Yoshi, like me. You'd be a lot better at running."

"Shut… up…" Goombella huffed in between breaths. "You're… the one… who started… sprinting… after getting… out of the… Warp Pipe."

"Nobody told you to come after me."

"Um, hello?" Koopie Koo waved her arms to get their attention. "You guys are here for us, right?"

The Yoshi kid blinked. "Oh yeah. Right. So, uh… What's up guys?"

Koopie Koo looked at the others. "Do we really have to explain everything again?"

"Um," Koops started.

Goombella interrupted, "No, you don't. Just tell me what our Dragon-Koopas look like and I'll see if I can find anything on them." As if to emphasize her point, she had her Tattle Log at the ready.

"Well…"

Koops and the others racked their brains to remember how the Dragon-Koopas looked.

Koopie Koo was the first to speak, "There was a big one with dark skin."

Goombella started flipping through pages rapidly, searching for a match.

Koops nodded, remembering the Koopa he had rescued. "The big one had a white head with a star mark on their left eye. They had four f—"

"Aha!" Goombella exclaimed. "A section on 'the Koopalings'. From what you've said, I'd have to guess that the big one is this guy," she turned the book so the others could see the picture, "Morton Koopa Jr."

Koops gasped, "That's him!"

"Let's see," Goombella quickly scanned the pages on Morton. "According to this, Morton is the third-youngest, but the third-largest."

Koopley gave a low whistle, "Isn't that something."

Goombella continued to list of the book's details, "He's pretty strong; he's a chatterbox; by the birth date given, and if my math is right, he's eleven." She looked up from her book. "It looks like that's it on this guy. Can you tell me about the others?"

"Hang on. Is there a picture of all eight Koopalings in your book?" Koops asked.

"Yeah, I think so. Why?"

"I was thinking it might be easier if we pointed them out to you," Koops suggested.

Goombella blinked. "You know, that's not a bad idea."

She flipped to the desired page and showed the picture. Koops, Koopie Koo, and Ms. Mowz pointed out the other Koopalings they had found in the river. Goombella looked them up quickly.

"Okay. Ignatius Koopa. He's usually just called 'Iggy'. He's the fourth-oldest. Obviously he's the tallest and thinnest. Nearsighted, so he wears glasses. DUH! Age 14. Looks like the kid's a dang genius, one of the biggest minds in the world! He used to have a rainbow mohawk, but apparently an experiment went wrong and blew up in his face and gave him that green hair. When everyone didn't complain and actually said it looked kinda cool, he decided to keep it that way. I guess it's a little cool." Goombella's eyes widened, "What's this? 'Suffered severe head-trauma at age ten, inhibiting his formerly great mental capabilities.'"

"Oh my," Vivian said sadly. "What ever happened?"

Goombella scowled, "This stupid book doesn't say." She shook her head in frustration and moved on to the last Koopa, "Lemuel Koopa. Second oldest. Wow! I wouldn't have thought that at first glance. I mean, he's so small! Anyway, he's the smallest in his family. Ooh, ouch. That can't be pleasant. He's a very happy child, though. Optimistic. He'll always try to make you smile. What a nice kid! Says he's more interested in joining the circus than ruling a kingdom."

Goombella's face suddenly fell.

"What's wrong?" Koops asked.

"It says here that his legs are underdeveloped and he can't run. He can walk, but not very fast. His eyes are also misaligned, so he can never see straight."

"But he still tries to make people happy," Koopie Koo commented. "That's so sweet."

Koopley nodded, "He obviously doesn't let his disabilities get the better of him. Right there is a hardy Koopa."

Goombella nodded, smiling, "You're right. According to this, he's really acrobatic and usually gets around by riding on top of a rubber ball. That can't be easy, but I guess it's a breeze for him." The Goomba chuckled lightly, "It says here he dreams of joining the circus."

Warm smiles spread through the group. They all looked forward to meeting this Lemuel Koopa.

Just then, the clinic door opened.

Well, that's it for chapter eleven!

Would you mind telling me what you think? Positive criticism is encouraged! Flames are not! Threats to give my location away to the royal Koopa family... will give me a heart attack.
*jumps at a knock at my door*