To End a War

By: MarkTheMonitor

Chapter 3: Are you okay?

Sorry about the delay, I procrastinated a little more than I'd like to admit. But hopefully this chapter is worth the wait.

I have attempted to fix the pacing, but I didn't feel like going back through to rewrite some of the paragraphs. I've kept you all waiting long enough.

"Guess I look as bad as I feel…" Bowser mutters as he looks at his disheveled, pale reflection, before brushing his hair and shaving. "Well… Jr's been looking forward to this for weeks, it would be mean of me to not be there for him just because I'm feeling a little lightheaded," Bowser mumbles as he finishes, deciding to use some hand sanitizer and slip the bottle into his pocket… Just to be safe.

When Bowser leaves his room, he almost immediately runs into Kamek. "Good morning, your majesty. Did you sleep well?" He asks, a worried frown spreading across his face. "Are you feeling alright? You're looking a little pale," Kamek observes.

"I'm fine, just a little lightheaded…" Bowser replies, "but I'm not going to let that stop me from being there for Jr. at least, even if I'm not feeling well enough to drive a kart."

"Are you feeling well enough to pilot the koopa clown car?" Kamek asks.

"Not sure. We'll cross that bridge when we get to it, I suppose," Bowser answers, but before he can continue, he's interrupted by the sound of a dry bones' voice. Bowser glances over to the dry bones and immediately recognizes him. "What do you need, Byte?"

Byte adjusts his glasses before speaking again, although the lack of a voice box makes it impossible for Bowser to understand what he's saying. Byte realizes this halfway through, before attempting charades.

"Hmph. I don't have time for this," Bowser grunts. He's about to walk past Byte to make his way towards Jr's room when Kamek blasts Byte with magic.

Bowser growls at Kamek, "What'd you do that for?!"

Kamek flinches. "I-it was a simple translation spell. We should be able to understand him now." Kamek explains.

"Wait, you can do that? Why haven't you used that spell before?" Byte inquires. Bowser doesn't know what surprises him more, the fact that Byte is so calm, or how deep Byte's voice is.

"Because it's never really been an issue up until now," Kamek explains. "Anyways, what were you trying to tell Bowser?"

"Oh, right," Byte turns towards Bowser. "Lord Bowser, are you feeling alright? You're looking a little pale." Byte asks.

"I'm fine. Just a little lightheaded." Bowser explains, slightly annoyed. "But you can take my place in the Grand Prix if you want."

"Are you sure? I'm more than willing to go, but…" Byte trails off when Bowser puts one of his hands on his shoulder.

"I wouldn't have offered if I wasn't," Bowser states, before heading off to his son's room.

Bowser gently knocks on Jr.'s door, before opening it and going inside. "Good morning Jr.! Are you ready for the Grand Prix today?" Bowser asks, doing his best to avoid touching anything, just to be safe.

"Of course I am, papa! I've been ready for weeks!" Jr. exclaimes, jumping out of bed, before noticing that his father is a little pale. "Papa, are you ok?"

"I could be better, but I'm not going to let that stop me from cheering you on at the Grand Prix," Bowser explains cheerfully, before asking. "Anyways, what would you like for breakfast?"

"Hmm… How about omelets?" Jr. asks.

"Alright, sounds like a plan," Bowser replies. "Are you alright with picking out your own clothes today?"

"Yeah!" Jr. responds, surprising Bowser with his enthusiasm.

"Alright Jr., I'll see you at breakfast," Bowser says before leaving Jr.'s room, closing the door behind him.

Bowser makes his way down to the kitchen, passing several of his minions along the way. This normally wouldn't be an issue, but every single one of them asks him if he's feeling ok. With each time he's asked the question, he gets more and more annoyed. Eventually just deciding to ignore anyone who asks him.

With each step towards the kitchen, Bowser's mind begins wandering. His thoughts gravitating towards his last encounter with his archenemy. Even though it was a month ago, the sheer embarrassment of it is burned into his memory, every detail crystal clear. Although… there is only one detail that Bowser finds himself focusing on… Mario, specifically the expression on his face.

Bowser is confused. Looking back, Mario wasn't intimidated by his showboating… he looked… almost impressed. And when his shorts tore. Mario's expression was one of shock initially… but it quickly seemed to melt into one of sympathy…

"Maybe Mario likes me?" Bowser asks himself, almost chuckling at how outrageous it sounds. "But that would explain why Mario decided to invite me to a Grand Prix..." Bowser shakes his head. "I'm probably just desperate after being rejected by Peach." Bowser thinks to himself. "There's no way Mario likes me." "Everyone hates me..."

"I don't hate you."

Bowser jumps with surprise, quickly glancing around for the source of the voice. The first, and only, person he sees is an obese chargin' chuck with an apron. Bowser clears his throat before responding, "Ah, Johnson, I didn't see you there… how much did you hear?"

"Just you saying that everyone hates you," Johnson answers. "Which is definitely not true."

Anyways, how did I do? The paragraphs I'm most proud of are the first one, and the last seven. I feel like I got the pacing right in those parts, but let me know if i didn't. Feedback is appreciated, and I hope you all have a wonderful day/evening.