A/N: I just want to thank everyone again for either reading, reviewing, or both! This crossover has reached 400 reviews with tons of wonderful comments and helpful feedback. I really appreciate it!
This chapter is another one of those 'transitions' if you want to call them that. We're taking a break from the heroes' perspective and jump straight back to Bowser's Castle. I'm also throwing in one minor surprise in here, too. Needless to say, we're still not done with NB, but I hope you enjoy this one!
Disclaimer: I do not own any rights to Nintendo or SEGA, Mario or Sonic, everything basically.
Chapter 61: Rebooting
~Dark Land
Just outside the region where Bowser's Castle rested, a chilly breeze managed to flow around the mild environment. Despite being in a place that was mostly surrounded by lava, the individuals who were trekking up the mountains felt cold to the touch. Cold with their metal skin, that is.
It took until the next day for Metal Mario and Metal Luigi to finally reach their home turf, yet both of them were completely ready to reface their overlords. They already knew how poor of a reception Metal Sonic and Metal Tails received when they returned from the Forest of Illusion. The end result was eerily similar, however. Despite the upsetting loss for the Chaos Emerald, the duo recovered with a different key item instead. At the very least, Kamek might be able to investigate Mario's old Brotherhood Bracelet like he did with Luigi's hair. If the elder Magikoopa could understand the science behind it, maybe they could use it to their advantage. How so, was the question.
"Hey, Double-M, are you sure we won't be in trouble?" Metal Luigi asked his brotherly companion.
The red android's gleaming eyes glared dully at him. "What kind of a question is that? Of course we're gonna get a handful of Bowser and Eggman's vitriolic speeches! If those metal animals didn't retrieve the Chaos Emerald, we'll get the same treatment."
"But what about that bracelet thingy?" ML pointed at Metal Mario's hand.
"We will know when the time comes. Come on, lighten up a little. If you get most of the heat, I'll back you up."
"Well, okay, I guess..."
Even Luigi's duplicate was apprehensive in a situation like this. He doesn't like handling the pressure, especially when he's expecting a long conference that could garner a few unpleasant looks from the Koopa Troop. Obviously, he was the most frightened to revisit Bowser. The giant, spiky-shelled turtle always freaked him out whenever things in his vision did not go to plan.
Metal Mario, on the other hand, kept a bold yet static face as he and his partner slowly approached the castle drawbridge. He noticed the Koopatrol guards, Tom and Ken, standing on either side of the entrance. The harriers barely glimpsed at him through their spiked helmets. Repelling with an intimidating glower, the forces became fearful as they barely hid their heads within their shells. Their shadowy eyes barely poked out to catch Metal Mario's face, keeping them rattled within their armor.
As his red eyes dimmed, the robot resumed his stroll as he entered the castle. Metal Luigi, who mirrored the Koopatrols' current expression, stood on the bridge for a few seconds before awkwardly chuckling to himself. He then hurried to catch up to MM. With the coast clear, the guards met in the middle as they watched the minions storm off.
"Phew," Tom wheezed as his entire head popped out. "To think Metal Sonic and Metal Tails looked the scariest, I sure was wrong."
"No kidding," Ken replied. "Did you see how massive his nose was?"
"Um, that's not where I was going."
"What? Everyone knows that the most frightening attribute is a giant schnoz to make people very uncomfortable and insecure about how they look!"
"Ken, don't take this the wrong way, but..." Tom proceeded to raise his spiked staff and slammed him on his helmet.
"OW! Geez!" Ken howled in pain, dropping his own weapon while clutching his head. "Was that even necessary?!"
Tom only emitted a murmured 'Hmph'.
Metal Luigi hurried by turning on his blasters, but he unintentionally bumped into someone when he turned the corner in the hallway. Both of them fell to the carpeted floor.
"Ow! Hey, watch where you're zooming and zipping, you dumb, green brat!" Bowser Jr. hissed. The young Koopa kid was on his bottom, rubbing his head from the knock.
"Excuse me, but I didn't know you were within my vicinity," ML apologized.
"Maybe if you had better hearing aids, you would've heard my footsteps stomping through the halls! Pay more attention next time, will ya?!"
"Geez Louise, no need to be all riled up, okay?" the green android rolled his eyes, already losing his patience with Bowser's son.
"My name isn't Louise, you idiot! Heck, people always say the wrong name to you! In fact, they screw up hundreds of times that they don't even know who you really are!"
"That's the real Luigi you're referring to, snot breath."
"Hey, my breath doesn't smell like boogers!" Jr. pointed his sharp claw near his metal chest plate. "Not only that, but who even cares about that green weirdo, let alone you? He's dead for all I know!"
"Yes, but I exist. And I'm taking over as the green plumber permanently for specific reasons."
"Oh, really? Reasons like what? Tripping over your metal shoelaces and barging into people like me?"
"Hey, ML! Hurry it up, will ya?!" Metal Mario called from further down the castle corridor.
"I don't have time to deal with an insubordinate like you. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have an important meeting with my bosses," Metal Luigi scooted off, ignoring Jr.'s rants echoing from the corner.
"Insubordinate?! You're talking to the heir of the Koopa Troop, you asparagus-looking dimwit! Is that how you treat your future ruler?! Hey! Answer me when I'm asking the questions here! Do you have earwax clogged into your metal pipes or something?!"
The sounds of his constant nagging drowned out eventually as Metal Luigi was nowhere near him. He wasn't going to let the turtle get on his nerves any further. If Jr. crossed a true line, he was tempted to give him the bird or maybe roll his shell down the hall like a bowling ball. But he kept his demeanor in check, not wanting to deal with the potential wrath of Bowser. Worst case scenario, Jr. will just tattle on him for some stupid fib and he'll have his circuit board dismantled.
Pushing that dumb thought aside, Metal Luigi continued hovering through the castle to rejoin his brother. Once he caught up, he noticed MM engaging in a small conversation with Kamek.
"Hmm... So that's what really happened?" the Magikoopa replied, sounding very unimpressed.
"I mean, I don't see a point in lying. No trace of the Chaos Emerald in my compartment," Double-M responded.
"And I presume the same goes for your twin companion?" Kamek causally gestured his wand towards him who joined the duo.
"Metal Luigi, reporting for bad news."
"No need to say more. I already got the full spiel from him. You had the Chaos Emerald – key word, had. But those red and blue hooligans got in your way while invading the heavenly dimension of The Overthere."
"Right, but there is also-"
"Basically," Kamek interrupted ML, "you have failed your mission like the rest of Bowser and Dr. Eggman's minions. Needless to say, I cannot save your behinds, let alone your motherboards, from the leaders. You'll have to confront them and explain the truth yourselves."
"We understand that," Metal Luigi rolled his eyes. "But we need to stress-"
"Feel free to save the chitter-chatter when you return to the throne room or the workshop, whichever place those two are. Now if you'll excuse me, I have some other important matters to handle," he began to leave the robots.
"And what does that entail?" Metal Mario asked as one of his pupils lowered.
The blue-roped mage paused in his tracks before muttering, "Oh, just some more affairs and shenanigans between the rowdy Koopalings."
"What did they do now?" Metal Luigi wondered.
"LEMMY!"
All three of their eardrums buzzed from the shrilling yell of Wendy. Then, they saw the smallest Koopaling rolling away on top of his balancing ball. Behind him was an enraged Wendy who was being held back by Iggy and Roy who were restraining her arms.
"It took FOREVER to get a new mirror set up in my room, and you just HAD to break it with your stupid, bouncy balls!"
"I swear, it was an accident!" Lemmy panicked, zipping past Kamek and the metal brothers.
"Wendy, can you take it easy, please? I'm almost certain Lemmy is telling the truth!" Iggy attempted to persuade her.
"Pfft! Almost certain? So you're implying the other part of you believes he broke it on purpose?!"
"What? No! That's not what I was going for!"
"Gah! Get the heck off of me already!" Wendy managed to break free from the Koopalings' grips.
"Come on, Wendy! Give 'im a break, why don't ya?" Roy grunted.
"Oh, I'll break something of his like he did to my mirror!"
"For Koopa's sake... Wendy, get back here!" Roy ran after her with Iggy following behind.
Kamek could only lay a claw over his nose in annoyance, shaking his head as he planned to break up the chaos. "That is what I have to deal with at the moment. I suggest you seek Bowser and Dr. Eggman as soon as possible and explain your current dilemma to them. I do not have time to relay the message, so hurry along."
He then waved his scepter to summon his flying broom. In a quick poof, he was already levitating and soared off to catch Lemmy, Wendy, Iggy, and Roy from their fracas. In stunned silence, Metal Mario and Metal Luigi waved off the awkward moment and continued their walk to find their bosses.
Although he had left the task in his robots' hands, Eggman didn't pause from continuing his research and hard work. Before MM and ML left, he examined E. Gadd's Emerald Detector, figuring out its capabilities and functions. Thinking ahead, he wondered if his latest creations would come back with at least one Chaos Emerald. If unsuccessful, the doctor thought back to Metal Tails' idea.
Even if Sonic and Mario claim all seven of them, there was no stopping him, Bowser, or anyone in the Koopa Troop from assailing the upcoming concert. If the heroes were still holding onto the Emeralds, they had a secret ambush planned out to snag them from their possession. Otherwise, keeping the Emerald Detector would make things easier to track them down if they were confined in a single hiding location. It was a stealthy yet conniving idea, one that made Eggman cackle to himself while sitting in front of his workbench.
"Heh heh heh... They'll soon be ours for the taking. As impatient as I may be, it will be worth it in the end. And I will not let anything get in my way-"
"Dr. Eggman!"
The sudden interjection caused him to lift his head up only to bump into the overhead shelf. "D'oh! Who said my name?!" he turned around, rubbing his head.
From behind, the Elite Trio cringed when they came face-to-face with the frustrated scientist. Private Goomp gulped audibly, Corporal Paraplonk stopped flapping his wings while landing on the floor, and Sergeant Guy remained inscrutable from his mask.
"Well? Don't just stare there and stare at me! Say something, any one of you!"
"U-Um, we heard reports that Metal Mario and Metal Luigi have reported back to the castle," explained Paraplonk.
"Oh yeah?" Eggman raised an eyebrow, not sounding enthusiastic. "Just from judging the looks on your faces though – with the exception of you, that is..."
"You don't have to call me out like that," Sergeant Guy deadpanned.
"As I was saying, you three don't seem to have good news to tell me, unless you're trying to hide your excitement and surprise me."
"Uh-" Private Goomp started before he got cut off.
"Oh, so you do have good news!" Eggman assumed as he changed his attitude in the blink of an eye. "Go on, enlighten me!"
"Y-Your Braininess... W-We don't know anything about the status of the Chaos Emeralds. We just know your other robots returned," Goomp finished his statement.
"Urgh, I know better not to let my hopes up that easily," Eggman groaned. "Fine, where are they?"
"Heck if we know. They're somewhere in the castle from what we heard. Chances are they're looking for you and Lord Bowser," Paraplonk shrugged.
"I'm sure they'll make their way over to your workshop at some point. But we figured to give you a heads-up," informed Sergeant.
"I'll give you a heads-up of my own. How about you NOT INTERRUPT ME AND CAUSE ME TO BONK MY OWN HEAD?!" Eggman blurted at the Elite Trio.
Paraplonk hid his head and limbs inside his shell while Sergeant and Goomp cowered behind, peeking at Eggman's irate expression.
"What did I tell you about staring at me?! Why don't you make yourselves useful and escort them to me?"
"S-Sure, we can do that," Goomp stuttered. "Y-You heard the doctor, guys! Let's scramble! Er, no pun intended, heh."
"GET MOVING ALREADY!" the human insisted.
"EEEEK!" All three members scurried from their spots and left the workshop before they got another earful of Eggman's loud voice.
Once they were finally out of sight, he let out a guttural groan and gently sat back in his chair. He was about to resume his work when he heard some robotic noises from nearby. Eggman thought Metal Mario and Metal Luigi were back, but alas...
"Ah, finally you're... here..." his mustache drooped, noticing it was just his mechanical duplicates of Sonic and Tails.
"They're not the only robots you've made, you know," reminded Metal Sonic.
"Yes, but for all I know, they could be back with a Chaos Emerald unlike you two."
"What makes you so confident to put up a claim like that? Besides, we may not have come out with what you were looking for, yet we at least provided a base component to build your green-hatted mechanism," boasted Metal Tails.
"Right, and that's not to mention they have a better advantage of finding them with that Chaos Emerald tracker Kamek stole from the heroes. We never had a technical device like that to aid us in our hunt," MS complained.
"Don't you have some batteries to recharge or something?" Eggman muttered, hoping they would stop bugging him.
"They were already charged up days ago. We've been lingering and helping you plan your next attack while those two are out on their mission," MT exasperated.
"When's our turn to shine again? You and King Bowser have been shuffling shifts to all the underlings like a deck of blackjack cards, yet everyone seems to bust and lose out on the prize. And I want a full-on rematch with that blue menace," Metal Sonic shook a fist.
"You think that I don't have the same sentiment?! I've been trying to blast that blue rat for years! I had plenty of chances to get what I wanted, and I was so close to achieving it if that stupid black hole hadn't appeared out of nowhere! I went from having every single Chaos Emerald to losing them before I could say 'Egg salad'! I will do whatever it takes to get rid of that annoying hedgehog and his stupid, red friend of his!"
"Are you referring to Mario or that gullible echidna who guards the Master Emerald?"
"No, I'm talking about the big red dog who is as tall as a skyscraper!"
"Um, what?" Metal Tails was confused.
Eggman was getting tired already. Rather than burst into flames once more, he pinched the bridge of his nose, turned toward his bench, and leaned back into his seat. Staring at the ceiling, he simply ordered, "Fetch me a drumstick. All this yelling and bickering is making me ravenous."
"Haven't you got enough on your plate from yesterday?" teased Metal Sonic, only to get an elbow jab from his yellow companion.
They both distinguished a disgruntled noise from the man before they proceeded to follow his command, zooming out of the hangar. Now that Eggman was finally alone for a bit, he picked up a pen and scrutinized his blueprints. Yet he was still distracted. Not just because of his hunger, but for another reason.
"I wonder how Orbot and Cubot are doing back home?" he reminisced about his other adjutants.
~Eggman's Base
Several weeks in Mobius passed, and the news of Sonic, Eggman, and many others disappearing remained a mystery throughout the world. Many citizens wondered what happened to the hero and his antagonist. Needless to say, while they were fairly worried about the former, the only good thing out of this predicament was that the doctor wasn't terrorizing any of the zones. There had not been any traces of evil or tomfoolery taking place since they were gone. However, a myriad of people were curious to know what occurred.
Two of which happened to be Eggman's other underlings, still residing in Sonic's home world. Although they did not participate in any of his recent plans, the fact that their leader had been gone for over a month was less than reassuring to them.
Orbot and Cubot, a pair of robots with red and yellow caps and cubes respectively, have hardly done anything besides locate their boss for about a month. Yet every time they tried to track down his whereabouts, they had been unsuccessful and continued to lose hope. Time and time again, they struggled to make any progress in reuniting with their leader. They pondered if he had been faring well or if he was completely lost forever. But given how long they have been researching, they tried not to think about the latter.
Cubot hovered over to the main computer where Orbot had been typing away for a couple of hours nonstop. He was carrying a tray of motor oil cans.
"You've been awfully quiet as of late. I gotta admit, it's kinda weird not hearing you speak for a while," commented Cubot.
"Well, I'm not going to sugarcoat anything, but Dr. Eggman going missing for weeks has been stuck on my mind ever since he went solo to engage in another battle against Sonic," Orbot sighed. "Not only that, but he was really determined to get his revenge despite what occurred beforehand. It's the main reason why I've been confining my concern."
"Can you believe it's been that long since... Tails died?"
Orbot hummed a small noise, the sounds of the clacking keyboard paused from his state of silence. Grabbing one of the containers, he refueled his energy before eventually answering Cubot's question.
"It's hard to fathom. Tails was never meant to be the victim in Eggman's scheme. Yet some things... Some things are taken for granted. The young fox may have been loyal to Sonic ever since they met, but he was willing to help his friend in any way possible in the same way Sonic looks out for him. I just never imagined Tails making a sacrifice to take his own life over Sonic's."
"Believe me, I feel the same way. I never really hated the fox. Sometimes, I find it admirable yet funny how he's able to outsmart the boss on multiple occasions. Like you said though, valuing Sonic's life over his was a bold, noble motive. Despite the fact we weren't there at the time, hearing about his death sent chills down my circuits! It would take me minutes, if not hours, to rest and recharge my batteries every night."
"My sentiments exactly. As sad as it is, I think it's safe to say that we've moved past his bereavement. Right now, we're still on a mission."
"Oh yeah, speaking of which, have you found anything new today?" Cubot asked before sipping on his oily beverage.
Orbot annoyingly shook his head. "If only Dr. Eggman had a tracker implanted on his outfit or something, but that would make our lives easier. And nothing comes easy in this day and age."
"What about making chocolate chip muffins?" Cubot scratched his head, earning a quizzical glance from his partner in red.
"Um... sure, considering that requires time, ingredients, and even accurate measurements to make a delectable batch."
"Mmm... I sure could go for one. You wanna take a break from searching for the boss and whip up a dozen or two? Besides, you've been hard at work for a long time. Why not step away and treat yourself to something sweet?"
"Maybe later," Orbot shook his head. "I'm still not giving up until I can get a hold of his coordinates. If only we had some kind of clue."
Cubot mused for a moment while tapping his square chin with his finger. "Circling back to that tracker idea, can't we locate his Egg Mobile? Wouldn't his transportation device have some kind of handy feature like that?"
Orbot blinked and turned to his ally in disbelief. "My goodness, why didn't I think of that in the first place?! Cubot, you are a genius!"
"I am? Oh, I guess I am!" he boasted.
"Let me see what I can do here. Give me a minute here."
With his mechanical digits clicking on the keycaps, Orbot activated some codes to get any kind of transmission from the doctor's vehicle. Nothing seemed to pop up for a minute or so until the robots both heard a distinguishable beeping sound.
"Hey! Is that it?!" exclaimed Cubot.
Orbot kept typing away until he found a significant clue. Highlighted on the large computer screen, he discovered the signal in an outside world.
Mumming for a moment, he eventually said, "Huh... This is peculiar."
"What are you talking about?"
"The Egg Mobile is in another realm, one that is far away from our home planet. Apparently, the signal is being detected in a strange place deemed as 'Dark Land'.
"Dark Land? Doesn't that seem a little... I don't know, unoriginal? They couldn't have named it like, 'Ominous Hills' or something sinister?"
"You're getting off-topic here, Cubot. What matters is we now have an idea of where Dr. Eggman has been stuck for so long! If we can somehow bring him back home, we'll be able to continue our jobs with the boss around!"
"I mean, yeah, that's not really a bad thing. But don't you think this life without him makes life a little more chill?"
Cubot's nonchalance and lack of care made Orbot question his thought process. Frankly, not listening to Eggman's rash decisions, constant complaining, and bold overconfidence really put things into perspective with how long they went without their leader. At the same time, the evil scientist was the reason why he and Cubot were created as his loyal assistants. The least they could do is aid him in a dire scenario.
...Or they could just bake a bunch of muffins in solidarity.
Taking another sip of his oil, he slammed the can on the table. He firmly stated to his comrade, "Cubot, we're going to get Eggman back."
"Hey, Jr., did you brush your teeth this morning?" Bowser asked as he ran into his son.
"Brush my teeth? Since when did you start caring about dental hygiene in this castle?"
"Since I remembered your dentist appointment with Dr. Kooplaq is coming up shortly. And by shortly, I mean in a few hours from now," Bowser nagged his son as the two headed for Eggman's workshop.
"What?! I have a dentist appointment coming up?! But I hate going there, and I especially don't like Dr. Placky at all! He never gives me any sugary lollipops!" the young Koopa kid whined.
"Because that's what the dentist is for – to make sure your teeth don't rot with cavities all the time. On another note, every morning I greet you, I notice how smelly your breath is."
"Like I said, when did you begin caring in the first place? I can't remember the last time you bothered me to make my breath smell minty and fresh! And did you get that from that annoying green robot who called me 'snot breath'?"
"First of all, no, I did not. Second, you may be precociously developed like me, but I still don't want your fangs to fall off so quickly."
"Aw, come on, dad! You have stinky turtle breath, too! Besides, I'm not the only one chowing down on giant drumsticks and lemon cakes all the time! Not only that, but didn't you get extremely fat when you ate a bunch of that stuff-"
"I GOT FORCE-FED BY MY MINIONS WHO WERE BRAINWASHED!" Bowser intervened loudly, causing Jr. to panic and hide inside his shell. "It's not my fault that I got chubby in mere seconds! At least I was able to burn all the weight off!"
Bowser Jr. barely peeked his head, checking on his dad's temper. "Um, Papa?"
The larger Koopa glanced down at him, inhaling with a grunt. "What is it?"
A low growl came from within the kid's shell. "I'm hungry."
Bowser laid a claw over his face, shaking his head. "Come on, don't dawdle anymore. We got to see Eggman first."
"Why can't we do it after breakfast?" Jr. queried, watching his father walk away down the hall. "Dad! Aw, whatever! I'll just snag some grub from Morton's plate or something."
The Koopas made their way to the dining room where Morton, Ludwig, and Larry were situated at the table. Then, true to his word, Jr. clandestinely tapped the dark Koopa's left shoulder, fooling him for attention. When Morton peeked to his left, Jr. swiftly zipped over his right shoulder and swiped off a few strips of bacon. He sneaked away before getting caught.
Morton was muddled at first before going back to his food. However, his eyesight didn't deceive him. "Hey! You stole some of my breakfast meat!"
"What? Why are you accusing me?" Larry acted defensive right away.
"Because you're sitting next to me, dingus! Of course you would take some of my food!"
"I didn't steal jack for all you know! I may be the youngest, but at least I know better not to purloin stuff unless it's for our benefit!"
"Which is why you ate my bacon! To get more servings in your gullet!"
"You're one to talk, Tubby! You know you're not all muscle and brawn when you shove ten thousand calories down your throat!
"Guys, you do realize the chefs made a breakfast buffet for us?" Ludwig interrupted, twirling his fork in the air with a piece of fried egg stuck on the prongs. "There is plenty of food to go around."
"Shut up, Ludwig! Maybe you're the one who stole Morton's bacon!" Larry narrowed his eyes.
"Pfft... As if. I'm not even a bacon guy."
"Well, what's wrong with you?!" Morton growled.
"Just grab more from the platter already, and stop making a big deal out of it! Maybe you're just forgetful that you ate a handful of it and that your dish is nearly clean," sassed Ludwig.
"Hrmm... Fine. But I'm watching you two."
"Better not steal my sausage patties," Larry hissed at Morton before taking a big bite and threatening with his kitchen knife.
Back to Bowser and Bowser Jr., they entered the hangar where they spotted Eggman from the top of the staircase. Once they reached the workshop, the small Koopa finished his breakfast before distracting the doctor.
"Hey, Dr. Eggface!"
The sudden voice made him bash his head on the shelf again. "Grr... I thought I said to not distract me, you featherweight idiots! I oughta-" He turned his chair around and continued blasting his words until he saw Jr. standing next to his dad. "Oh, it's you."
"Um, I have a name, you know!"
"Well, maybe if you addressed me properly, I would have acknowledged you without fail."
"Take it easy on him," Bowser held his claw up. "We're just here to discuss more about our plan."
"I was kinda hoping we wait until my other robots come back here. Your circus trio was informative yet somewhat vexatious to disturb me from my projects."
"So, they're in the castle?"
"From what I've been told, yes."
"Excellent! Now they'll give us the Chaos Emeralds we so rightfully own! After losing the old one to that stupid plumber and hedgehog, we'll finally replenish our collection!" Bowser eagerly rubbed his hands together.
"Unless they don't return with one," Metal Sonic crossed his arms.
"Ah, don't be such a half-full kind of robot," bothered Jr.
"Don't you mean half-empty?"
"What?"
"Half-full means that there is some kind of optimism involved. Half-empty refers to looking at the negative aspect of a scenario," explained Metal Tails.
"Oh, can it, you two-tailed nerd! Like I care about dictionary definitions!"
"Better to be a nerd than a dim-witted brat," MT muttered to himself.
"What did you just say?!"
"Jr.! That's enough!" Bowser commanded him to stop talking.
In due time, two more figures entered the room from behind, catching everyone's attention. Metal Mario and Metal Luigi slowly made their way to Bowser and Eggman, the latter keeping a keen eye on his creations.
"Ah, immaculate timing! Just the two we were waiting for!"
ML internally cringed at Bowser's words, but he kept his ground as he stood next to his metal brother.
"Alright, enough standing around," Eggman walked forward, extending his hand out. "Metal Bros., show us the Chaos Emerald."
Equivalent to a sigh, Metal Mario beeped once before speaking candidly to him. "Doctor, I am deeply regretful."
Not the best way to start out a sentence. Bowser and Eggman immediately changed their expressions in a heartbeat. Metal Sonic and Metal Tails in the background were also not impressed. Jr. just wanted them to get straight to the point.
"We did not escape with a Chaos Emerald. Instead, we-"
"Oh, for Mobius's sake! Can't you simpleton robots do anything right?! I didn't spend countless days working on your bodies and voice chips only for you to have the same result as my other henchmen! Heck, you're worse than Kamek and the Koopalings! Had you mediocre buffoons accomplished such an easy task, I wouldn't be here screaming at the top of my lungs and contemplating my own qualms for building you worthless clowns!"
Eggman seethed from his outburst and caused a long period of silence to emanate in the hangar. Neither the Metal Bros. nor the Sonic and Tails duplicates had anything to say. Bowser and his son remained quiet as well. Eventually, the doctor pinched the bridge of his nose, turned around, and placed his hands on the surface of his workbench. Leaning forward with his head, he took a minute to compose himself and reduce his temper. As much as he got most of his venting out of the way, Eggman remained severely disappointed with the knowledge that Mario and Sonic now have all seven Chaos Emeralds in their hands. But what exactly is their own purpose of hoarding them?
"D-Dr. Eggman?" Metal Luigi quavered.
"Urgh, what is it?" he grumbled.
"We still have something to show you... even if it's not a Chaos Emerald."
"I doubt we'll have any fascination over it, but whatever. Enlighten us," Bowser griped.
Metal Mario obeyed his demand and reached into his chest compartment. He pulled out Mario's Brotherhood Bracelet and exhibited it to the group.
"You're showing off a lousy wristwatch?" mocked Jr.
"No. What you're seeing is the device that allowed us to teleport to the location of the last Chaos Emerald," described Metal Mario.
"I'm sorry, what?" Metal Sonic didn't believe him.
"This device was worn by the red plumber to contact his brother from the otherworldly place of The Overthere. Not only that, but the blue hedgehog also wields one on his own wrist. On top of everything I've said, his little, furry companion dons one, too. Those four have been in connection with each other even after Luigi and Tails have died."
"Plus, with this device, we were able to activate a signal that caused them to transport at a precise location. We caught them in the act and used this to reach the Overthere," Metal Luigi added.
"We could have had a chance to steal more aside from the one held by the king who lived there, but Mario, Sonic, and their bandit friends had to save the day and ruin our plan," Double-M groused.
"So my optics didn't trick me," Metal Tails mused. "I definitely discovered Luigi and the other Tails in the Ghost House, and that little hair was not a fake trace. Whether they were ghosts or spiritual entities, those two have been helping Mario and Sonic this whole time."
"I don't know about you, but that sounds like a bunch of baloney!" Jr. scoffed. "The dumb man in green can't save himself from a Bob-omb without a fuse! What makes you believe he's helping his bratty brother out?"
"I don't believe anything; I know it's true," corrected the metal fox.
"As do I, given the proof," Metal Mario agreed.
"Although I was skeptical at first, I'm starting to understand the full picture now. They have been given the upper hand with not just the Emerald Detector, but also the aid of their ghostly brothers to protect them from danger," imparted Metal Sonic.
"Oh yeah, um... They may or may not have recovered the Emerald Detector from us as well," Metal Luigi let out a mechanical gulp.
"Grr... I should've known those pesky rats were up to no good," Eggman clenched a fist. "I'm getting sick of them winning all the time!"
"Hey, remember what you said earlier to me? They won the battle but not the war. Besides, our plan to crash the Mushroom Concert is still in the works. We're making the final preparations to get everything locked and loaded before we catch those mutants by surprise," insisted Bowser.
"I guess the waiting game isn't too bad of an idea," Eggman tapped his chin. "Alright then, we'll let them celebrate prematurely for now. Until the day of their silly event takes place, we keep this on the low. We cannot falter our ultimate plan if we want them to go down."
"Ugh, I'm too bored to wait that long," groaned Bowser Jr.
"Forget it, little one," MM replied. "This is more about accomplishing our objective with good timing and effective planning."
"I'm not little! Don't call me that!" he pointed a claw at him.
"Anyway, we're sorry that we let you down, sir. We'll make sure to assist you in your invasion plan without fail," Metal Luigi vowed.
"Like the others, you guys will get another chance when the time comes. For now, my latest tantrum has made me famished," the doctor rubbed his stomach.
"Speaking of which, Papa, can I have breakfast now?" begged Jr.
"I thought I mentioned your appointment not too long ago," Bowser raised an eyebrow.
"Aww, come on, Dad! I'm fine, see?" He opened his mouth very wide.
"Ugh, it's more hideous than I thought it would be," Metal Sonic whispered from a distance.
The Koopa King didn't buy into his son's claim, so he inspected for a moment before perceiving a distinct aroma. "Jr., did you steal some steak from the dining room?"
Immediately, he tightened up his muzzle. "Uh, no?"
"Hmm, I could've sworn I smelled some meat."
"It's bacon. My sensors can detect it," Metal Mario tattled.
"What the heck?! Your nose can't even smell at all!"
"You're right, I can't. It's too bad your statement sizzled out."
Jr. slowly registered the trap he fell into. "Why you little-"
"Come with me, Jr.," Bowser hoisted his son onto his shoulder. "Don't even try to escape from me. You're getting a Koopa-back ride from me, but it's not for fun."
His son could only huff and shoot a stink eye at the red android. He blew a raspberry at him, but Double-M was unmoving from his spot. "You're just as annoying as the original!"
"Is that what everyone else says about you compared to your father?" the robot mumbled.
"What was that?" Bowser turned his head around briefly.
"Nothing! You heard nothing," Metal Mario waved off. Metal Luigi, however, rolled his eyes apathetically.
END OF CHAPTER
Thanks again for reading, reviewing, and following New Brotherhood! I was able to get another chapter done before I leave on vacation, but I apologize for the long wait! It's been a while since I wrote something that's heavily focused on the villain's side, so we get to see their upcoming plans to surprise their foes and steal the Chaos Emeralds from them.
Plus, Orbot and Cubot! I feel bad for not including them at all in the crossover until this point. But I wanted to show how they've been living without Eggman for a long time. Will they be able to reunite with the boss?
Other than that, we will return to Mario and Sonic soon as they return to E. Gadd's lab. Hope to see you guys in the next one! This is TGN, signing off.