Disclaimer: All assets of the Mario Movie belong to Nintendo and Illumination.

Chapter 14: Ambush

After being sent back into his cell, Luigi spent the next several hours staring at the same old surroundings. After his stunt, the guards were made aware of what he did, and as such, more were posted to keep a further eye on him since they underestimated him, but Luigi didn't think he would find himself punching the second highest ranked member of the Darklands, but here he was. For once in his life, he actually stepped up for himself and didn't become a pushover once more, and he couldn't let go of that moment. He actually did it! Now with his newfound confidence, he was more determined than ever to escape from this prison to help Mario stop Bowser. He had to make this count. He only had one chance at this, and if this failed, he just became a dead man. Heck, he already was hanging on a thin thread, so he had to make this count.

"Something seems different about you, Green Man." He glanced at the star as it curiously gazed at him.

"You know," he said, "I actually feel more confident. I mean, I actually stood up to someone for a long time. I actually stood up to someone!"

"Great," the Penguin King muttered. "Now Bowser's gonna be after our heads because of what you did. Just utterly great."

"What's your name?" After gaining his new confidence, he actually wanted to socialize because he wasn't afraid anymore. His fear was the main thing holding him back, but now that he got over it, he was ready to try new things like talking to the star. After all, he was curious on why it always craved death.

It tilted its head. "My name?"

"Seriously, why would you bother socializing with that thing? You already know what it's like, so why bother? Just save us the humility and don't talk to that thing."

Luigi glanced at the Penguin King. "Well, maybe it's misunderstood. Have you ever wondered why it's like this?"

"No, but your curiosity is evident from your earlier stunt when you punched the second highest ranked official in the Darklands. You're just digging yourself a bigger hole, but if you wanna chat with that thing, then the more power to you, but I'm not touching that thing with a 39 and a half foot pole."

Luigi ignored him as he turned back towards the star. "So, what's your name?"

"Lumalee."

"OK, Lumalee, may I ask why you crave death so much? I know it's a bit of a personal question, but I'm curious, so why?"

"Because it's my purpose."

"Purpose?"

"I want to be reborn in a state that benefits the galaxy. My life makes up only a sliver of something much greater in the end, and I want to make sure my life has meaning, which is why I want death. I want to make Mama proud of me." Luigi scratched his head. It was a bit strange to hear such a weird view on life from a thing as a star, but that was how his kind usually was. They, like any other being, live and die, but being reborn in a new form was a concept foreign to him, but this star wasn't like him, so there were gonna be different viewpoints, regardless, something Luigi could appreciate. "I can see it in your eye, Green Man. You wish for the same thing, too: the sweet relief of death."

"Not me."

Lumalee cocked his head. "No?"

"One thing's for sure. I'm not planning on dying today. I'm gonna escape from this place one way or another. You can count on that." He clenched his fist. "Don't worry, Bro. I'm gonna save you no matter what."

Mario and co stared in horror as they stared at the air fleet that hovered over the island, their cannons firing as they began bomb it to the ground. What? Were these Bowser's forces? How was he here already? Did somebody spy on them? That was the only logical answer considering Mario and the others only left a day ago, but still. It was baffling to see how quickly Bowser caught wind of their plans and launched a counterattack. What were they gonna do now? They couldn't leave the island defenseless. Should they abandon the mission? Mario took a deep breath. He couldn't get scared now of all times. He just had to keep pressing forward. Maybe Cranky Kong had an idea. "What?!" Peach exclaimed, glancing behind her at the army. "Bowser's here already?!"

"This is all your fault!" Mario glanced at Donkey Kong.

"How the heck is it my fault?"

"It's because you came here in the first place! We didn't have a single problem until you decided to show up, and you brought the worst company to our doorstep, so yes! It is your fault! You should've just stayed away!"

"You really think I wanted this?! I don't! I didn't know they would either follow us or find out about our plans so soon, but it isn't my fault, so stop pinning the blame on me and ignoring the facts that are clear as day!"

"That's enough!" Cranky Kong hissed. "Look around, you fools! You really think we have the time to fight amongst ourselves?! For goodness sake, we have enemies on our island! How about you do me a favor and silence those damn egos of yours and focus on the task at hand?!" He glared at Donkey Kong. "Especially you!" He snorted but didn't respond. "Now, clearly they're trying to divide our objectives, but you two are lucky you're in the presence of a king who thinks ahead. Thankfully, I left some guards on the island should the enemy try something sneaky like this, and my intuition is right once again! Diddy Kong, tell the army to commence with Operation Banana Hoard!"

"On it, Sire!" He flew off Rainbow Road and sped across the ocean back towards the island.

Cranky Kong sighed. "At least there's someone with some common sense."

"Operation Banana Hoard?" Mario said.

"It's a military tactic I coined up. Basically, the goal is to flock to the enemy and strike them with quick blows before retreating. It's all about hit-and-run, striking the enemy at its biggest weaknesses before retreating before the enemy could have a chance to strike back. Something like that would require quick analysis of the enemy, and they need to have quick but accurate reaction skills for this tactic to work. Swift analysis and the hit-and-run are combined together to create an effective strategy to counter the enemy's forces so they don't get a chance to counterattack. Hopefully that makes sense." Mario nodded, though he wasn't expecting such a detailed explanation, but he was the king for a reason, especially since he created that tactic. It was probably one of many the Kong Army used on its foes, but he decided to glance at the island once more to find karts already in the air. Wait. They were already attacking the ships? The Kong Army had great reaction time, mostly because they probably saw the ships coming ahead and prepped their vehicles ahead of time, waiting for their king's orders. Though what was more impressive was that they were even able to fly at all. Sure, they had gliders, but they would need something to keep them in the air. Were there more secrets to these karts than first realized? Well, Mario didn't have to think too hard at the answer considering there were boosters underneath the kart, which explained everything.

And his strategy proved to be effective as the Kongs seemed to communicate with hand signals before altering the trajectory of their vehicles, shooting ammo at the lower half of the ships, causing it to explode as they flew away. Mario gasped. "Impressed, huh?"

"Wow! They're amazing!"

"Indeed. Now you'll never doubt the Great Cranky Kong ever again! When I say I have the greatest army in the world, I mean it, and actions speak louder than words!"

"Your soldiers must've spent hours perfecting their techniques."

"Indeed. My soldiers are dedicated to their country, and it shows everyday through their actions. I couldn't be more proud of them."

Mario sighed. "I'm sorry about what I said to you. I misjudged you. I'm sorry."

"Don't be. A lot of people assume I'm selfish, and perhaps I am in some ways, but it's all for my people. But enough of that now. We keep pressing forward! To Bowser's Castle!"

They drove forward in silence for a bit until Mario caught Toad's nervous glance. "Toad."

"Verify something for me. Do you see something like cars on the sides of the cliff? Over there!" He pointed to said areas as Mario squinted, but he could make out some sort of figures that looked like karts, but they made use of the darkness as they blended into the background, making them hard to see, but regardless of what or who they were, they still had company, and they couldn't let their guard down regardless of whether they were friend or foe.

He turned to Cranky Kong. "Cranky Kong?"

"I see them, too," he said. "I may be old, but there's no mistaking it." He cleared his throat. "Look alive, folks! We got more company ahead! Prepare yourselves for another ambush!" Mario growled. Bowser really planned ahead if he planned for a two-way assault. Well, they had to push through.

As they drove forward, Toad's anxiety intensified as his breathing amplified, causing his stubby arms to shake. "N-No. No! It can't be him!"

"Toad?"

"It's him!" He pointed to a figure standing in some sort of monstrous vehicle, but Mario couldn't figure out who he was, but clearly, he was very intimidating considering Toad couldn't stop his shaking at the very sight of him.

"It's who?"

"The one who killed my parents! The Koopa General!" As they got closer, Mario got a better look at this Koopa General. He was like the rest of his Koopa species except he donned a blue shell with wings on his back and the vehicle he sat in was some sort of bulldozer with a menacing set of maws in front of it. No wonder Toad was scared just because of how intimidating the vehicle was. He probably used that vehicle thousands of times in pursuit of Peach, so he was undoubtedly gonna be Mario's biggest obstacle towards getting to Bowser. "I can't do this! I can't!"

"You can. We will make it through this."

"But Mario, he killed my parents without mercy! I can't do this!"

"Look at me!" Mario grabbed his hand. "Look at me." The organism kept his eyes on the road but didn't say anything else. "We will make it through this. I'm scared, too, but we will make it through this. Tell yourself that. Use I statements. Sound familiar?" Toad nodded. "Then tell yourself that you can do this. Try it."

"But what if it doesn't work?"

"It will. Trust me."

Toad took a deep breath. "OK. I can do this. I'm not scared. Well, I am, but Mario's right. I can get through this. There's nothing I can't do." Like it was a miraculous wonder, his breathing calmed as a smile emerged on his face as he laughed. "It actually worked! How did you know it would work?"

"I don't want to go into too much detail, but your brain perceives what thoughts you tell yourself. Hence if you tell yourself negative things, you're mostly likely to believe them, which is why it's important to counteract them with positive thoughts. It's simple psychology at work."

"Psychowhat?"

Mario chuckled. "Don't worry about it too much. Just look alive. They're gonna pounce on us at any moment."

"Right." Toad pressed a couple buttons, two missile launchers appearing at each side of his kart. He narrowed his eyes. "Let's do this." As they got closer, the Koopa General yelled as he turned on his car, the lights coming to life as the engine roared, the kart speeding down the cliffside as the ambush began. The Kongs were quick to react as they launched green shells at the karts, causing them to fall apart as they exploded before they could reach the road. Mario cringed at the loud noise. What in the world did they put their karts in to make them so explosive? Lava? Well, there wasn't time to muse as some breached through the Kong's defenses, and that was when everything descended into chaos as items were thrown every which way along with various screams that only added to the tension. A couple of Koopas tried to flank him with explosives in their hands, but Cranky Kong rammed into them with his vehicle.

"Everyone!" he yelled. "Defensive position! Operation Buddy Buddy!" The Kongs shifted the positions of their vehicles as they spit up into pairs. "Find a pair of your own, Mario. With this number of enemies, it's dangerous to face them alone. Find someone and help defend them and yourself!" He drove away. Mario glanced around. Who should he pick? He glanced at Toad, who was struggling against two other minions as they slammed their vehicle into his, causing Toad to almost spin out. Mario slammed on the gas and slammed one of them with his kart, causing him to spin out as he crashed into his comrades into a fiery explosion.

"Thanks!" Toad said. He turned to the Koopa beside him. "Take this, you bastard!" He launched a missile at him, but the Koopa tried to dodge it, but he was too late as he met the same fate of death by explosion. Toad laughed. "Ha! Take that! That's what you get for messing with me and my best friend!"

Mario chuckled and glanced around. Cranky Kong's system was working. Having paired two organisms together made for a much more effective approach to whipping out their enemies than by oneself. With the number of karts being destroyed left and right all thanks to this one decision, the tide was already turning towards their favor.

But even then, he still forgot the biggest obstacle they still had to face as his name rang out throughout the air, sending chills down his spine. "MARIO!" He turned around to see the Koopa General charging straight towards them as he rammed through numerous vehicles, regardless of whether they were friend or foe. Many tried to move out of the way, but it didn't help with the fact that the bulldozer took up much of the room, resulting in very little wiggle room and many plummeting to the ocean as the bulldozer destroyed one vehicle after another. "I found you, you dumb excuse for a living organism!"

Mario glanced ahead. The road proceeded to split up into multiple pathways, and he couldn't risk anyone else getting hurt. In other words, he had to be the bait and get everyone away from him by keeping the Koopa's focus on Mario. "We need to split up!" He took the right path as the two armies started to split up amongst the pathways. Now was the challenge of avoiding getting crushed by the fearsome maws as the bulldozer caught up to him surprisingly quickly. How was a vehicle this huge so fast? Either that or Mario's vehicle was slower than he initially realized.

"Mario!" He glanced at the Koopa General as he wore a maniacal smile on his face. "We finally meet at last! Your brother has told us about you, though he was more discreet when it came to the details, more than I would've liked, but who cares?! What matters is that I finally get to eliminate the person who's the biggest thorn in Bowser's side: you! Now, die!" The two zigzagged as Mario tried to avoid getting crushed, the maws missing by mere inches. "Hold still!" Mario growled. He had to do something about this. He couldn't just keep dodging forever. What could he do? He glanced at the lower levels of the road. Oh! He didn't notice that Rainbow Road had multiple levels. He could use this to his advantage. He had to build up speed. He slammed on the brakes and yanked on the wheel, causing the kart to drift as sparks formed from the wheels. He released the brake, the kart bursting forward from the sparks as the Koopa General growled in frustration as Mario successfully landed his vehicle safely, laughing as the kart emerged into a corkscrew. Mario's gut wrenched at first, but his wheels turned sideways as he drove upside down. Whoa! So, this was the anti-gravity mode Cranky Kong was talking about. Good thing he was wearing a seatbelt.

His luck didn't last long as the Koopa General sent two missiles at him, causing Mario to unbuckle as he jumped, the missiles destroying his kart. Mario flew through the air, flailing helplessly, but spotted more vehicles below, so he aimed his body towards them, grabbing onto a Koopa's bike as his feet scuffled against the road. He hoisted himself up and used his body weight to swing the vehicle into another, hopping onto the Koopa as it naturally emerged into its shell, something Mario suspected. He threw the shell at the other kart trailing behind him as the Koopa tried to fire shells of its own, but Mario's throw destroyed it instantly. Mario always had good arms.

With some distance put between them, Mario caught sight of the others fighting back, his focus particularly on Peach as she kicked back minions with her legs. One of them got the slip on her as they fired a missile, but she dodged, the missile crashing into some rock as parts of it fell through the road, causing Toad to fall over. Peach caught sight of this, and her vehicle fell with a press of a button, but she caught him as he laughed with glee as she activated her glider. Mario sighed with relief.

"You forgetting someone?!" Mario turned around only to find the maws slamming against his vehicle. The Koopa General laughed. "Finally, I got you within my grasp! Now, time to die, Mario!" Mario pressed his hands against the maws, but his strength wasn't enough as he scurried out as the maws slammed shut, destroying the vehicle with ease. Now, Mario hung on the frame for dear life as he panted. The Koopa General caught sight of him. "What?! You're still alive?!" Behind him, Donkey Kong was a mere distance away, but he had some sort of blaster on the side that could have enough firepower to destroy the bulldozer. Thank goodness Mario was also a jumper. He leaped in the air, bouncing on the Koopa General's head to gain momentum as he grabbed onto Donkey Kong's kart.

"What the heck are you doing?!" he hissed. "Let go!"

"Please! I need you to fire off one of your blasters at him. Quickly!"

"You don't get to tell me what to do!"

"Please!" Mario sighed. "Look. I understand that we have our issues. We can resolve them later. Just please."

Donkey Kong snorted. "Fine. I'll do it because you have some decency left in you. I still hate you, though." With a press of a button, he sent one blaster towards the Koopa General, destroying the bulldozer as his screams echoed.

Mario cheered. "Yeah! Take that!" He glanced at Donkey Kong. "Thanks."

He snorted. "Whatever." The plumber sighed. Was he always this mellow? Well, the Koopa General was dead. That was what mattered in the end.

"Mario!" Peach drove beside him. "You're OK!"

"Yep. And it's all thanks to this guy. He put his ego aside and helped me for once."

"Whatever. I still hate you."

"Don't you ever learn to smile?"

"MARIO!" He glanced back to see the Koopa General, though covered in burns, was still very much alive.

"What?"

"You can't escape me! Not ever! BLUE SHELL!" He emerged into his shell and zoomed towards the pair as he spun in the air, slamming into the road in a gigantic, blue explosion, destroying a huge part of the road as pieces crumbled to the ocean. The only thing left was Mario and Donkey Kong as they helplessly plummeted towards the ocean below.

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