The real battle is learning how to write an action-filled battle along the way.

Siph: I think the Koopas would disagree.

The Koopas haven't had to write an action-filled battle for the first time.

Disclaimer: As far as I know.

Chapter 59: Magic, Dear Boy

"Defensive maneuvers!" Ludwig barked the order. "Top priority is keeping as much distance between Bowser and Orphan as possible!

"Right!" the other Koopalings answered, wands at the ready.

Orphan glared at the group in front of him as another breeze swept through the grassy mountain field. His hollow, black eyes looked at every face, his expression twisting into more and more contempt as his gaze passed over those who had interfered the most. Especially the Mario brothers, Princess Peach, and Twink. And when he finally set his sights on the Koopalings, he let out a low, guttural growl, shaking with rage. He narrowed his eyes as black, shadowy wisps emanated them, blowing away in the wind. "I am going to enjoy breaking all of you."

Ludwig's deep baritone voice boomed back. "You will do no such thing, abomination!" he taunted. "You cannot even read us anymore. I hardly think you'll be able to charge through a quarter of us before we fell you!"

Orphan growled again, smoke billowing from his nostrils. "I admit, you might be right about that." He crossed his arms. "Even with that shadowy pest out of the way, with all of you lined up and prepared like that, it won't be easy for me to murder Clawdia's brat with my host's claws or fire."

"So… you're giving up?" Lemmy asked, but he did not lower his wand or ease his stance. No one did.

"I'm giving up on doing this the easy way," Orphan corrected him.

Peach's eyes widened and she gasped, "No…" She felt her hair stand up and shoulders tense as Orphan looked directly at her in response.

"Yes…" he answered her. Then he looked back at Ludwig. "You seem to forget, kiddo, that your dear old dad doesn't just have his fire and physique for his arsenal." He flexed a bicep and admired it for a second, smirking. "And that you're not the first magic user in the family."

Immediately Ludwig gasped as his eyes widened. He cursed as he watched his father disappear from sight. Without thinking, the oldest prince grabbed the youngest and cast a thunderclap, warping Bowser Jr. out of the protective circle in a dark cloud that erupted in thunder as Orphan reappeared where his target once was.

As one, five of the six remaining Koopalings turned and fired attack spells at Orphan. He hissed in pain as the five spells connected with him on all sides, and he teleported back to where he started.

"Good job reading that. I guess that still counts as doing things the easy way…" Orphan tried to joke, but his glare and growl made his mood perfectly and thoroughly clear. He looked at Mario and the Crystal Star party. "And I bet you have a Feeling Fine P badge to prevent transformation."

Ms. Mowz's eyes glinted. "It was originally meant to protect from Bowser's venomous bite, but we'll take any added bonuses that come our way."

"Then try this!" Orphan leapt high above the group and performed a ground pound back in the center of the ring, generating a shockwave in the ground beneath.

Lemmy expertly bounced on his ball to avoid losing his footing, and Mario and Luigi timed their jumps having faced this move before. But many of the others hadn't expected the quake and lost their defensive stances, with some falling completely to the ground. Koops, Koopie Koo, Kraig, and Blue Koopa in particular had fallen onto their backs.

Orphan took his chance to attack the downed Koopa Troopas. He raised his arm high above Kraig. "You and your stupid mental health program." He brought his fist down on the helpless doctor.

"Kraig!" Blue Koopa cried out his name.

Orphan's giant fist collided with a large green shell that suddenly appeared over Kraig. Orphan recoiled from the blow as the shell cracked in half and faded away. By this time the other Koopas had gotten up, and Blue immediately was at Kraig's side to help him up.

"Good work, Koops," Koopie Koo affirmed the one responsible for the Shell Shield. "That was close."

Orphan glared at the couple as they put more distance between themselves and him. He roared and Bowser's muscles pulsed as his body began to grow, doubling in size. Everyone scrambled, shuffling their positions, but Ludwig kept his grip tight on Bowser Junior's hand.

Goombella skidded to a halt next to him. "Has your dad always been able to use magic? He usually seems more like a brute force kind of guy."

Ludwig nodded. "The keyword there being usually. Yes, he has always been gifted in use powerful dark magic, though he prefers showing off his physical might. Especially for the benefit of Bowser here to look up to him." He looked at Bowser Jr., whose gaze was fixed forlornly on their dad and king.

"Now when you say gifted…"

Ludwig sighed, "He is able to conjure a wide range of magic without needing a wand to focus it all from his own raw magic power."

Goombella processed his words for a second, then looked at Bowser with wide eyes.

Orphan was smiling at the trio, mostly at Junior. "All it takes is imagination," he boomed, hands crackling with white electric energy as he raised them. Two giant pillars of electricity erupted up into the sky above, breaking a circle into what cloud cover there was and turning them. Several stray bolts came down from his hands and struck those below, leaping from person to person until everyone was caught in the chains of lightning, screaming from the pain.

And the lighting did not stop until the clouds above were swirling and the entire clearing was locked inside a vortex of wind to rival Flurrie's own.

Satisfied with his barrier, Orphan stopped his lightning attack and watched as the gathered would-be heroes fell to their knees, smoking and some skill crackling with electricity. Some fell fully to the ground, paralyzed. And some…

"Pauline!" Mario rushed to her side against the wind, pulling her up. Her tattered dress was now also singed, and she was still breathing but looking bad.

Peach followed. "Let me help!"

Flurrie floated up higher in the air, took a deep breath, and blew as hard as she could against the wind current, trying to slow it down.

Ms. Mowz was also unconscious, with the the Great Gonzales Jr. tending to her. "Hang on, Ms. Mowz," the Mini-Yoshi assured her, "you're gonna feel better in no time."

Orphan cast his hand over the group. "Not so fast!" In a flash of light, everyone on the ground's position in the clearing suddenly switched among them.

"NO!" Mario and Peach cried as they suddenly no longer had Pauline's unconscious body in their care, and they immediately looked for her.

"I'm just getting warmed up!" Orphan quipped. Suddenly the ground beneath started rumbling. Then it started to emit a reddish orange glow. Everyone but Flurrie stumbled as huge cracks formed in the ground between all the small groups and sank beneath them, only to be replaced with lava, setting the surrounding grass and other greenery on fire.

"Oh yeah, real creative!" Toad yelled at him above the still powerful wind.

Orphan and the Koopalings scanned the now shuffled groups for Bowser Jr. Ludwig, Lemmy, and Roy in particular were stranded on an islet in the middle of a large pool of lava far behind the action. Roy and Ludwig both cursed.

Ludwig slammed his fist onto the ground. "He's just playing with us now!"

Lemmy shook his head. "No, there has to be a way to stop this! We're not giving up!"

Ludwig turned to him. "I never said we're giving up, Lemmy. I just don't know what we can do now." He looked at Bowser's back, studying him. "What do you think, Roy? Any ideas?"

No answer.

"Roy?" he turned to see Roy staring at the ground beneath Ludwig. The eldest looked down and froze.

The book of forbidden spells again.

Siph: Uh-oh.

…

Siph: J, stop smiling.

No.