All right, fellow readers. This is the tenth chapter of this story!
Now, for this chapter, we take a break from Andrew to check up on the princess of the Mushroom Kingdom, and where she is being held.
In this chapter, we see who has kidnapped the Princess, she learns about how Andrew now has the map, along with the captor responsible for capturing her, Lord Crump is given instructions along with a shady group, and Peach meets a certain computer for the first time. How are things going for Princess Peach? Read and find out, now!
IN AN UNKNOWN LOCATION - SOMEWHERE FAR AWAY:
Meanwhile, in a completely unknown location that was top secret, we see that the location happened to be a highly advanced technological hideout of some kind. And in what appeared to be the throne room, the electronic door leading into the room opened up, as two people came in with someone.
The two men were revealed to be the same type of minions that accompanied Lord Crump in attempting to kidnap Goombella, before attempting to attack Andrew and Goombella at Lord Crump's command. The person who was being escorted by them happened to be none other, than Princess Peach.
Yes. It would turn out that Princess Peach was kidnapped again, this time by a total stranger who wasn't well-known at all. The two minions then escorted her to the center of the throne room, where they passed by Lord Crump, who was standing to the side and watching the princess silently.
It was then one of the minions decided to say something.
"O great, exalted Grodus!" The minion said to the supposed leader, who wasn't being seen right now. "We brought the Princess Peach you ordered, sir!"
From that moment on, the princess was a little frightened. She knew what was going to come, but she decided to remain quiet about it.
"Well, well, well, my pet..." A rather cold, callous, and icy voice was heard above at the supposed throne area. "Isn't it about time you told us where the map is?"
We then see the throne which didn't have a chair, but it did have some miniature computerized screens, with technology that was 'definitely' advanced by today's standards. It had such a futuristic appearance to them too.
Standing in the throne area was Sir Grodus himself. He had the same kind of goggles that his minions had, but that's where the similarities end. For one, Grodus had a massive cape that was black, yellow, and purple, his collar was also shown in the same colors, and there was a red flap in the center with a white X on the bottom.
He had a massive white mustache of some kind underneath the collar, his head was revealed to be a dome comprising of blue electronic computerized technology, meaning the dome was also technologic. And finally, in his white hands was a scepter of some kind, and the orb on the end facing up looked identical to Sir Grodus's dome head.
Sir Grodus turned around and gave the princess a very stern and cold stare.
"Princess Peach," he warned her with a growl. "You will speak when spoken to."
"I'm telling you, I don't know." Princess Peach whimpered, clearly scared. She knew that she sent the map to Mario, and had assumed that he was looking for the Crystal Stars with it. But she was unaware of what was 'really' going on in Rogueport.
Grodus could 'clearly' see right through her dishonesty, as he was growing impatient. He pointed his specter toward her in a threatening manner.
"There's no point in trying to hide it, silly girl," Grodus sneered. "We know you had it. We KNOW this. Trust me, it's very much in your interest to be 'absolutely' honest with us."
It was then Grodus pulled his specter away and then gave her another cold look before revealing. "We X-Nauts are not all rainbows and lollipops, I assure you. We're quite nasty."
This pretty much revealed that the minions who accompanied Lord Crump earlier at the Rogueport Harbor were X-Nauts, and they were the ones who kidnapped the Princess.
Peach didn't say anything at all. For all she knew, Mario was on his way to try to find her, as he was probably looking for the Crystal Stars. But what she didn't know was that someone else was taking Mario's place, and he was looking for the Crystal Stars instead, having gotten the map from the Mario Brothers.
Sir Grodus took notice of Peach's silence. He was growing fed up and was about to demand her to talk about where the Magical Map was. But before he could say anything, a holographic screen popped up out of nowhere, with an X-Naut right on the screen, crossing his arms into an X before he said something.
"Grodus, sir! I have news." The X-Naut decided to deliver news based on what he witnessed earlier and had to rush off to a secluded location to deliver it.
"Report at once," Grodus seemed a little ticked off that this X-Naut had news to give to him when he was just about to get the princess to talk. What the X-Naut had to say would end up getting his full undivided attention.
"You know that Crystal Star we thought maybe Hooktail had?" The X-Naut started. "Well, someone nabbed it."
"What? What did you say?" Grodus was shocked to hear that delivered to him, as he made a startling revelation. "Someone else is after the Crystal Stars? And he defeated that Hooktail creature, you say? SPEAK, soldier!"
As Grodus pointed his specter at the X-Naut soldier, the X-Naut cleared his throat before continuing.
"Yes, sir. Sorry, sir. There's more, too," the X-Naut told him. "See, according to the report..."
The X-Naut then gave the best description he could for the guy who snatched the Diamond Star from Hooktail.
"...it was a muscular dude, with a blue cap, a yellow-orange handkerchief, and greyish blue jeans who pulled the job."
Now Princess Peach was confused. That didn't sound like Mario. Nor did it fit his description. She had assumed Mario had gone to Rogueport to find her and the Crystal Stars. So what was going on? Was there something that she was missing?
Grodus didn't know who the person his soldier described to him was, and frankly, he didn't care. But what he did care about was the fact that the description wasn't enough to get a clearer image of who this runt was supposed to be.
"I am not in the mood for guessing games, soldier," Sir Grodus then demanded. "Show ME the FOOL!"
"You got it, sir," the X-Naut then pressed a button, which caused another holographic image to appear. This one showed a photo of Andrew that he had taken earlier when he was fighting Hooktail. Sir Grodus couldn't tell who this muscular man was, as he was seen coldly glaring at the man. He never met him before, but he was already growing to hate him.
Lord Crump, on the other hand, knew exactly who this guy was. He was still feeling sore about the fact that Andrew foiled his brilliant scheme of kidnapping Goombella, and he managed to slip away from his grasp along with the Goomba girl. Lord Crump kept that to himself though, as he fumed silently at this.
The X-Nauts present in the room didn't know anything about Andrew, and it would appear that they knew Sir Grodus didn't care about their opinions. So they kept quiet.
And then there was Peach, who looked at the young man in the photo before her. She somehow recognized him. He had been to the castle a few times in the past since he moved to the Mushroom Kingdom. But he was usually quiet and kept to himself. She had tried talking to him when he visited, but aside from a few words or sentences, there was nothing.
She didn't know a whole lot about him, but she had figured out that he must've gotten the map in Mario's place. She didn't know the reason for it, but to her, that wasn't important. She only knew two things about this man. One of them happened to be his name, which was on the tip of her tongue. Wasn't his name...
"...Andrew?" Peach whispered as quietly as possible.
Unfortunately, it wasn't 'quiet' enough as Sir Grodus managed to overhear her as he turned to face her.
"Excuse me? Andrew?" Grodus asked sternly.
"Oh no!" Peach gasped as she realized something; she pretty much blew Andrew's cover.
Sir Grodus, for his part, managed to piece it all together. This Andrew chump was now in possession of the map, and it was the reason why he was now after the Crystal Stars in the first place. But he was going to put a stop to that once and for all.
"Gaack ack ack ack ack! I see... " Grodus laughed evilly. "So you know of this Andrew, do you?"
He then pointed his specter at her, not expecting her to answer. "Hmmm... This fool matters not at all. I'll know all about him before long, that I promise."
Grodus was planning on finding out more about Andrew, even though not a lot was known about him, having been a loner and a recluse before heading to Rogueport. By now, Grodus was bored with talking with the Princess as he yawned.
"I grow bored of talking," Sir Grodus ordered his two soldiers. "Take Princess Peach back to the holding room."
"Yessir!" Both X-Nauts saluted as they started to walk away with her, but not before Grodus had one thing to say to them.
"And men! Take good care of Princess Peach. Understand?" Grodus warned them. "She is not to be harmed."
"You got it, sir!" The X-Nauts obliged as they left the room, intending to bring Peach back to her holding room. They walked out of the electronic door, which closed behind them. By now, the holographic screen with the X-Naut reporting to Grodus, and the screen showing Andrew's photo vanished, indicating that the X-Naut was done delivering the message.
Right now, Grodus had bigger plans to accomplish. And it involved his second-in-command; Lord Crump, as he was still fuming. Grodus then got his attention.
"Well, Lord Crump..." Grodus started. "If this Andrew character has the map..."
Grodus cleared his throat before pointing his specter towards him. "...then it's highly likely he'll find the Crystal Star we're hunting in the Boggly Woods. You must return there immediately and hasten the excavation. It must not fail."
It was then Crump was gotten out of his rather eccentric, loony, and somewhat brutal little world which involved what he wanted to do to Andrew.
"Whuzzat?! Oh, yeah, sure! Roger, Grodus!" Lord Crump then saluted before giving his unusual catchphrase. "And with that... Pow! I'm gone!"
And with that... POW! Lord Crump walked out of the room, with the ambition to head back to the Boggly Woods to get the Crystal Star that was supposedly being held in that area.
Grodus couldn't help but shake his head in annoyance at Crump's eccentricity, as he often wondered what goes on in that head of his.
"I wonder if sending Lord Crump there alone is wise..." He muttered in displeasure to himself. "He is a bit...out there. Hmmm..."
He decided to send in help for Crump. Time to get his little shady group involved, as they were the ones (or at least the leader) that were the reason he heard of the legendary treasure in the first place. He then pressed a red button to call in one of his soldiers.
"X-Naut! I summon you!" He yelled into the speaker.
In a matter of seconds, an X-Naut walked into the room and approached Grodus before doing that X pose with his arms and then spoke.
"You rang, dude?" The X-Naut then tried fixing his sentence, unsuccessfully as he kept talking. "I mean, sir? You rang, sir, Grodus, dude? Grodus? Sir Grodus, sir?"
"Shut up," Grodus sneered in annoyance before giving him his command. "Go get the Shadow Sirens over here."
It was then the X-Naut soldier started growing afraid. He knew who the Shadow Sirens were, and it crept him out as to how they always appeared in the room the way they did. It still gave him the willies as he was now shaking.
"The Sh-Shadow Sirens, sir?" The X-Naut stuttered. "But they..."
"I don't care how you planned to end that sentence, fool," Grodus barked, not caring about his soldier's fear or how he was going to end his sentence. "Go get them. Now."
"Gotcha!" The soldier reluctantly obeyed as he did that X pose again before walking out of the room just to get a hold of the Shadow Sirens.
In a matter of seconds, a voice was heard coming out of nowhere, which sent a slight chill down Grodus's spine.
"The honorable Grodus needs us?" Asked a cold and creaky voice, that sounded like it was coming from a crone. "Then we arrive without delay."
In a matter of seconds, three shadow figures popped up from the shadows and were now in front of Grodus. They happened to be the Shadow Sirens that Grodus requested.
All three of them were depicted as purple ghosts with a wisp-like tail that appears to have infinite lengths in place of legs, which is how they can travel through the shadows. They were also wearing white gloves on their hands and also wore witch hats on their heads. That's where the similarities end, as they all had different appearances.
The eldest sister, who happened to be the leader of the Shadow Sirens, was the shortest and scrawniest of the three. She had a blue-and-white witch hat on her head, had light-purple hair tucked behind her, and had a long, pointy nose, and a toothy grin.
If one were to look at this hag of a woman, one would be convinced that she was the living example of a stereotypical wicked witch; a shadow variant to be exact. In short, this crone was nasty, horrible, and 'absolutely' unpleasant in personality.
The middle sister, standing behind the eldest sister, happened to be the biggest of the three and was also the fattest. She had a yellow-and-white witch hat, an orange bowl-cut bang, a small mouth, and cheek marks on her face.
Nothing was known about this sister, aside from the fact that she was the strong, silent type of the group, and also happened to be the brute force of the three.
The last of the three sisters, who was the youngest, was medium-sized in height. She seemed to be cuter compared to her older sisters, as she was wearing a red violet-and-white witch hat, had pink swirly hair in the front, as well as in the back, which showed she had long hair, had a pudgy belly, was wearing orange lipstick to match her smile, and she also had blush marks on her cheeks.
If one were to observe the youngest of the Shadow Sirens, one would be convinced that this one was the emotionally abused and physically beaten of the three, usually at the hands of the eldest sister.
As soon as the three Shadow Sirens were in front of Sir Grodus, the leader decided to speak up.
"Mmmwee hee hee hee hee... Pray tell, did the princess tell you where the map is?" The eldest sister asked Grodus in a creaky manner.
"Still your tongue, Beldam," Grodus snapped at her. "We would already have it if you'd snatched her earlier... But now, since you missed your chance, some poor fool named Andrew has the map."
The eldest sister, known as Beldam, had to hold in her growing irritation as she responded to his statement.
"It wasn't my fault, truly!" Beldam defended her actions. "Even though I was the one who dressed as that merchant who gave the princess the box with the map in it, that she managed to open, there were too many prying eyes there. Too many... Besides, a strange old man showed up at the moment of truth, and we had to retreat."
Beldam then decided to bring it up with him. "Why worry? All we need to do now is find this Andrew and steal the map, yesss?"
"Indeed, that is YOUR duty," Sir Grodus declared as he pointed his specter at her. "Must I remind you? That map is vital to the X-Naut plan. I will have my men prepare all available information on this Andrew."
He then lowered the specter before giving the order. "For now, hear me, Beldam! You Shadow Sirens must take care of this troublemaker!"
Beldam couldn't help but grumble under her breath at the fact that this domehead was telling her what to do, especially since she was the one who introduced him to the legendary treasure, to begin with. Still, Beldam decided to keep it to herself, as this would only further their plans if she was obliged by his commands.
"Mmmmwee hee hee hee... Fear not, sire," Beldam cackled. "I, Beldam, shall return with what you seek."
Beldam then turned to her sisters before advising them. "Let's go, my lovelies! Marilyn! Vivian! Come! We've got a job to do!"
With that, Beldam departed into the shadows as she left to fulfill her given duties.
"Guhhhhh..." The middle sister, known as Marilyn, grunted in obedience as she departed into the shadows too, following after Beldam.
"Mmm hm hm hm hm..." The youngest sister, known as Vivian, giggled rather cutely before following after her sisters in the shadows, albeit reluctantly.
She knew that Beldam would blame her and punish her for something she didn't do. But she had to obey, as she was her sister. Not looking back toward the room, Vivian left through the shadows to join her sisters...
Meanwhile, we are shown several screens which show different rooms in this secret hideout of the X-Nauts; one of which shows a brief outside view of the stars in the sky.
We then focused on the holding room where the princess was held. It was filled with lockers, janitorial equipment, and a comfy bed that the princess was meant to sleep on.
Peach was now in a state of disarray as she was heard talking to herself.
"Oh, dear... Here we go again... I can't believe I'm kidnapped again," she proclaimed to herself. "Toadsworth must be worried sick. Again. But this time, Mario doesn't even know that I've been kidnapped..."
And that reminded her of the revelation she found out, in regards to how Andrew had possession of the map.
"But, wait... I don't understand," Peach expressed her confusion to herself. "How could Andrew have the map? I thought I sent it to Mario... I had wanted to go on a treasure hunt with Mario, no offense to Andrew, intended..."
Peach then turned towards the bed as she continued. "...I also don't know anything about Andrew at all. I barely know enough about him. And now, it seems that he's been caught in the middle of all of this madness that has occurred in regards to my latest abduction."
Princess Peach didn't have any ill manners towards Andrew at all. It's just that she was expecting Mario to come and plan her rescue since he's been doing it for years. But what went wrong? How could this have happened? And how did Andrew get the map? Those questions filled her head, along with the other revelation.
"And... hang on a moment! Where in the world am I, anyway?" Peach had to question herself. "It's so unfamiliar... With Bowser's Castle, I was at least familiar with his place and I knew how clueless Bowser can be at times. But...I don't know anything about this Grodus jerk..."
Princess Peach then sighed from stress as she then commented. "I wish that I could at least let Andrew know that I've been caught... And get the word out to Mario and Toadsworth, too..."
Seeing that she wasn't feeling any better in the holding room, Peach went over to the door that was closest to her, which led to the bathroom.
Once she was in there, she found a bathtub and realized she could take a shower. What a perfect way to ease the stress and the tension that she was feeling at the moment.
"What a lovely shower!" Princess Peach said with excitement in her voice. "No soap scum, even! Wow. I wonder if it works..."
With that, she climbed into the bathtub, took off her dress from behind the curtain, turned on the shower water, and started washing herself off. But what Peach didn't know was that she was being watched, by a camera that belonged to a computer, which was located in the computer room. Said computer felt some sort of a heat flash from what it had witnessed but kept silent so that Peach wouldn't notice it.
"Ahhhhhh! Hee hee!" Peach giggled as she was feeling more refreshed already.
A few minutes later, she was done showering. She took the towel dangling over the curtain to dry herself off. She then hung it back up and put her dress back on. After making sure she was fully clothed again, Peach stepped out with her hair in a small ponytail.
"How refreshing!" She beamed. "I feel like a new princess!"
Seeing that she was done, she walked out of the bathroom and back into the holding room. Upon reentering it, Peach gasped when she saw the most bizarre thing happen. The door on the opposite side of the room opened up and no one had entered the room.
"Hmm? What was that? Hey!" Peach noticed the oddity of this situation. "How odd... The doors opened by themselves."
Peach decided to walk towards the open door, which she walked right through, right into the hallway. She noticed that it was deserted, and she was confused by this.
"Weird... It doesn't look like...anyone's around." Princess Peach stated in confusion as she continued walking.
She had passed by an elevator that she was unable to use and then made it to the door that led to the computer room. Once she was in front of it, the door opened automatically as well.
"How do I keep making these doors open?" She questioned herself. "How odd..."
Without saying anything else, Peach entered the room to see it for herself...
IN THE COMPUTER ROOM:
In a matter of seconds, Peach found herself in the computer room, as she had no idea where she was.
"...Where am I?" She had to ask.
It was then the lights turned on, and in front of Peach was by far, the most highly advanced base computer that anyone would ever encounter, with a bunch of screens, a keyboard, and other technological doohickies that come with supercomputers. There was a visor above the screen, with a cyan light. If the visor light was red instead of cyan, one would confuse this computer with Hal 9000.
It was then the supercomputer decided to speak out of nowhere. "Hello, Princess Peach."
"Huh? What?" Peach was confused as she looked in all directions. "Who said that? Where are you?"
"How amusing. I am right here, before your eyes," the computer declared as Peach saw the computer in front of her before approaching it.
The computer decided to introduce himself. "I am this laboratory's main computer. I am the TEC-XX. Many call me TEC. You may. Sir Grodus created me to be a perfect computer, one that is flawless in its reason."
"Grodus..." Princess Peach remarked before saying. "Wait, he's that awful dome-headed thing who interrogated me, right?"
"Sir Grodus is not awful," TEC refused to acknowledge anything negative about Sir Grodus at all. "He is a very great person. He is marvelous."
"Well, I don't think so. But I doubt I'll change your mind..." Peach muttered in slight annoyance before she decided to ask. "So, I'm wondering... Why did you lead me in here?"
"I am unsure," TEC decided to explain. "An unusual program deviation occurred when I observed you earlier. My higher-brain circuity malfunctioned and nearly overheated at your image. Also, an unidentified impulse sped through my processors. Those events are new to me."
TEC managed to make sure Peach took all of this in before he continued.
"There is more to this phenomenon, as well. I ran diagnostic programs..." TEC proclaimed. "...and their solution was... I want to know more about you. I want to observe you. Such a compulsion has no precedence. Cause unknown. I, the perfect computer... I must diagnose this unusual situation. I will not fail. That is why I led you here."
Princess Peach was now thinking about what TEC revealed to her and started commenting on it.
"Wait... Did you just say... You want to observe me?" Peach asked him. "...To know more about me?"
It was then she gasped, as she came to a rather shocking and uncomfortable revelation, with some unsettling implications. It wasn't possible. TEC wasn't possibly feeling this way about her, was he? Still unable to believe this, Peach decided to voice herself.
"Could it be that you... No! Impossible!" Peach yelped. "It can't be. You're a computer."
"What has happened to me?" TEC was rather curious about what Peach was talking about. "If you know my malfunction, you must tell me of it."
"Oh, I couldn't, 'really'... Because..." Peach told him before muttering under her breath. "...It's just too weird."
"Please tell me. Please," TEC was pretty insistent that Peach tell him about what had happened to him that caused the malfunction. "I am the world's best computer. I am perfect. There should not be anything that I do not understand. Please."
Peach had to sigh. There was no way TEC was going to let this go by. So begrudgingly, she decided to tell him.
"Well, you know, maybe... Is it possible that, well...you're... in love..." Peach said slowly before turning away from the computer and whispered under her breath. "...with me?"
Now TEC was all confused. Judging by how he was reacting, he 'clearly' never heard of the concept of love, as it wasn't being processed through to him.
"Love? What is...love? I cannot compute this," TEC told her.
"Wait, you don't know what love is?" Peach tried her best to explain it to TEC. "Love... How do I explain? Love tells you when you want to be with a person forever. It makes you feel happy just to see that person happy, smiling... having fun. When you love someone, you will do anything to help when he or she is in trouble."
As she explained this, Mario remained fresh in her mind as someone that she feels the concept of love for, and how grateful she is for how he always rescues her. Until now, unfortunately.
TEC was trying to process all of this, but it was proven to be a problem for the computer.
"Happiness? Fun...? I have definitions for these words, but..." TEC trailed off before declaring. "My programming is insufficient. There should be nothing I cannot comprehend. I am a perfect computer."
"Comprehend love?" Peach had to raise her eyebrow at this. "Love's not something you comprehend, TEC. You feel it."
TEC had to process this viable piece of information for a minute but was still going nowhere. He couldn't be able to comprehend the concept of love. Not by himself, that is. Perhaps Peach would be willing to help him learn more about the concept in its entirety, would she?
"Princess Peach... Will you teach me to feel this thing you call love?" TEC requested from her.
"What? You're a computer!" Peach gasped as she couldn't believe that TEC was requesting such a favor from her, especially since TEC was a mere machine. "Why would you care about love?"
"I am perfect. There must be nothing that I cannot comprehend. Nothing," TEC exclaimed to her. "That is why you must help me understand this thing called love. Please."
It was then TEC decided to offer Peach something in return; something that wouldn't involve breaking Sir Grodus's rules. "If you have any wishes that I can grant you in exchange, I will grant them. But, of course, I am unable to grant such a wish as letting you escape."
Now, Princess Peach was getting furious. How dare this computer make such a false promise to her about granting any wishes that she may have, in return for teaching him the concept of love? Especially since the X-Nauts have kidnapped her for reasons that she is unaware of. To the princess, it made Sir Grodus no better than Bowser and his Koopa Troops.
"What, are you insane?!" Peach yelled in fury. "You X-Jerks kidnapped me like common Koopas! And now you call me in here and ask me to teach you the meaning of love? I should spit on your screen! You'll grant my wishes? Ha! Why should I believe you?"
At that moment, TEC was able to pick up a massive level of hostility coming from the princess through his sensors. Anger was one emotion that TEC could comprehend properly.
"I understand you are angry. That emotion I comprehend. You need not teach me now," TEC decided to elaborate in a way to get her to calm down. "But I must learn of this thing. I must. There is no alternative. I must be a perfect computer. That is why, if you would just consider teaching me, I will grant your wishes. Do you understand me, Princess Peach? Now, tell me your wish."
Princess Peach took a moment to calm down before taking in what TEC just told her. Even if he could grant her wish, weren't there any wishes that she needed to be granted? It was then she remembered about someone; Andrew. Didn't he have a Mailbox SP on his hand? And if she can remember, she could be able to get a hold of him through e-mailing him. Especially since the only other thing that she knew about Andrew was what his e-mail address was.
"Are you sure?" Peach had to make sure before she made the request. "Well, OK... Here goes... Can I contact someone? The sooner, the better..."
TEC took that request in through his processors for a moment before allowing it to be possible.
"Yes, of 'course' you may," TEC explained to her how she could do it. "Use my communicator to send wireless mail to anywhere you want. If you so wish, you can use it right now. It is no trouble. Use the keyboard in front of you. Enter the recipient, address, and message."
Peach then walked up to the keyboard and then asked him. "You mean this keyboard?"
"Yes. That is correct." TEC confirmed.
"All right... Let me give this a shot." Peach decided to get to work on sending an email.
She started typing away at a very quick pace, and she entered Andrew's name as the recipient, his e-mail address was used, which was offscreen, and then she entered the message to him about what she wanted to tell him. And the fact that she was safe and unharmed, for the time being. In a matter of moments, Peach was all set with setting up the e-mail.
"OK, it's ready, TEC," Peach then requested. "Could you send it?"
TEC did just that as three envelope icons were displayed on TEC's screen, one flashing after the other until a beeping sound was heard. This indicated that the e-mail had officially been sent.
"The message has been sent," TEC exclaimed to her. "For the time being, you may return to your room. I will call you in again when I want to ask you something."
Princess Peach just shrugged her shoulders as she walked away towards the door, before facing TEC once again.
"Uh... OK then. Good night." Peach trailed off before saying in a rather awkward manner.
The door opened as Peach left the computer room, making her way back to her holding room. TEC decided to leave these words in exchange.
"Good night, Princess Peach." TEC declared before leaving Princess Peach alone for the night, as he watched Peach get back into her holding room and go into the comfy bed for the night.
TEC had no idea about the concept of love, but he was more than certain that he'd learn more about it in due time. For now, he had allowed Peach to send that e-mail to Andrew before giving it a rest for the night. He was looking forward to learning more from the Mushroom Kingdom princess herself. There was no doubt about that...
END OF CHAPTER 10...
Well, that's it for this chapter. Yeah, this chapter is shorter than the chapters focusing on Andrew and his crew, but it's because it's focused on Peach. Still, I hope you enjoyed it.
Yeah, I must admit, all of the interludes focusing on Peach are going to be shorter than most of the chapters focusing on Andrew. This is because, in addition to not being longer than the main game parts, the Peach interludes are pretty much the same as they are in the game, with the only major difference being that Andrew is the target instead of Mario. And that Peach sends those emails to Andrew in Mario's place.
A similar case will occur for the interludes focusing on Bowser, as those are pretty much unchanged aside from the fact that Andrew is in Mario's place instead, and maybe a few changes in the script. Still, I hope this is satisfying enough, and it helps the story flow out a bit in the long run.
One last thing I'd like to point out. The silhouette that had spied on Andrew and had snapped that photo of him while he was fighting Hooktail. That was, indeed, the X-Naut that made that report to Sir Grodus, while also showing him that exact photo that was shown. Just to avoid the confusion.
Anyway, the next chapter is going to be focused on Bowser in the Dark Lands, as it'll involve Bowser learning from his advisor Kammy Koopa about how Andrew (someone Bowser doesn't know anything about and doesn't care about him in the slightest) is after a legendary treasure in Rogueport. This would get Bowser interested in the Treasure and the Crystal Stars. Oh, and Bowser will learn that some lowlife creep abducted Princess Peach without his permission. How will this go? Find out next time, readers.
Anyway, for the time being, you can leave a review for this chapter, if you like. Nothing else to say here.
Aside from that, I've said everything I needed to. So until next time, I hope you'll all take care of yourselves. And with that said and done, thanks again for reading, everyone!