RECAP:
A fierce battle erupted in the throne room of Daisy's palace between Junior's team and Midbus. Just when it seemed the former had prevailed, Midbus froze all of his enemies solid simultaneously in the blink of an eye. That is, all but Junior himself.
Fatigued and overpowered, it seemed hopeless for Junior to win on his own, and Midbus had even relaxed his own guard; silently sharing that same observation. It was then that the Koopa Prince had the idea of exploiting Midbus's weakness: his obsession with Bowser.
Junior verbally wore Midbus down with mind games; planting seeds of doubt in the ice monster's mind about his lack of self-worth in the eyes of his greatest adversary.
Midbus lashed out in a rage, but Junior countered with Nimbelai and used the pig's strength against him. In the end, Midbus collapsed from exhaustion while Junior had barely touched him.
Spectating from the rooftop above, Tatanga recounted his mission to his subordinate – L – who arrived in Sarasaland after responding to his leader's distress call. Tatanga revealed that Contemno was just using Midbus as a pawn with the promise of a rematch against Bowser if he conquered a kingdom. The goblin had been tasked with eliminating Midbus after the latter had served his purpose.
In the end, Junior's intervention seemed to be a blessing in disguise. Tatanga and L fled from Sarasaland in a hurry as Midbus underwent an unsettling transformation.
The battle between the Koopa Prince and the Ice King wasn't over yet.
Most people probably believe that when someone is frozen, their consciousness disappears; as if the person falls into a deep slumber, even if their eyes are open.
Maybe that's true. Maybe not. Who would know for sure unless it actually happened to them?
Regardless, the sensation was the opposite for Peach.
From the moment that lightning zapped her and imprisoned her in this ice, she hadn't drifted off to sleep. She was still wide awake, though groggy and incapable of moving.
The princess had watched as Junior blindfolded himself and approached Midbus slowly. She couldn't hear anything that was being said, so all she could do was trust that he had a plan to handle this on his own somehow.
Relying on others. Peach sure seemed to be doing that a lot these days. Then again, hadn't she lived her whole life this way?
Peach had made a vow to herself to change; to be different. To finally stand on her own without the aid or protection of anyone else. Had she already failed in her mission?
Of course, Peach hadn't forgotten Roy scolding her the other night for not relying on her teammates when Junior was in trouble. He hadn't been wrong about that. But Peach still couldn't help feeling frustrated.
She had spent so many years being helpless. Maybe she had been ignorantly content with that being the status quo for so long. But all that was doing now was bringing her pain. The princess couldn't stand letting others fight her battles for her anymore. She was desperate to change. She had been ever since Contemno attacked her castle and harmed her friends. Maybe even sooner than that, on the day Contemno nearly took Bowser's life in front of her.
She still lusted for change. But sadly, that wouldn't happen this time, it seemed.
Peach was trapped in this ice and was forced to watch Junior fight for and eventually rescue her. This infuriated Peach, but try as she might, she couldn't do anything about it; she couldn't move her body an inch.
The ice held a tight grip over her entire person. The sheer cold seemed to be quickly sapping away her will to keep struggling by the second.
All the princess could do was watch as Junior surpassed her in their parallel quests for strength and justice for the people they loved.
What made him so special? Where did Junior's real strength come from?
How much farther would he go? How long before he decided to stop allowing Peach to hold him back?
Peach took notice of these horrible thoughts, but felt herself just as powerless at stopping them as breaking out of the ice.
There was a sinister darkness behind such fears. They crawled into Peach's head like spiders.
She could feel them laying eggs of doubt in her mind. More spiders would be born; creating a never-ending downward spiral of hopelessness and despair that she could never escape from.
Accepting oblivion is one path, I suppose, a voice said.
It radiated through Peach's subconscious and snatched her attention.
But there is another, if you're willing to pay the price, the voice continued.
Who…who are you? Peach asked within her mind.
I'm what could've been; what still could be, the voice replied.
I don't understand…, said Peach.
Don't you? Or are you simply choosing not to understand?
Enough! Tell me who you are and what you want from me!
I'm the key to your future; our future. I'm what you really want, little princess.
What I…want…?
Yes. You crave power. You lust for rage. You desire rebirth. I can grant your wish. I can make you into everything you want to be and more. What more could you want me to be?
What's the catch? Peach asked.
You have something I want. Something we need, the voice replied.
What would that be?
I'd love to tell you all about it. But this is neither the appropriate place nor time. You have a job to do.
A job? What's that?
Live. Escape from this place. When you do, seek me out, little princess. If you do that, I shall make you stronger beyond your wildest dreams. Even this royal Koopa offspring will be bewildered by your strength.
….How do I know I can trust you?
I suppose you'll have to arrive at that decision on your own. My gift is there, and it's your destiny to claim it. But unless you do, potential is all you will ever have.
But I'm trapped in this ice. I can't get out…
The only thing trapping you in place is yourself. Un-tether yourself from your fears and embrace the true power sleeping inside you.
My…power…?
I can lend you a portion of my strength this time. But in return, you must live, dear princess.
What does it mean to live?
Live to fight another day. Live to seek me out so we may reconcile. Time is short, and I must depart. You must make haste, little princess.
Wait! Where will I find you?
I wait for you in the chamber beneath your grand seat of power. For now, go forth. Take my offering of strength and reclaim our future!
Suddenly, an intense heat engulfed Peach's body. It was a familiar sensation. She had felt this way before.
The reflective surfaces of the ice block grew clouded as steam birthed from the heat sought liberation. The crystal blue morphed and embraced a subtle tinge of pink.
It was the pink power again. Peach was sure of it.
The one she had used to combat Eris and aid Junior. The power that slept within her. It was reinvigorated by the mysterious entity. Whatever just happened, the sheer cold of the ice had lost its dominance over the princess. Its grip weakened rapidly by the second.
The sharp ridges and corners of the box softened and cracks formed on every face. Peach's arms twitched slightly. Control was embracing her once more.
Just a few more seconds and she would finally be free.
In the throne room, Junior stood helplessly and watched in horror as the red-skinned Midbus continued to flail around wildly on the floor in front of him; twisted roars of anguish erupting from his mouth.
Obviously Midbus was in pain, but Junior was frozen with fear and confusion. Should he do something to stop this? Should he just stand by and watch as Midbus helplessly relinquished the last shred of hope he had of winning this fight?
Junior snapped out of his trance and remembered his friends were still trapped in the ice. With Midbus powerless to stop him, this was his chance to free them. The Koopa Prince dashed across the throne room.
He stumbled and fell when the entire palace began to violently shake. Was it an earthquake? Was the palace collapsing? Was this Midbus's doing?
Junior glanced back in time to watch Midbus's body melt into a crimson puddle as the palace continued to tremor. The shaking grew even more violent as the puddle was absorbed into the floor. In the blink of an eye, the entire icy blue palace turned red; resembling a prison of ominous, crystallized blood.
Junior didn't know what was happening, but he wasn't at all willing to wait and find out. He needed to get to his friends and get out of here as quickly as possible. The Koopa Prince stood up and continued sprinting across the throne room.
The blocks of ice had also turned red. Just as Junior placed a hand on the block containing Peach, something grabbed hold of him and hoisted him into the air.
The Koopa Prince found himself caught in the crushing grip of a sentient, red-tinted ice arm jetting out of the wall nearby. This had to be Midbus's doing. Junior was sure of it now.
A booming, monstrous laugh engulfed the throne room amid the continuous quaking.
"GOT YOU NOW, SMALL TURTLE!" said Midbus. Junior's eyes darted around the room, but there was no sign of the pig monster anywhere.
"Midbus?! Show your face, you coward!" Junior threatened.
"MIDBUS RIGHT HERE! MIDBUS EVERYWHERE!" Midbus's disembodied voice continued.
"What?!" Junior exclaimed in a strained grunt as the hand tightened its grip on him.
"THIS MIDBUS TRUE POWER! MIDBUS CONTROL EVERYTHING ICE! SMALL TURTLE AND FRIENDS PRISONERS NOW!"
Was this his plan all along? Junior wondered. Was he trying to lure Dad here so he could trap him inside the palace like this?
"SMALL TURTLE TALK BIG BEFORE! BUT AT END OF DAY, STILL SMALL TURTLE! NOW EVEN SMALLER COMPARED TO MIDBUS TRUE FORM!" the voice gloated.
Just great. What do I do now? How do I fight an entire castle by myself? Junior pondered.
Suddenly, something caught the corner of his eye.
One of the ice blocks on the floor below radiated a blinding pink light. The sound of shattering glass echoed across the grand hall.
From the light, Peach emerged and soared through the air. Although, it wasn't the Peach that Junior remembered.
The princess hovered in mid-air. Her entire body was encapsulated in a pink fire, and her eyes had become empty voids of pure pink light. From her backside emerged the ghostly projection of pink angel wings. It wasn't just an aura of her power that was being emitted. Peach had undergone some sort of angelic - albeit ominous – transformation.
Flying closer, Peach waved her arm; commanding pink fire to devour the ice arm and freeing Junior in seconds. Only a red puddle remained in the wake of the inferno.
"Peach…?" Junior started as he looked up at her. "Is that you?"
The princess nodded, but her frown was persistent.
"What's…?"
"There's no time to explain," Peach stopped him, with an echo in her voice. "We need to free the others."
She turned around and waved her hand again. Another burst of pink fire emerged from the aura engulfing her and obliterated the ice blocks containing the others. Miraculously, none of them were harmed in the process.
It only took a few seconds for each of them to snap back into reality.
"Woah, we're back!" Larry commented as he examined his palms.
"Brrr, now I know what a popsicle feels like…," Kooper thought as he shook off the remaining ice fragments and frost.
"That was a dirty trick!" Daisy exclaimed.
"No kidding. I'm glad that's over with," said Goombella.
"Is everyone here?" Iggy asked.
"Not yet," Peach answered. The group stood in shock and awe of Peach's transformation as she unleashed another fire blast on one final target on the other side of the room: Midbus's ice baton.
Seconds later, Professor Kolorado sat up from the puddle of melted ice and massaged the back of his neck.
"Professor!" Goombella and Kooper yelled in unison as they raced over and helped him stand up.
"Errrgghh…I say…what in blazes happened?" Kolorado asked groggily.
"No time to explain!" said Goombella. "We need to get you out of here."
"But what about the-"
"Forget the expedition this time!" Kooper interrupted. "We already solved the mystery of this place, so now it's time to go!"
"Who the devil are all of you?!" Kolorado shouted when the trio rejoined the others and his eyes took them all in at once.
"Relax, professor dude. We're on your side," said Larry.
"Did you just call me 'dude'?! Why, in all my years as a researcher, I have never-"
"Look alive, we ain't outta the woods yet!" Roy warned.
The castle continued to tremor, but the group huddled together in its center to regroup.
"Will someone please tell me what's happening?!" Iggy demanded.
"No time to give you the full rundown," said Junior. He instead went on to briefly explain his fight with Midbus, up until the point where the latter melted and turned the entire palace red and sentient.
"Hold on, are you saying Midbus merged with my castle somehow?!" Daisy asked in more amazement than horror. Junior nodded.
"I don't know, but it looks that way. And right now, we're sitting ducks here. He can attack us from anywhere."
"Interesting…," Goombella said as she began furiously scribbling something in her tattle log.
"Okay, I think I understand that much. Now would you care to explain why Princess Peach is glowing, flying, and shooting pink fire from her fingertips?!" Larry asked.
"I wish I knew myself," Peach answered this time as she landed. "But we can figure that out later. I don't know how much longer I can maintain this form, so I need to make the most of it while it's here."
"Peach's right," Roy agreed. "She's got enough fire power to seriously hurt Midbus now. Let's put it to good use!"
"But how do we attack Midbus if he doesn't have an actual body anymore?" Daisy asked.
"Any ideas, Iggs?" Larry probed. Iggy cupped his hand around his chin to process all of these developments.
"Well, I still don't understand exactly how this happened. But even if Midbus has in fact become one with the palace, then he still has to attack us somehow. That means he's gotta have some kind of physical presence. As long as he has that, he has a weak spot."
"So we just need to find that weak spot then and nail it with everything we've got," Junior surmised.
"Precisely," Iggy affirmed.
"But how the heck are we supposed to find it? In case you haven't noticed, my castle is pretty dang huge!" said Daisy.
The castle began to quake even more severely. The entire throne room suddenly began to collapse as large chunks of the wall were torn off and flew away in a powerful wind.
The teammates huddled together for safety. Within minutes, they found themselves stranded on a small floating platform in the heart of a raging tornado.
The hurricane-like winds of a ferocious blizzard scoffed at gravity by suspending several large fragmented islands in mid-air above; leaving the debris of what was once Daisy's palace to orbit endlessly around them at dangerous velocities; mingling with the rapid snowfall. The earth below was shrouded in a shadowy abyss with red lightning crackling across it periodically.
"NO ESCAPE! EVER!" A thunderous, disembodied voice bellowed.
"Good gracious! This is far more adventure than I signed up for!" Kolorado complained.
"Cool it, will ya, pops?" Roy threatened. "You just sit tight and let us handle this." Kolorado nodded his head submissively as he trembled.
"Still waiting on that plan, Iggy!" Larry reminded.
Iggy's pupils hopped from one platform to another before returning to their center. He smirked.
Finally, a chance for me to be useful.
"Everyone listen up!" Iggy instructed. "The only way we're getting out of this storm is if we take Midbus down. Whatever physical presence he has now, I'm willing to bet it's somewhere up there in the eye of the tornado. We need to get to higher ground."
"…You wanna go up? Are you nuts?!" Kooper panicked.
"Unless you see some safe way for us to get down from here, the only remaining solid ground nearby is currently flying up above us."
"And how exactly are we getting up there?" Larry asked. "Right now, Peach is the only one of us who can fly."
"Roy, see that ice block there?" Iggy said as he pointed to it with his claw. "Think you can use that to make us some stairs?" Roy smirked and cracked his knuckles.
"Easily," the Koopaling replied. He made grand thrusting motions with each of his arms in rapid succession and tore the ice blocks into chunks. They each descended down towards the group before hovering in place in a diagonal formation; creating a path.
"Okay, but what do we do once we get up to the next platform? We have no idea what we'll find up there," Junior pointed out. "And I'm sick to death of running into traps and ambushes!"
"Leave it to me," Peach responded. She flew straight up above them to survey the remaining terrain. After a minute or so, another booming roar trickled down to the group's ears.
Peach rejoined her friends not long after.
"That was fast," said Larry.
"Almost not fast enough," Peach replied. "There's quite a warzone up there."
"What did you see?" Goombella asked.
"The layout itself is divided into two floors connected by a winding ice staircase," Peach explained. "I'm guessing the rest of the castle is flying around aimlessly in the wind and Midbus can't maintain more than what's above us. It's a straightforward path forward, but still a dangerous one."
"How so?" Iggy asked.
"On the floor directly above us, Midbus has repurposed the four guard towers we took out earlier," the princess elaborated. "Now they're armed with automatic turrets of some kind. Getting caught up in a barrage from any of them would likely be fatal."
"But did you see Midbus?" Kooper probed this time. Peach nodded.
"I did…sort of. The turrets are guarding the staircase which leads to a summit platform at the top of the tornado. I didn't see Midbus as we know him. But I did see pairs of flying arms, eyes, and a snout hovering around. They can move and act independently from one another. I'm frankly shocked they haven't flown down here yet to attack us once I was spotted."
Kolorado covered his mouth with his hand as his whole face went pale; implying he was about to be sick in reaction to these developments.
"I knew it…," Junior said.
"Knew what, squirt?" Roy inquired.
"Midbus is controlling the palace with some kind of mental magic," the Koopa Prince answered. "But he's frustrated and afraid, so he can't maintain all of it. The reason he's not coming down here is because he's afraid of us. So instead, he's using the guard towers to try and keep us away; probably until he can calm himself down somehow and piece more of the palace back together."
"Are you sure?" Peach questioned.
"Positive. The reason we had trouble taking him down before was because his mind and body were acting as one entity. He was in one piece. Midbus was confident and didn't view us as a threat. He knew that as long as he stood his ground, he could survive whatever we threw at him. While you guys were frozen, I managed to push his buttons and really get under his skin; get him angry."
"Okay, so what does that mean for us now, Junior?" Larry asked.
"He's so angry by what I said and he's probably so afraid of making a mistake that he's just as trapped in this storm as we are. I'll bet he split himself up like that out of paranoia that we'll get the jump on him somehow. This is his way of trying to multiply himself to fight us all off."
"Well, given how little solid ground there is for us to stand on, I'd say he's right," Iggy surmised; shutting his eyes and pondering Junior's deductions. "It's not like we have much choice at this point but to go up there and confront him." Junior nodded.
"Yeah, a full frontal assault is likely our only option at this point. But nothing else has really changed for us when you think about it. We've still got the advantage in numbers. Meanwhile, Midbus probably had to divide his energy up in order for his body parts to act on their own."
"Which means the body parts probably each have just a fraction of Midbus's strength!" Goombella concluded.
"Exactly," Junior confirmed with a confident smile.
"Junior, you're brilliant!" Iggy stated rather bluntly. "That's all I needed to know. Now I've got a strategy!"
"Let's hear it then," said Roy.
"And spoil the surprise? No way! All you need to do is trust me. Leave all the thinking to me. Goombella and I will tell each of you what to do. So just listen for your names and do exactly as I say."
"But why can't we just go over the whole thing right now?" Larry asked.
"We're losing too much time as it is. We need to get moving," Iggy argued. "Trust me, little bro. I won't let you down!" he promised with a wink. Larry nodded, and the others followed the sentiment in agreement.
Kolorado was adamant about not leaving the safety of this platform, and the others realized he wouldn't be much use to them during the fight at-hand. So to avoid him getting caught in the line of fire, they agreed to leave the professor behind on this lower patch of land until it was safe. "Let's move!" Junior ordered. One by one, they hopped from one ice platform to the next in single-file fashion; ascending higher into the air until they reach the second island.
Just as everyone had arrived, the four turrets set their sights on the group and open fired. Swarms of ice daggers soared through the air and rained down on their targets. Iggy was the first to spot them.
"Roy, give us some cover!" Iggy exclaimed.
Roy summoned an ice barrier from the ground directly in their path; knowing it wouldn't hold for long as the turrets continuously pelted and chipped away at it.
Iggy's eyes raced from one turret to another. The Koopaling waved his finger madly in the air as if he were furiously scribbling on a chalkboard. From Goombella's perspective, it seemed as though Iggy's eyes were following some invisible math equation that was scrolling past his face.
Iggy then turned to her and made pointing and signaling gestures with his claws; starting at the turrets and ending with the staircase in the middle. All she could do was stare at him, puzzled.
"Anytime now, guys! This thing ain't gonna hold much longer!" Roy warned.
"Goombella, you're on roll call. Just let me do all the thinking!" Iggy instructed.
"Huh?! But how do I know who to call and when?!"
"You decide that! I can work with whatever you've got! Trust me!"
"Uh…o-okay! Sure!" Goombella agreed without fully understanding what he could possibly mean by that. All she could do now was trust Iggy and her own sense of observation.
The two set their sights on the turrets.
"Uhhh…let's see…Prince Junior! ...and Larry!" the Goomba called.
"Draw their fire! Head diagonally from the barrier towards the towers in 'V' formation!" Iggy ordered.
Junior took off in his spike ball transformation across the snowy landscape; leading the icicle shower from one of the turrets away from the barrier. Larry surfed through the snow on his shield in the opposite direction; also distracting the second turret in the process.
"Okay ummmm…Kooper, Daisy! You're up!" Goombella signaled.
"Kooper, do what Koopas do best! Daisy, get ready for take-off!" Iggy added.
The third turret fired at the pair as soon as they emerged from the safety of their cover. Kooper retreated into his shell and Daisy sent him soaring straight into the swarm of ice shards with a powerful kick. It devastated the icicle's formation and scattered them to the wind.
Daisy's Piranha Plant Chomper lunged out and bit down on Kooper's shell at the height of his ascension. The princess then catapulted herself high into the air; rocketing past Kooper's shell as it fell back to earth.
The fourth turret caught notice of this and began firing at the airborne Daisy. The princess launched Bitey – her other Piranha Plant - straight ahead until it clamped its teeth onto the rim of the tower. She managed to swing low just in time to avoid the incoming icicle barrage.
Goombella was already starting to get a feel for her role as she issued her next command with more confidence.
"Peach, your turn!" Goombella exclaimed.
"Give Daisy some coverage!" Iggy ordered.
"All your's, sweetie!" Daisy confirmed from above.
Peach flew in and launched a concentrated pink fire blast. Not only did it melt the ice daggers into water droplets, but it flew on and utterly obliterated the ice turret in one shot. Once the cloud of steam dissipated, only a puddle remained atop the tower.
As Bitey maintained its grip on the tower's edge and began retracting its vine, Daisy took off into a perpendicular sprint up towards the top; leaving gravity in her wake. The turret took aim at Bitey's head. But just before it could pelt the Piranha Plant with lethal ice, Daisy reached the top of the tower and commanded Chomper to unleash a barrage of fireballs and melt it.
Down below, Junior, Kooper, and Larry met up at the center of the island. Roy hopped out from behind the cover to meet them.
"Now, Roy!" Goombella shouted.
"Give 'em a boost!" Iggy elaborated.
Roy clapped and lifted his arms. The ground immediately beneath the trio jetted out of the surface and carried them high into the air just before the assault from the remaining two turrets could reach them. Roy jumped behind his newly-crafted pillar to avoid getting caught in the attack himself.
The pillar stopped once it reached equal height with the towers. Larry summoned one of his pistols in one hand while still holding his shield in the other. The Koopaling charged his weapon to max power until it was ready to burst with blue light. He jumped as high as he could off the pillar, fired his weapon behind himself, and rode the recoil across the gap until he neared the tower.
As the turret fired at him, Larry threw his shield, then fired his pistol. He managed to counter the icicles with his bullets as he descended into a fee-fall. The turret adjusted its angle to follow Larry's descent, but failed to notice in time as the shield sliced it clean in half. Roy was there to catch Larry before he could hit the ground, and like a trusty boomerang, the shield returned to its master.
"Kooper, Junior!" Goombella shouted.
"Turn up the heat and let 'em loose!" Iggy directed.
Atop the pillar, Kooper's shell rotated ferociously in place until it burst into flames. As she watched, Goombella recognized this as his Fire Shell technique, which Kooper had told her he previously used to aid Mario in one of his adventures.
Junior summoned his scythe and prepared to launch Kooper's fiery shell like a golf ball towards the remaining turret. The turret fired directly at Junior as he angled his weapon like a golf club driver. Suddenly, it began to glow in a pink aura.
When a sudden, brief flash of blinding light faded, Junior found himself wielding Peach's golf club.
There was no mistaking it. This was in fact her weapon, and Junior had made it materialize in his own claws somehow.
But how? He certainly hadn't made a conscious effort to do so.
"Junior, what's wrong?! Take out that turret! Hurry!" Iggy exclaimed from the ice pillar's base.
There was no time to ponder this anomaly. Junior swung the golf club with all his might.
Kooper's flaming shell sped right through the barrage of ice daggers and flew like a comet towards the tower. When it made contact with the ice turret, the impact resulted in a powerful explosion. The tower rapidly began melting, then tipped over and collided with its neighbors in a domino effect until all four towers fell.
Peach flew by while carrying Daisy, who reached out and grabbed Kooper after he was sent flying by the explosion. Junior took Kooper's hand from atop the pillar and joined the chain as they descended down to meet the others.
"The path's clear, let's go!" Iggy ordered. The group sprinted past the crumbled ice towers towards the large staircase at the other side. As they reached it, something flew down from the sky to meet them.
"NO CLOSER!" Midbus roared. His disembodied arms slammed their fists down onto the staircase; shattering it. As the structure crumbled apart, the group was forced to split up on the spot.
Roy took Iggy and Goombella in his arms. Peach lifted them up into the air, struggled slightly from their combined weight, but ultimately managed to chase the arms up towards the final island above.
At the same time, large pieces of debris from the barricading winds of the tornado flew by. Junior and Kooper both held Daisy's waist as she used Chomper and Bitey to grapple onto one piece of debris after another and fling the group higher and higher into the air.
They managed to launch themselves just high enough for Daisy to grab hold of the cliff of the floating island at the very top of the storm. Peach, Roy, Goombella, and Iggy were there to help pull them onto the ledge.
Meanwhile, Larry hopped from one piece of debris to another as fast as he could; racing against the powerful winds with all his might. He spotted a lengthy steel beam up ahead that was slick with frost. The Koopaling summoned his shield in time to grind from one end of the beam to the other.
Just as gravity was about to take him hostage, Larry turned the shield into his other pistol and used the recoil from both weapons to boost himself up in one last ditch effort to reach the summit.
He fell short.
Thankfully, Daisy swung by on Chomper's vine and scooped Larry up in time. The rest of the team worked together to hoist them up to the edge.
They didn't have much time to catch their breath however, as Midbus's arms, eyes and snout each flew towards them from the other end of the summit.
Standing in a line, Junior's team prepared itself for one final confrontation with the ice beast.
"Let's end this!" Junior declared as he gripped his brush tightly.
As quickly as they had reunited, the party dispersed as everyone ran in opposite directions; the only exceptions being Peach - who took to the skies - and Iggy and Goombella – who stood back to continue giving the orders.
Midbus's eyeballs discharged a series of blue lightning bolts.
"Look out!" Goombella warned.
Kooper and Larry slid under the lightning and maintained their speed with aid from the snow. Larry fired a barrage of bullets; one pistol aiming at each eye and locking them in a state of paralysis.
Larry continued his onslaught on the eyeballs to keep them at bay.
Junior summoned his hammer and swung it at the approaching fist with all his might. They were equally matched in power, it seemed. The hand then swatted and flicked at Junior, but he was still just as quick on his feet as before. The palm attempted to slam the Koopa Prince into the ground, but Junior changed his hammer into a mace and stopped Midbus's hand in its tracks. The hand recoiled in pain from the sharp edges of the weapon, allowing Junior to take the offensive.
It took Roy's entire body to push back against Midbus's other fist. To make matters worse, the snow made it difficult for him to keep from being pushed back.
With one mighty inhale, Midbus's snout unleashed a powerful gust of wind that threatened to send all of the combatants flying.
Even the flying hands were impacted by the gale and struggled to fly against it.
Junior changed his mace into a whip and twirled it like a lasso as he ran against the wind. He managed to snag one of the hand's massive fingers just as the wind swept Junior off his feet. Gripping tightly to his weapon was all that Junior could do to keep himself from being blown off the platform.
Roy slid off the summit himself, but clapped his hands in one final ditch effort to save himself. He summoned a platform out from the cliff side to break his fall. The Koopaling was now just low enough to avoid the wind, but still climb back up onto the summit.
Iggy, Goombella, Kooper, and Larry each tumbled and rolled back across the platform as well; hopelessly at the mercy of Midbus's wind.
Junior used his free hand to reach out for Larry's, but the latter slipped by him and flew over the side.
Daisy commanded Chomper and Bitey to pelt the nostrils of Midbus's snout with fireballs long enough for the winds to subside.
Waving her arms madly like the conductor of an orchestra, Peach engulfed the snout in vortex of pink fire until it was incinerated into red ash.
The wind had ceased just before Iggy, Kooper, and Daisy were sent off the platform. Unfortunately, Goombella wasn't as lucky as she fell to her doom.
"NOOO!" Kooper wailed in anguish.
"Kooper, stop!" Iggy warned, but the Koopaling immediately knew his words had gone unheard.
Without thinking, Kooper sprinted to the edge of the platform and dived off of it in pursuit of Goombella. He managed to catch her as his heart stopped.
Time slowed down as they fell.
At that moment, neither of them feared their death.
Only one shared thought preoccupied their minds: the words unsaid, the shared sentiment of love that would forever remain unspoken, it seemed.
Kooper held Goombella in his arms and felt her tears brush his cheek.
A sharp pain surged through the Koopa's ankle, followed by a powerful whiplash. Before Goombella or Kooper could process what had just happened, they felt their descent come to an immediate halt.
They were now suspended in mid-air. The pair looked up and saw a rope tied around Kooper's ankle.
At the end of it was Junior, desperately pulling with all his might to hoist them up with his whip. Iggy and Daisy aided him and with their combined strength, Goombella and Kooper gradually inched their way back up to the platform.
Midbus's eyeballs and arms sought to capitalize on their distracted opponents and soared closer to attack.
However, they were intercepted as Peach torched the eyes into crimson nothingness with twin fire blasts.
Out of seemingly nowhere, Roy clawed his way back onto the platform as well with Larry clinging to his shell, and the siblings rushed back into the fray.
Roy summoned twin ice pillars from the ground to stop the fists in their tracks. Leaping off his shoulders, Larry gripped his shield in his claws and did a series of forward somersaults in the air. The razor sharp rim of his shield sliced through the arms like a buzz saw.
Right as he landed, the severed arms exploded. All physical traces of Midbus had vanished.
Goombella and Kooper were pulled up onto the platform at last and shared an intimate exchange.
"Thanks," said Goombella softly. Kooper swallowed.
"You're welcome," he replied as color filled his cheeks.
The rest of the group members took a moment to catch their breath. Peach's transformation wore off as her wings vanished and the pink glow departed from the princess's eyes. Roy was there to catch her as she collapsed from exhaustion.
In an instant, the gargantuan tornado that had surrounded them vanished and the violent storm subsided. A rainbow of colors rippled across the morning dawn's cloudless sky; resembling the northern lights.
An eerie, silent stillness engulfed the freezing air.
"Is…is it over?" Larry asked.
"I don't know…," Iggy confessed.
As if consumed by magic, the platforms slowly began to descend back down to earth. Time moved in reverse as the seemingly endless debris gathered together in massive heaps and reassembled the palace to its former glory effortlessly.
All across Sarasaland, the seemingly endless miles of snow and ice began to melt simultaneously; leaving sand and rock in their places. The palace itself morphed from blue to beige. A dazzling sun dismissed the northern lights, and a sweltering heat settled across the air.
At long last, the eternal winter had ended.
Minutes later, the group found themselves standing just outside the palace, which had been restored to its pre-ice state. It wasn't long before they each began sweating from the blistering heat of the radiant sun beating down on them from above; a sure-fire sign that Sarasaland had been restored to being the desert kingdom it was historically known for.
Denizens slowly began to trickle out of their homes in the city below as they realized the blizzard was finally over.
Thankfully, it seemed everyone was safe and accounted for, including Kolorado; who was dazedly meandering his way down the staircase of the palace's grand entrance. Kooper hadn't missed his chance to embrace the Koopa professor with immense joy and relief.
"Well, I'd say our work here is done," said Iggy as he crossed his arms in content.
"But what happened to-" Larry started.
Then, as if on command, Midbus materialized out of thin air and face-down on the ground in front of them. He was back in one piece and had returned to his normal blue color.
They steeled themselves for another round, but relaxed almost immediately as they watched Midbus struggle to sit up and simply settle for rolling over onto his backside instead.
"No more…Midbus…lose…," the pig declared weakly.
"This was never about winning or losing, Midbus," said Peach. "You took something that didn't belong to you and altered the natural order of this kingdom. Just think of all the people whose way of life you deeply disturbed with your actions."
"No care...Midbus…only want…"
"We know, we know. You wanted to fight Bowser," Roy finished for him. "Well suck it up, pal. Cuz it ain't happenin'."
"What I don't understand is why," said Junior. "Why were you so obsessed with fighting my dad? What made him so special to you?"
"Bowser…strong. Midbus wanted….be strong too. Strong…like that," Midbus answered. "Masked man give Midbus…special power. Power that…connects all…"
"And why is strength so important?" Peach probed.
"Protect…someone..."
"Who were you trying to protect?" Iggy inquired further. However, Midbus didn't respond this time. Whether this was due to fatigue or a desire to guard this person's identity was impossible to tell.
"There are other ways to get stronger, you know," said Junior. "You didn't need Contemno's help to do it."
"Masked man…promise Bowser come…fight Midbus. Only if…Midbus take over…a kingdom…"
"What exactly did he promise you?" Goombella interrogated this time. "What made you so sure Bowser would show up?"
"Masked man say…Bowser come…steal kingdom back from Midbus. Steal…for himself…"
Iggy crossed his arms to process this development.
"I…guess I can sort of see that. But Bowser hasn't done anything like that in years."
"Still, Midbus couldn't have known that," said Larry. "Not if he's been out of commission all this time after he lost to Bowser the first time."
"True, but there's something else that perplexes me," said Iggy. "Midbus, you just said Contemno gave you a special power. Was that the ability to merge with the palace, or was that just one of your natural abilities?"
Again, Midbus didn't answer.
"You also said it's a power that 'connects all.' What does that mean?"
"Essence…," Midbus said simply.
"'Essence'? What's that?" Junior probed.
Midbus fell silent once again. He uttered one final strained groan and shut his eyes. His skin turned red once more as if he were about to attack again. But instead, his entire body began to melt.
"W-what's happening to him?!" Kooper panicked.
No way! He melted like this when he merged with the palace! Junior recalled. Don't tell me he seriously still has some fight left in him!
Within seconds, Midbus was reduced to nothing more than a large red puddle.
But that was all.
The palace remained still this time without the slightest tremor. Junior relaxed when he realized this was truly the end for Midbus. The monster had reached his limit at last.
As if on instinct, Junior knelt down and sampled the liquid with his claw. The Koopa Prince smacked his lips a few times.
"I knew it…," said Junior.
"Knew what?" Larry asked.
"This isn't blood. It's something else. Something familiar. I've tasted this before."
"What is it?" Roy inquired.
"It's tea; double-cherry flavor," the Koopa Prince clarified. "Like I said back at the inn, Ludwig gave it to me the night before my exam, and I started having my weird dreams and symptoms the next day."
"Why the heck would Midbus be made of tea?" Goombella asked.
"That's not even the weirdest part. Do you guys remember when we fought Petey Piranha back in the forest and he exploded in a red liquid too?" The others nodded. "I tasted the same thing back then. Petey was made of the tea too."
"But that doesn't make any sense," Larry objected. "Why would Petey and Midbus have the red stuff inside them, and how would Ludwig have access to that same stuff to make his tea?"
"There's certainly something strange going on here," Iggy declared. He reached into his backpack and pulled out a vile; scooping some of the red liquid into it. "I'll have to run an analysis on this stuff when we get back to Merlon's place. My guess right now is that Contemno has something to do with this liquid as Petey and Midbus both had it inside of them and we know they were both working with him; even if it was just as expendable pawns."
He stored the vile in his bag, stood up, and sighed; a distant look in his eyes.
"What worries me now though, is just how in the world Ludwig might be connected to all of this," Iggy confessed.
"All the more reason we need to find him," Junior reasoned.
"Don't forget, we still gotta find out what happened to Bowser too," Roy added. "Sheesh, we went through all this trouble and there's still so much we don't know."
"Sounds like you guys have your work cut out for you," said Goombella.
"That's right," Peach affirmed. "We can't rest until Contemno has been stopped. If what Tatanga said is true about there being an inner circle, I'd say we still have quite the battle ahead of us. Midbus was likely just the beginning."
"We should head back to Merlon's," Junior suggested. "Let's start making plans for what to do next."
"Mind if we tag along?" Kooper inquired. The group stared at him with slight surprise.
"Absolutely not!" Kolorado objected; speaking up for the first time since his rescue. "There's still much work to be done here!"
"Uhh, no there isn't," Larry denied rather bluntly. "There's no ice palace anymore."
"Quiet you! What would a simpleton such as yourself know about the fine art of archaeology?! If anything…this sudden, drastic change of weather just…adds to the mystery of this magical land!"
"Simpleton?!" Larry repeated, enraged. "Get over yourself, grandpa! And how about a 'thank you' for saving your sorry shell, huh? You got anything like that for us in your dusty old bones?!"
"Easy, Larry," Roy interjected as he stopped his younger sibling with his forearm from tackling Kolorado to the ground.
Huh, isn't it usually my job to be the short-tempered one around here? The Koopaling thought with a slight chortle.
"Professor, Larry has a point," Goombella defended. "You've been frozen for a few days so you have no idea what happened. But Kooper and I saw everything. There's no ancient mystery here, believe me. A bad guy who controls ice just swooped in and took over the place. But we beat him, so now Sarasaland's back to normal," the Goomba explained.
"No…no! That can't be! There must be… more to it than that! There must be…something left to investigate still! Anything!" Kolorado stammered as he fell to his knees.
"What's with him?" Junior asked. Kooper put a hand on the shoulder of his tremoring superior.
"Don't worry, Professor. There'll be other sites we can look into," Kooper assured him. "But maybe we should head home first to rest a bit. You can start planning your next trip when we get there. How does that sound?"
"N-no…I'm not going anywhere," Kolorado denied simply. "I can't…"
"Professor…?" Goombella began. The Koopa didn't respond.
"There's something you're not telling us. What is it?"
"Oh what would you care? You children have your youth. You have only begun to meet the true potential of your lives. I am not so lucky…," Kolorado rambled solemnly.
"Professor…," Goombella responded as she and Kooper got closer to him.
The others silently resolved to stand by quietly and allow their allies to have this moment for themselves.
"After we got on the boat leaving Rogueport, I could tell you were upset about something. But when I asked you about it, you brushed me off. I could tell you were really bothered. I mean, you were even mumbling in your sleep."
"I see…," Kolorado replied hoarsely. His aged and wrinkled face sunk slightly.
"I let you off the hook before out of respect since you're my superior and all. But I'm not letting up this time. This is the third trip you've made in a row without once taking a break. What's wrong? Why don't you want to go home?" Kolorado swallowed and let out a heavy, defeated sigh.
"I…have no home to return to…," Kolorado answered.
"Huh? What about Koopa Village? What about your wife?" Kooper asked.
"My wife passed away three months ago," Kolorado stated bluntly.
"What?! That's horrible!" Kooper exclaimed. "What happened to her?"
"The missus and I had a terrible spat before I last departed from home. I still remember when Parakarry once delivered a message to me from her, in which she called me a 'wandering buffoon' for being away from home so often," the Koopa recounted with a hollow laugh. "In our last exchange, she told me she'd squandered the best years of her life all alone; waiting for me to come home, as if she were a domesticated pup."
"I mean…she sorta had a point, don't you think?" said Goombella.
"I know she did. I can't deny the repercussions of my actions," Kolorado conceded. "But she knew long before our marriage that archaeology was my life's passion. We used to joke that I would be an archaeologist until the day I died. Anyway, last winter was especially brutal in the village, if you recall. I was away when I received word by letter from a doctor that she had succumbed to an illness. The stress had severely weakened her immune system, it seemed. Thus, she was left fatally susceptible to disease. The doctor declared her cause of death to be a terrible flu. But I knew all too well what it was he truly believed, but didn't have the heart to tell me."
"What's that?" Kooper asked.
"My wife died of a broken heart. She was weakened by her resentment towards me to the point that she simply couldn't find the strength to go on…"
"Professor…I don't know what to say. That's so terrible…," Goombella offered.
Kolorado shook his head as it hung low.
"I suppose deep down I knew it would come to this sooner or later. I knew the missus had been growing increasingly frustrated with me year after year while I was away. The very last thing my wife said to me will forever be burned into my brain.
"What did she say?" Goombella probed.
"She said that if she never saw my sorry face again – either in this world or the next – it would be too soon."
"Professor…," Kooper started, a lump forming in his throat.
"So you were running away then," Junior deduced as he jumped into the conversation. "You feel responsible for her death, but it's too hard for you to own up to it. So instead, you're just running around out here trying to take comfort in what you love and hope you can somehow forget about the things that are too painful to think about."
"That's…quite the deduction, my boy. Tell me…is it that obvious?"
"The name's Junior, not 'boy'. And no, it's just that I…," Junior started, placing his palm to his chest. "Well, let's just say I know what that feels like; running away from something because it's too painful to deal with. But it never goes away, that pain. It'll always catch up to you sooner or later."
"Somehow…I don't believe it will this time," Kolorado argued. A small whimper escaped his lips as he choked. His masculine façade crumbled as he was consumed by emotion. "My…my beloved wife is…gone. I wasn't there for her when she needed me and I…can't be there now. There's nothing…or rather, no one, to catch me." As the tears began to roll down his cheeks, he felt a hand on his arm; Junior's hand.
"Come one. It's never too late. Sure, your wife isn't around anymore. But she's always with you, right here," the Koopa Prince explained; pointing to Kolorado's chest with his claw. "Do you feel bad about how things turned out between you two?"
"The burden of my wife's pain has been a heavier burden to carry than any stack of books or exploration tools could ever hope to be..."
"You should tell her that," Junior suggested.
"Tell her…?"
"He means go home," Goombella explained.
"Yeah, you two were so well-known in Koopa Village that I'm sure they put together some kind of memorial for her," Kooper surmised.
"But…," Kolorado began.
"Junior's absolutely right," Peach spoke up this time. "You should stop by to at least pay your respects to her, Professor." The princess placed her hands to her chest; as if caressing her own heart. "I just know that…somehow...it would mean more to your wife than you know."
Larry and the others each smiled and nodded; sharing the sentiment. Kolorado tipped his hat down to cover his eyes; even as his tears continued flowing.
"I can do more than that…," said Kolorado.
"What do you mean, Professor?" Goombella asked.
"I believe it's high time this old Koopa hung up his hat for good," Kolorado explained, as a small smile formed on his face.
"You don't mean you're…retiring…?" Kooper probed.
"I'm afraid so, Kooper, my boy. I've seen enough of the world that I could live out the last years of my life writing stories about all of my findings and adventures. I've lived the life I wanted most. Retiring and settling in at the village once and for all is the least I can do to atone for the years I left my wife to suffer alone."
"But…what about us?"
Kolorado removed his hat and handed it to Kooper, whose jaw dropped in reaction.
"In spite of my many glorious achievements, I believe I've still left plenty of mysteries in the world for you to discover. It is up to you now, Kooper. You and Goombella are the next generation, and I'd be proud to call you my successors."
This was too much for Kooper to handle. His lip quivered and he choked as his eyes grew puffy and red; filling with tears.
"P-Professor!" he muttered. This time, Kolorado was the one to place a tender hand on a shoulder in need.
"Go forth and uncover the rest. Seek out your own adventures. I expect that when you return to Koopa Village next, you will come visit and tell me all about them."
Kooper turned and hugged Kolorado with all his might as he continued to weep.
"I…I won't let you down, Professor! I'll make you proud!" Kolorado pushed him away slightly as their eyes met.
"Make yourself proud, my boy," he corrected. He glanced over at Goombella, who was caught off-guard by this. "But never lose sight of what's truly important."
The serenity of the day lingered on, but the scorching weather itself was becoming too much to bear. This motivated the group to take its leave from Sarasaland sooner rather than later.
"Are you sure you want to come with us, Daisy?" Peach asked skeptically. "Wouldn't you rather stay here and make sure Sarasaland will be safe? At the very least, I'm sure your subjects would be relieved to hear from you. They've been through a lot." Daisy shrugged at this nonchalantly.
"Meh, they'll be fine. I leave 'em alone every week to come to Kingdom Council meetings, after all. A little time to thaw out is all they need."
"Well, I'm sure you know your people better than me," Peach admitted. "But still, isn't it bad to leave your kingdom unattended? What if someone else like Midbus shows up? It would be even worse if you weren't here to do anything about it."
"Oh, Peach. You worry too much! Sarasaland will be fine without me here for a while. Besides, I wasn't satisfied with just kicking pig boy's butt. I wanna get back at Contemno too," Daisy declared as she punched her hand. "So don't even think of trying to stop me!"
"Wouldn't dream of it, Daisy," said Peach as she rolled her eyes. "We could use all the help we can get. However, there is a favor I need to ask of you."
"Name it, sweetie!"
"Well, you see, we're going to need a little help getting home…"
Their conversation was cut short however, as the bristles of Junior's paintbrush began to glow in a blinding light. Everyone gathered around and watched. Junior could feel the entire handle begin to vibrate. It felt as though it were alive somehow.
"What's going on?" Iggy asked.
"I don't know! It just…started glowing!" Junior replied.
"You mean, this ain't some trick Merlon taught ya?" Roy questioned. But the Koopa Prince shook his head at this.
As the power grew and the brush's end glowed brighter, Junior could feel a magnetic sensation in his weapon. It was as though some invisible force was pulling it; guiding both the bristles and its wielder into facing a certain trajectory.
The brush pulled Junior's arms up higher and higher into the air until they were above his head. It angled itself directly at the dazzling sun, and Junior had to shut his eyes in recoil to its overwhelming gleam.
Before anyone could utter a syllable, Junior's paintbrush fired a beam of silver light directly at the sun. It rocketed high into the air and seemed to be setting a course for outer space itself. It stopped however, once it had reached a seemingly predetermined height. The beam of light faded and a suspicious silver sphere was left orbiting in the air.
The orb exploded and cast a wave of white light that raced across the deep blue sky in all directions. Gravity seized the wave after a few miles; arching it back down to earth in a circumference that encapsulated the entire capital city.
Once the light faded, majestic sparkles and particles of the departed light danced in the air in a phenomenon resembling stars of the night sky; committing a natural taboo by showing themselves in broad daylight.
"What…just happened?" Daisy asked. But no one had a clue.
"What kind of spell did you just cast, Junior?" Larry questioned. Junior eyeballed his brush, dumbfounded.
"That wasn't me. I didn't do that. It was like…my brush moved all by itself."
"Well, it didn't appear to do anything dangerous," said Peach as she continued surveying the sky. "In fact, it created something rather…beautiful."
"And you're sure it has never done anything like that before?" Goombella probed.
"Positive."
"Well, I guess that's just one more thing we'll have to ask Merlon about once we get back to the Mushroom Kingdom," Iggy declared.
"About that…," Goombella started. "Would you mind if Kooper and I came with you guys?"
"You sure that's a good idea?" Roy asked. "You know we're probably gonna be fighting more bad dudes like Midbus, right? Maybe even stronger."
"Well, it's not like we can go off on some expedition of our own and just ignore the fact that there's a madman out there trying to take over the world," Kooper reasoned.
"Exactly. Maybe we could be your research team!" Goombella added.
"I dunno, we've already got Iggy for that," Larry argued.
"Oh, so I'm the only one who can do research around here? You know, that's a lot of pressure!" Iggy rebutted playfully.
"I don't see the harm in letting them come along," Peach interjected. "If Contemno's got an army, we'll need one too. And we'll need more than just fighters if we're going to be effective."
The gang turned to look at Junior. As the self-imposed leader of the group, they felt it would be ultimately his decision to make.
"Sure, let 'em tag along," Junior permitted with a shrug. "We've already seen they can be useful in a fight anyway."
"Sweet! We won't let you guys down! Promise!" Kooper vowed.
"Well, that's all well and good. But how are we all getting back to the Mushroom Kingdom?" Larry asked.
"How did you guys get here in the first place?" Daisy probed.
"A boat," Goombella answered simply.
"…Flying boat," Junior replied woodenly. "Which exploded."
"That's what I was mentioning to you before, Daisy," said Peach.
The princess proceeded to pitch the idea of using – and thus revealing the location of - Daisy's secret warp pipe. Daisy herself was vehemently against the idea at first; reasoning that it could be used for malicious purposes - such as infiltrating Sarasaland and taking it over – if word of its location were to spread to the wrong ears.
Junior was quick to point out that Midbus had already done just that and likely did it without the warp pipe since he was too large to ever dream of fitting in any warp pipe.
Yet, Daisy remained so adamant about not revealing the pipe's location to the point where the group began fearing Roy would have to wrestle her to the ground to extract the information by forceful submission.
Luckily Peach stepped in and acted as the voice of reason. She calmly explained they had already proven to be trustworthy since they had just worked together to save her and her kingdom in the first place.
Half bored and half exhausted with the argument, Daisy finally gave in reluctantly and agreed to guide the gang to her secret warp pipe.
With Daisy rescued and Sarasaland safe, the team departed for the Mushroom Kingdom.
"I fail to see the humor in this charade of your's, Tatanga…," said Contemno from the goblin's bedside.
"I'm tellin' ya, boss. It's the truth. No jokes about it," Tatanga argued.
"You really expect me to believe Bowser's son – a mere child – is the one who impaled you?"
"He's no ordinary kid. That's what I keep trying to tell you! Whatever you think he was like before, he's not that way anymore!" Contemno cranked his head away as if to ponder this once more.
"And just where did he find the means to undergo such a transformation?"
"How the hell should I know?" Tatanga rebutted with a strained grunt; wincing in pain. "You've known the kid longer than I have. But apparently that doesn't mean you really know him since you underestimated him too in your fight at Bowser's place, if I recall correctly."
"I'll admit that he surprised me through improvisation of his shell ability," Contemno recounted. "But he still lacks the heart of a killer that you allege him to possess, just as he always has."
"If what you say is true," Bastierge chimed in from behind; perched on the bench near the wall and propping himself up with his cane. "Then in time, this child could stand to be one of the youngest prodigies in ages."
"You don't really mean that," Contemno denied. "He's not as young as you think, and his childhood was nothing compared to-"
"Your own. Yes, yes, I'm well aware," Bastierge cut him off. "Yet, perhaps there is promise beneath the dire; a diamond buried under rock."
"No, no way. Don't even think about it," Tatanga objected. "This kid is way too dangerous to be kept alive, much less recruited! Besides, you already tried converting his dad and Mario to our team and look how that turned out for us. We got zilch out of it and you had no choice but to keep 'em locked up in your little 'heart world' or whatever it is!"
"But if what you say is true, and Prince Junior is in fact finally beginning to grow into his power, then he might very well go on to serve a much greater purpose for us; if he is truly special enough, that is," Contemno reasoned.
"Eh? What're you goin' on about now?"
"I am confident now that keeping Prince Junior alive for the time being may be far more beneficial to us in the long run than simply killing him ever could be."
"Enough with the riddles! I swear, you're as bad as the old man. Just tell me what you're talking about!" Tatanga ordered.
"In due time, Tatanga. All will be revealed soon enough. In the meantime, what were Prince Junior and his troupe doing in Sarasaland anyway?"
"I keep tellin' ya, I don't know!" Tatanga exclaimed. "I had my own orders to follow with offing Midbus, and I never expected I'd have a run in with the boy. But if I had to guess, I'd say they were poking around for clues about us. But I did manage to catch a glimpse of Junior going toe-to-toe with Pig Boy, which is why I'm so sure this kid is a serious threat."
"Hmmm…he was fighting Midbus? Interesting," said Contemno.
"Errrggghh," Bastierge muttered as he tightly gripped the collar of his suit.
From Tatanga's perspective, it looked as though the old geezer was having a stroke the way he gritted his sharp teeth and his eyes bulged slightly out of their sockets.
"What's wrong?" Contemno asked with only slight concern.
"Midbus…has fallen…," Bastierge answered. Tatanga's eyes widened at this.
"W-what? No way!"
"Are you certain of this?" inquired Contemno. Bastierge nodded.
"Unmistakably. I can no longer sense the Essence within him."
Unbelievable…so Junior actually managed to win somehow…, thought Tatanga.
"Well, there you go. That just proves my point! Do you believe me now?"
"This hardly changes anything," Contemno declared calmly. "Midbus was living on borrowed time anyway. His death by Prince Junior's hands changes nothing for our plans."
"No? Then how about Junior? They're gonna keep digging around for clues about us. And sooner or later, they'll catch up. What'll you do then?"
"By the time Prince Junior catches up, it will already be too late for any of those fools to change anything. Tatanga, how long will you be bed-ridden?"
"Three days. Why?"
"When you are able to walk, come to the gathering spot. In a few days, I will be calling another meeting."
"Sheesh, another one already? What's the occasion?" Contemno glanced over at Bastierge, who smiled and gave him a small, approving nod.
"I will be spreading the good word. The time for us to proceed with Phase 2 will be upon us very soon."