RECAP:
While attempting to locate and acquire the key to Bowser's prison cell for their escape, Maldeon spied on Contemno – who was busy conducting an experiment on the Koopa King. Despite his best efforts to antagonize Contemno, Bowser fell into an emotional state of submission after the mage injected him with a mysterious red substance and brought to light the innermost secrets of Bowser's past; much to the latter's horror.
After quickly being discovered by Contemno, Maldeon retreated from the laboratory in a panic; vowing to free Bowser and challenge Contemno head-on.
"There!" A guard exclaimed. Maldeon's apartment door was blasted off its hinges as the soldiers flooded into the shadows of the room and frantically searched everywhere; the beams of their flashlights frantically flying across the walls.
"No good…he's not here," said the second guard.
"He couldn't have gotten far! Search the rest of the floor!" the first guard ordered. "Remember, Contemno wants him found at all costs!" The three guards split up and each sprinted down a separate hallway.
The third guard stopped outside a door at the end of the hallway and jiggled the knob. Locked.
He lifted his mighty axe over his shoulder and unleashed it upon the wooden structure with all his might; shattering it into pieces. The guard cautiously stepped inside. He tip-toed through the darkness as his head gradually swiveled back and forth to scan the area.
The corner of his eye caught a brief glimpse of a silhouette behind him.
Too late.
The guard suffered a hardy blow to the head and collapsed to the floor. The figure caught the axe before it completed its fall.
"This way! I heard something through there!" a guard exclaimed out in the hall. The thud of the body must've alerted the others. The shadow stood near the door, gripped the axe, and waited.
As the two remaining guards charged in, the figure severed each of them in half with one clean slice each. A red liquid spilled out onto the floor. The figure emerged into the sliver of light that was being cast from the doorway.
"So...they're not real people," said Maldeon. "This must be the same stuff that Bowser was given. Only, these guys are made of it." The man rested the axe over his shoulder. "Just what kind of game is this guy playing?" Maldeon dashed out into the hall.
Maneuvering through the building and down into the basement, Maldeon stopped outside of Bowser's cell. The door was wide open, but there was no one inside.
Bowser…where did he take you?
He raced back up the stairs. Chopping down a few more liquid guards along the way, Maldeon charged through the door and invaded the laboratory.
No good. The place was completely empty. Contemno wasn't experimenting on Bowser today. But why?
Maldeon set down the axe against the wall and took a moment to catch his breath. With the entire building on high alert searching for him, he knew he didn't have much time. But he needed to get some kind of understanding of what exactly Contemno was trying to accomplish. Briskly walking around the room, Maldeon stopped in front of a metallic structure. As it turned out, the "machine" he had been hiding behind yesterday wasn't a machine at all. It was a large cabinet! Grabbing his axe and chopping off the lock, Maldeon flung the doors wide open and scanned the contents inside.
His hand was drawn to a small glass vile with a cork on top. It contained a tiny sample of the infamous red liquid. If only there was some way he could figure out what this stuff was. If only he had more time…
Hearing yet another voice coming from out in the hall, Maldeon shoved the vile in his coat pocket, grabbed his axe, and prepared for more action.
As Maldeon triumphed over another set of guards, it struck him. There was one other place he could check. They both had to be there. Maldeon sprinted down another flight of stairs and descended into the building's grand foyer.
Suddenly, a group of armored guards entered from all directions and surrounded him.
"Hault!" the captain exclaimed. "There's nowhere to run!"
"Who said I was running?" Maldeon retorted. "I'm actually looking for Contemno myself."
"Is that so? Well then, allow us to escort you to him!" The guards all charged towards Maldeon at once. He gripped the handle firmly and wound his shoulders back; waiting for the perfect moment.
Just as a guard was about to grip his coat, Maldeon swung the axe in a wide motion; slaughtering each of the guards in one swoop and leaving only a massive red puddle in their place. Maldeon set his sights on the throne room just ahead, and sprinted inside at full speed.
"Somehow I knew you'd show your sorry face again, though I didn't think it would be so soon," a voice called out. On the opposite end of the room, Contemno lounged comfortably on his throne; his head perched up casually by his arm.
"As if I would actually run away yet," Maldeon scoffed. "We have unfinished business." He pointed to the sorry sight just next to the chair.
Bowser sat miserably on the floor near Contemno; his limbs were cuffed together by glowing purple chains and he was blindfolded once again. Maldeon didn't know why he was obsessed with doing this to Bowser, but it hardly mattered. It ended today.
"What use could you possibly have for this broken creature?" Contemno asked.
"He's the key to getting my memory back. I'm leaving, and I'm taking him with me."
"Did he plant such an idea in your head? Tell me, why would you believe anything this lowly prison rat says when it was I who rescued you from certain death and nursed you back to health? Would it not be wiser to just ask me about your past instead?"
"Oh spare me your nonsense! If you really cared about my well-being, you wouldn't be hiding the truth from me in the first place. You're just using me as a tool for your own selfish desires. You never had any intention of helping me remember who I really am. So I'm through with you!"
"So quick to jump to conclusions…," said Contemno. "But you're bright, Maldeon. You catch on quickly. That's what I admire about you. It's why I brought you in and invited you to stay with me in the first place."
"…Huh?"
"You have potential, my boy. You have the brains and the power to take whatever you want in this world. We're more alike than you think."
"I'm nothing like you!"
"Can you really be so sure of that? You're an amnesiac, Maldeon. I'm making it simple for you. Instead of sending you on a wild goose chase to catch some fleeting memories, I'm giving you a chance to start over altogether; to use your talents to get what you really want out of life." Maldeon gritted his teeth. He knew what was going on here. Contemno was trying to lure him back in. It wouldn't work. Maybe words were enough to break through Bowser's guard, but not his. Maldeon knew he had to stand his ground.
"Quit talking down to me like you know what's best for me! I'm not falling for your tricks anymore. I've already made my choice. I'm choosing to leave, and I'm taking Bowser with me. Now let him go!" Contemno chuckled, which made Maldeon's skin crawl.
"You should know I won't allow that. But tell me, why would you throw your own life away for him? He's no good to anyone. Never has been."
"He's right…," Bowser chimed in softly.
"Shut up!" Maldeon exclaimed. "Who the hell are you to decide who people are or what they're worth!?"
"I've decided nothing. Bowser knew the truth all along and refused to accept it until now," said Contemno.
"I may not know everything about Bowser since I only met him a few days ago. But I know that Bowser has been trying to change who he was all this time, and he has every right to try. It doesn't matter what you're like when you're born. Anyone can change whenever they want. But Contemno, you have no right to toy with people's lives like this!"
"And what gives you the authority to decide that?"
"Because you've done the same thing to me," Maldeon countered. He shoved back his sleeve and examined the scar on his arm. "You injected me with the same liquid that you gave Bowser. You're trying to do something to me too. This is why my memory's messed up, isn't it?"
"It was to heal you."
"No, it was to imprison me. You did something to make me forget who I was. If I was clueless, I would depend on you to help me remember; to give me the answers I wanted. You would lead me on like this forever. I would never get what I wanted, and you would get a loyal little 'yes man' out of it. But what I don't understand is why. Why didn't you just torture me and lock me up too? What makes me so different from Bowser? If you know the truth about who I am, why don't you just use it to tear me down like you did to him!?"
"I wanted you to leave the past behind so you could build a better life for yourself."
"THIS IS BETTER!?" Maldeon exclaimed. "Making me into just another one of your little lackeys!? Keeping me locked up in this tower for the rest of my life!? Leaving me to feel lost and broken the way I do!? To hell with all of this! I'm going to remember who I was before you came into my life, and Bowser's going to help me do it!"
"Your delusion astounds me…," said Contemno. The mage slowly rose from his chair. Maldeon tightly clenched his weapon. "But if you will not choose to stand with me of your own volition, then perhaps I shall tear you down as well!"
Contemno thrusted his arm forward as Maldeon stared him down. A series of chains appeared and flew towards Maldeon. The man ducked and dodged around them. As they closed the distance, Maldeon swung his axe and diced the serpents into inanimate pieces.
Maldeon charged towards Contemno. The mage stood his ground patiently. Maldeon swung his axe. To his surprise, Contemno made no attempt to dodge it. Instead, he met the blade head-on with his hand. He managed to stop the blade mid-swing with only his arm. Maldeon retracted the axe, took a step back, and lunged forward again to launch another attack.
Once again, Contemno blocked the attack with his hand. A red stain grew on the mage's gloved hand; most likely from a deep cut caused by the axe. But if it was possible to injure Contemno, why wasn't he flinching? Why did he seem to feel no pain?
"Tell me you don't honestly hope to defeat me with such a barbaric approach," said Contemno. Maldeon had nothing to respond with. He couldn't let Contemno get under his skin anymore. The man continued to swing his axe from different angles and aim for different body parts. But Contemno's hand was there to stop him at every turn.
Meanwhile, Bowser sat quietly near the throne and did nothing. He seemed eerily unfazed by the fight that was unfolding. Just what did Contemno do to him?
Contemno clapped his hands together. In the space between, he summoned a long, menacing, violet blade. Contemno took to the air and dove towards Maldeon. The man held the axe's handle in front of him to block the attack. When the sword reached him, it cut the axe into pieces effortlessly. Maldeon fell backward to the floor as Contemno now loomed over him.
"So, Maldeon. Do you still think you have a chance of escape, and with Bowser no less?" Contemno taunted. Maldeon gritted his teeth.
"He's right, Maldeon…," Bowser chirped quietly. "Forget about me. Save yourself…" Maldeon clenched his fist and pounded the ground.
"Bowser, snap out of it already!" the man yelled angrily. "Come on! Where's the cold, ruthless prisoner I first met a few days ago!? Where's the evil genius who helped me see through Contemno's lies!? Don't tell me you're taking back what you said before!" Bowser raised an eyebrow.
"…What I said?"
"I know you still remember…"
"I guess I was just trying to act scary to intimidate you. I do that to everybody, you see. It's a bit of an old habit. I've spent nearly a decade trying to break it. But, you know how it is. Some old things just die hard."
"Bowser, you said it yourself. Old habits die hard. That means you've still got it in you somewhere," Maldeon reasoned. "SHOW IT TO ME NOW!"
"Enough of this!" Contemno exclaimed. He charged towards Maldeon, who rolled out of the way of the sword's path.
"Old habits…?" Bowser repeated. "Old…habits….old habits….old…habits…" Suddenly, Bowser felt a violent pulse within his chest and clenched it with his claws. It felt as though his insides were on fire. Memories blurred his vision as the Koopa King toppled over in pain. It was all coming back to him. He remembered everything.
His hatred of Mario.
"What're you smiling about, plumber? This fight's not over yet!"
His unreturned feelings for Peach.
"Yeah right. Don't try to lead me on with your petty 'what-if's,' Peach. We both know it's too late for you to have feelings for me."
His eternal promise to Celia.
"I'll keep our promise no matter what."
His love for Junior.
"I care about you more than anything else in the world, Junior,"
His respect for Kammy.
"I yell at you when you don't deserve it. I've treated you like a slave for so long when I should've treated you like a friend. You're always thinking about what's best for me, and I never give you the respect you deserve for that."
The last thing he told Rosalina.
"Just that you still don't trust me. You don't see me as anything more than just a monster like everybody else."
Bowser suddenly remembered it all; including his own series of victories over the likes of King Morton, the lava serpent atop the crystal mountain, the stone golems of the wasteland, Smithy, O'Chunks, Midbus, and the Dark Star among many others. How could he give up now after how much he's been through? How could he let one person tear him down after how much he's grown?
Never. It would never happen.
Never again.
Bowser violently ripped the chains to set his wrists free. He stood up, ripped off the blind fold, and roared with all of his might. The very foundation of the building shook. A furious blaze of fire emerged from his mouth. Bowser's heart was racing. It felt as though he were about to collapse at any second. But the adrenaline; the pure rush, it was too much to stop now.
Out of nowhere, a glowing crimson lock materialized over Bowser's chest. Red chains sprouting out from all sides of it wrapped themselves around Bowser's shell and waist.
"No! This can't be!" Contemno exclaimed.
Bowser glanced down and examined the lock.
"…Huh? The hell is this?" he asked. Bowser gripped the lock in his hands and tugged at it with all of his might. The burning in his chest intensified. It felt as though this lock was connected to his heart somehow. By pulling on it, Bowser could feel immense strain on his body.
But still Bowser continued to pull. His heart pounded furiously as if it were building up to explode. The lock's chains glowed brighter and tightened against the Koopa King's body. The pain was sapping away at his strength, but it wasn't fast enough. Bowser gritted his teeth as smoke leaked out from his mouth.
"If you don't stop this now, you'll-" Contemno warned. But before he could finish his threat, Bowser roared once more. With one final tug, the chains shattered and Bowser ripped the lock off his stomach.
"You…rotten…," Bowser growled. "I don't know what kind of game you're playing here, rat. BUT I'LL TEACH YOU WHAT HAPPENS WHEN YOU MESS WITH THE KOOPA KING!"
Bowser sprinted across the room and snatched Contemno up off the ground with one hand. He glared into the eye sockets of the mask.
"Let's see that real face of your's, coward!" Bowser exclaimed as he reached for the mask with his free hand.
"I'm afraid not," Contemno replied. The mage flicked his wrist. Suddenly, the throne levitated in the air and flew towards Bowser. The impact caused the structure to crumble into pieces; burying Bowser underneath. Contemno appeared out of thin air, unscathed.
"Bowser!" Maldeon shouted as he raced over to dig him out.
"It's a shame, but it appears Bowser truly is a lost cause after all…," said Contemno. "You idiotic beast. If you really wish to stand against me, fine. But know this, Maldeon." The man looked up at the call of his name. "I already gave you what you wanted most. Without me, it'll never truly be your's…"
"…What?" Maldeon replied. Contemno clapped his hands together. Unruly purple lightning danced between his gloves. The mage slammed his palms down onto the ground with all his might.
Suddenly, the entire building began to erupt. Shards of the ceiling fell broke apart and shattered on the floor as they fell. Large cracks slithered along the walls and tore the room's foundation apart. The pillars that held the building together began to split.
"We'll meet again," said Contemno. He disappeared into thin air just before a large piece of rubble could crush him.
Fighting to keep his balance between the tremors and the building falling apart around him, Maldeon managed to dig Bowser out of the pile of rubble and stone.
"Bowser? Bowser! Wake up!" said Maldeon. The Koopa King's eyes cracked open, though he appeared to still be in a daze.
"Ma…," Bowser started.
"We don't have time for this! C'mon! Let's move!" Maldeon tugged Bowser up onto his feet, gripped his wrist tightly, and sprinted for the exit. He frantically dashed through seemingly endless corridors. Turning left and right and backtracking at every dead end.
Some halls ended with no doors or windows to be found, while others were blocked by the falling rubble. But still, Maldeon refused to quit. In spite of his fatigue, and in spite of Bowser's minimal effort to keep up, Maldeon pressed on. He coughed and wheezed from the dust and toxic fumes that permeated the air. They sucked the air from his lungs, but his adrenaline and drive remained unshaken.
Bowser could hardly process what was happening. His vision was blurry and sounds were nothing but distorted, distant echoes in his hears. Amidst the numbness, Bowser could feel someone grabbing his arm, but his entire focus was on keeping his legs moving as a force guided him through the collapsing corridors.
As the pair neared the main entrance, an enormous stone pillar fell from above and barricaded the exit. As the cloud of dust dissipated, Maldeon's mind raced. They were running out of time. The man released Bowser's arm and left the latter to stand there in a daze. Maldeon pushed smaller pieces of rubble from around the room and stacked them to reach the top of the fallen pillar. He pulled Bowser closer.
Through the distortion, Bowser could barely make out the words that were being spoken to him. Something about…climbing? Maldeon shoved Bowser up onto the rubble stack with all his might. Looking up, the Koopa King caught a glimpse of light just over the pillar. It called to him, and in the moment he found himself eager to embrace it. Regaining another fraction of consciousness, Bowser put his motor skills into overdrive as he climbed up onto the pillar and hurled himself over to the other side. Maldeon was quick to follow.
Beyond the fallen pillar, Maldeon set out into a sprint in the final stretch as he pulled the two of them through the building's main entrance seconds before the doorframe caved in. Maldeon and Bowser poured out into the street nearby.
It was the cold, gentle patter of rain that slowly woke Maldeon minutes later. The road had been flooded with water, so he found his clothes to be drenched and damp. The man took several deep breaths as he savored the crispness of the fresh air and allowed nature to rejuvenate him. Then he stood up once he felt refreshed enough to move again, and he immediately looked back at the disaster from moments ago.
The building was completely gone, and nothing but a mountain of rubble remained. It all happened so fast. Only powerful magic could bring down an entire building so quickly; and leave behind little evidence of its existence, no less. Maldeon searched around but there were no signs of any casualties. It's as if the entire populace of the building had cleared out before the entire place caved in. Whatever secrets Contemno had been keeping in this place, they were hopelessly buried in the mess. It would take days, maybe even weeks for Maldeon to sort through it all by himself. Was it even worth it now?
Bowser finally came back into reality a moment later.
"Ugghh…what the heck was-?" Bowser started. He froze when he spotted Maldeon and his eyes widened.
"Bowser, you okay?" Maldeon asked.
"Ma…Ma…Ma...!"
"Sheesh, what's gotten into you?"
"MARIO!? WHAT'RE YOU DOING HERE!?" Bowser exclaimed. Maldeon gave him a puzzled expression.
"'Mario?' Who's Mario?" asked Maldeon.
"Whaddya mean 'who's Mario!?' You are!" Bowser continued. "I'd recognize those wide blue eyes, that stupid big nose, and that ridiculous mustache anywhere! But…I don't understand! How did you-? When did you-? W-where's Maldeon!?"
"I'm standing right in front of you!" Maldeon argued.
"No…this is…this can't be…," the Koopa King muttered deliriously. He fell back onto a piece of rubble and shook his head. Maldeon took a step towards him, but found he had no words to offer. Bowser chuckled, which left the man unsettled. "I get it. It all makes sense now," he declared.
"Not to me, it doesn't. You mind filling me in?" Maldeon asked. Bowser stared at him in utter disbelief.
"Wow…you really don't know who you are, do you?"
"I thought I made that pretty clear already."
"It's no wonder I didn't recognize you sooner. I've never actually seen your face until just now," Bowser explained. "Any time I wasn't talking to you through the wall of my cell, I was blindfolded or completely out of it."
"Contemno must've wanted it that way for some reason…"
"And it's no wonder your voice wasn't familiar. You don't talk. Ever. So when you did and I couldn't see your face, I had no problem believing you were someone else."
"Well, since you clearly know, I need you to tell me. Bowser, who am I?" Bowser groaned and ran his hand across his eyes.
"What's wrong?"
"You have no idea how hard this is for me right now…"
"Bowser, we made a deal. I got you out of there. You agreed to help me get my memory back. Since you know who I am, I need you to tell me everything."
"I know, I know. I got that part. It's just…"
"Just what?" Bowser laughed hardily again and shook his head.
"It's taking everything I have not to lie to you right now and say you were my henchman; that you helped me with all of my schemes back in the old days." Maldeon wasn't sure how to respond to this. "But, Peach would knock me out if I blatantly lied to you like that. She's worked so hard to change me…"
"Peach…?" Maldeon repeated. Bowser shook his head once more and stood up.
"Alright, fine. I'll tell you the truth. But get ready, because this is gonna be one helluva pill for you to swallow."
"I can take it," said Maldeon. He turned and surveyed the area. The rain poured on, but not a soul was around to witness anything that had just happened. The pair was safe from danger for the moment, but this was hardly the place to have a lengthy conversation. Maldeon's thoughts were interrupted by a rather unsettling gurgling sound.
"Sheesh, I don't know what happened to me back there, but it must've burned through whatever was left of the breakfast I was still digesting," said Bowser. "I'm starving!"
"I could eat too. Let's get out of this rain and find a restaurant somewhere. You can bring me up to speed over a meal."
The pair made their way down the street into the glowing, fluorescent heart of the city where an untold future awaited them.
Bowser Jr. wandered aimlessly around the outskirts of Shooting Star Summit to clear his mind. Having finished reading the book that had been assigned to him, Junior was anxious to begin his own one-on-one session with Merlon. He was dumbfounded by how long it was taking for the others to finish up. There was so much he wanted to do. So much he felt he had to do.
The Koopa Prince recognized the importance of being patient. But there was so much at stake right now to ever be content with waiting around and doing nothing. Junior looked to the sky in hopes of losing himself to it and easing his troubled mind for the moment. His eyes latched onto a shooting star and followed it as it soared through the air before vanishing. As he returned to earth, he caught a glimpse of something that seemed immediately out of the ordinary.
Junior turned and discovered a strange purple puddle on the ground nearby. Somehow, it managed to clash with the already violet tint of the summit's terrain. Junior stepped closer to examine it. The substance was sticky, and slight effort was required at first to free Junior's claw when he touched it. Where on earth did this stuff come from? Better yet, what was it?
The Koopa Prince's eyes continued to scan the puddle for several minutes. He circled the circumference of the mess to see it from all angles. At last, he found a more promising clue. There was an object buried underneath all of this adhesive mess. Junior quickly abandoned any hope of sorting through the substance unscathed as he dug and peeled away at its many layers. With purple claws now smelling of something foul, Junior yanked the object free from its sticky prison. It turned out to be two objects. Junior held them in his hands and his heart nearly stopped.
They were two black arm bands with spikes protruding out in all directions. There was no mistaking it. These belonged to Bowser.
As the realization hit him, Junior's arms twitched and he nearly dropped the arm bands. What on earth were these doing all the way out here? The only logical explanation was that Bowser must've been here at some point. But why?
The Koopa Prince's mind raced as he scrambled to put the pieces together. It had something to do with this sticky, purple substance. Whoever or whatever made this stuff, it found Bowser. Now it was no wonder why Bowser had been MIA since the exam. He left for the council meeting, but now he was surely in some kind of danger. This purple substance proved it.
Junior turned and raced back in the direction of Merlon's house; clutching the clues tightly against his chest. He was determined to get to the bottom of this.