RECAP:

Roy, Larry, Daisy and Diddy departed from Rogueport the following morning, but their journey was far from over. During its voyage to New Donk City, the train was attacked by a giant Blooper. Several of the passengers were taken captive by the monster, but Roy and the others quickly sprang into action to save them. After a grueling battle, the team emerged victorious and set off once again.

L – who had been spying on the group from a distance - reported the outcome of this battle to Alpha and Omega, while the latter were preparing to "greet" their enemies upon their arrival to New Donk.

Elsewhere, Mario and Bowser reconvened after their failed efforts to find a means of escaping from Dammerel. It was then that Bowser first became acquainted with the mysterious spark whom Mario had befriended. Though he was hesitant to trust it at first, the spark didn't appear to be an immediate threat. So Bowser allowed the spark to accompany them for the time being, provided it stay out of the sight of others. After agreeing to these terms, the spark revealed its name to be Gwen.

Later, Mario and Bowser approached the town with the intention of asking its people how they arrived in Dammerel; hoping it would give the duo the sacred clue they desperately needed in order to escape the island. However, they soon discovered an altercation was taking place in the town's square. Bowser intervened before a frightened, vulnerable woman was harmed by an intoxicated, aggressive man; one whom had already attacked Morris. Before long, Bowser succumbed to a deeply repressed aggression of his own known as his "dark passenger" as he proceeded to physically assault the man without relent.

Mario and Damian managed to pry Bowser away from his victim and snap the Koopa King out of his violent trance. But the damage had already been done.


For a city normally renowned for its bustle, glitz and glamour, New Donk was surprisingly tame that evening.

The train eased its way into the station. When Roy and the others disembarked out into the chilling night air, they were shocked to find that an unsettling lull had overtaken the metropolitan. All of the sights and sounds one might normally expect to find in a big city were mysteriously absent.

The dozens of towering skyscrapers all around were draped in shadow when they should've been radiating with dazzling jewels of golden, artificial light. It was as though New Donk City was in the midst of an all-encompassing black-out. The stars in the night sky above were clearly visible as a result. Such a phenomenon was utterly unheard of in the Metro Kingdom at night.

Similarly, the metropolis sounded like a desolate ghost town. There were no car horns honking; no exuberant hums of crowds; no subtle "whoosh" of cars racing through the narrow maze of cramped city streets. This stark silence was so abundant that only the wind could be heard as it brushed past one's ear.

New Donk City was still standing, but it was entirely abandoned. And yet, it wasn't hard to see why. The reason was rather obvious, in fact.

As Roy's group followed the other passengers in descending the lengthy bridge leading down towards the city, they spotted a small light pouring out from the distance. It gradually grew larger as they slowly drew closer. The light leaked out from the seams between the buildings. At the bottom of the walkway, it was immediately apparent as to why all of the other train passengers were so calm about collectively venturing into such a dark and desolate place. They all had one destination in mind; one that came clearly into view before long.

The crowd was making its way straight towards Pleasure City.

There seemed to be a strangely hypnotic aura emanating from the pop-up amusement park. It was luring crowds of people in from all around and causing them to completely disregard the man-made ruins passing them by as they marched on like awe-struck zombies. All of the electricity appeared to have been drained from the surrounding city and was being diverted towards and horded by this gaudy carnival like a parasite. In fact, both electricity and people alike seemed to be congregating entirely within the manufactured paradise just down the street.

The collective thunder started out low at first, but gradually grew louder as Pleasure City grew bigger. Wild screams of ecstasy and the obnoxious buzzing of slot machines and carnival games alike mingled together with the widespread, boisterous chatter of giddy people all packed tightly within the grand attraction's walls like sardines. Spotlights danced madly across the black sky in dizzying rotations while a roller-coaster car scurried across a metallic track just overhead.

A melting pot of smells all fought for control of the night air; junk food, full-course meals, booze, sanitation products, perfumes and fragrances, and other artificial smells mixed together with pungent body odor and sweat. While still a far-cry from the routinely horrid stench of Rogueport, Pleasure City's own smell was admittedly almost as abrasive. A rainbow of multi-colored lights strobed and danced around the enormous neon "Welcome" sign sitting atop the towering entrance gate.

Winding lines the length of a football field curved, stretched and crowded around the outer premises of the park. They were filled with Goombas, Koopa Troopas, Hammer Bros, Bob-ombs, Toads, Shy Guys, Spikes, Bandits, Ukikis, Piantas, Penguins, Nokis, and New Donkers all eagerly awaiting admittance into the spectacle. Children threw tantrums from impatient anticipation while groups of friends cheered and hollered with hype as though it were New Year's Eve. Bombastic, upbeat jazz music blasted from an army of speakers aimed both inside and outside the attraction to rile the crowds up even further.

From the very back of the herd, Larry, Roy, Daisy and Diddy all stared up in amazement at the intimidating centerpiece of this man-made fantasy. Sandwiched between all of the rides and food stands, an enormous golden needle protruded out from the very center of the park; climbing straight up into the evening air far beyond the capabilities of the mortal eye and practically piercing the cosmos.

From this far away, it was difficult to tell with any certainty what they were looking at. But once Daisy spotted several small lights ascending and descending the needle's innards at different intervals, she pieced it together.

"That's gotta be our tower," the princess declared.

"We're finally here then," Roy breathed with exhaustive relief. Similarly, Larry's eyes narrowed and he clenched his fists; steeling himself for the trials still waiting ahead.

For as crowded as the entrance was, the lines were moving surprisingly fast; likely attributed to the half a dozen ticket counters granting admittance at the front. Before they knew it, the team of four arrived at one of said counters. Roy stepped up to the window and exchanged greetings with a Goomba. The latter's microphone peaked from the attendant's enthusiastic greeting.

"Howdy, folks! Four tickets, I'm guessing?" the Goomba asked with an overly cheerful smile and mischievous dancing eyebrows.

"Actually, we're here for the tournament," Roy corrected. The Goomba's smile immediately faded upon hearing this response and he blinked several times in the span of a few seconds.

"The…w-what…?" he replied hesitantly.

"The tournament. You know, the big fighting ring at the top of the tower?" Daisy clarified. "We're here to compete." Larry held up Wario and Waluigi's invitation to illustrate their point. The Goomba squinted at the parchment and he gulped; his frown persistent.

"O-oh. I…see…," he said; still wearing a puzzled expression as though he were being told the earth was flat. The Goomba leaned back in his chair and whispered to someone behind him, but the group couldn't see who or hear what was being said behind the foggy glass. The Goomba turned back around, then leaned forward in his chair and spoke into the mic again. "Would you folks mind stepping out of line for a second?" he requested in a rather low and serious tone; a stark contrast from his enthusiasm a minute ago.

"There a problem?" Roy asked.

"No, just wait right over there for a minute, would you?" the Goomba repeated as he nudged his head dismissively and gestured towards empty space next to the counter.

The group complied and skeptically watched as the Goomba immediately ushered the line to continue on without them. They exchanged confused and suspicious glances with one another, but a voice interrupted them before anyone could verbalize their suspicions.

"So! You folks're lookin' ta compete, are ya?!"

The voice belonged to a large, pale blue Spike-esque creature sporting an orchid shell on its back with a yellow rim. Wild, fiery orange hair was spilling out in the back from underneath a black fedora atop the creature's head. The Spike was dressed rather formally in a black suit jacket, a green vest tucked underneath, and a vibrant red bow tie. The dark, circular shades masked the Spike's eyes and lent it an air of mystery.

"Yeah, we are," Larry affirmed.

"Hehehe, well alright! Put 'er there! Name's Grubba! I'm chief of security in this little ol' shindig," the Spike introduced; his large orange lips curling widely into a devious, yet somehow oddly charming smile.

"Roy," the eldest Koopaling introduced as he shook Grubba's hand and pointed towards the others. "That's Larry, Daisy, and Diddy."

"A mighty fine pleasure," Grubba replied. He snatched up Daisy's hand and kissed the top of it before she could react with revulsion to being kissed by hideous, giant lips. "Yes indeed-y! Alright, if ya'll would be so kind as ta follow me, I'll take ya back ta my office."

"Why? Did we come in from the wrong entrance or somethin'?" Diddy asked.

"Heh well, this here's the normie entrance, slim," Grubba answered. "Hot shots like yourselves ain't got no business with any of these worms. Ya gotta swing by my office first ta get your clearance."

"'Clearance?'" Daisy parroted.

"That's just a fancy ol' word for paperwork. Gotta make you folks all official-like before we can let ya throw hands in the ring, understand?"

"Lead the way," said Roy with a shrug. Grubba nodded, then proceeded to escort the group along the inside of the outer wall of the park until they disappeared out of view through a plain-looking door concealed tastefully behind a sketchy ramen stand and a row of dunk tanks.


Leanna stepped out of the portal and walked a few steps across the rooftop as her mode of transport vanished. She surveyed her surroundings through a pair of binoculars. Without the usually widespread, manufactured glow of New Donk City at night, the full moon's pale light was vibrant enough to cast shadows. A crisp breeze nipped at Leanna's skin.

Just as she expected. New Donk City was now utterly abandoned.

All of its native people as well as any visitors and tourists had all been swallowed whole by the black-hole that was the Pleasure City amusement park in the city's historic district. Leanna's eyes followed an airborne newspaper fluttering in the wind until she fixed her attention on the amusement park itself and surveyed the colonies of ants huddled both inside and around the attraction.

There were even more people now than there were the last time she'd been here. The problem was growing worse by the minute.

Not only was no one leaving Pleasure City. The number of people getting sucked in was growing exponentially like an epidemic. Before long, the entire city would likely fall into permanent disarray and ruin. Other places might soon follow suit as word-of-mouth spread; prompting more and more people from around the world to fall under the park's hypnotic spell.

Perhaps there wasn't much Leanna would be able to do about this problem on her own. But Pauline was the mayor of New Donk City, wasn't she? She was a political figure with a seat of power. If anyone could get this place back on track, it was her. That meant it was up to Leanna to bust her out. It had to be done soon, or else the mayor might lose her city forever.

As Leanna prepared to leap off the rooftop, something peculiar caught her attention.

She glanced back at the station in the distance without much thought after hearing the faint hiss of train doors opening. Leanna watched as the last of the passengers poured out onto the platform. Her eyes followed the parade of unsuspecting sheep meandering down from the platform, across the bridge and down the connecting street. Although the exact shapes were admittedly difficult to make out in the low light – even with the binoculars - Leanna couldn't help but find herself drawn towards one silhouette in particular as it slowly eased closer into her view.

She had to be seeing things. There was simply no way this could be real.

Leanna knew better, but she couldn't shake the suspicion that the large, Koopa-shaped figure carrying up the rear of the crowd…looked like Roy Koopa.

But this couldn't possibly be true. Leanna assumed her eyes were playing tricks on her; or the light was really that bad; or she was simply mistaking this Koopa for someone else. Whatever the reason, Leanna must've been seeing what her heart desperately wanted to see at that moment; even if her rational mind refused to get on-board.

How could that creature possibly be Roy? What would he be doing here of all places? Leanna hadn't seen him in years. They were kids at the time they parted ways back at Second Wind. Leanna had no way of knowing what Roy might look like now as an adult; much less if this creature walking the city streets below her was actually him.

Then it hit her. All of Leanna's doubts were immediately shattered in an instant.

As the Koopa passed underneath a streetlamp directly below Leanna, the light fully illuminated his features. The Koopa was dawning red and black sunglasses. She'd know those glasses anywhere. They were one-of-a-kind; far too unique for anyone else to have an identical pair.

There was simply no other explanation that could fit. That was Roy. It had to be. After all these years…Leanna had a chance to finally see him again. She bit her lip to stop it from quivering and fought back the tears she could quickly feel coming. Now was not the time to go to pieces.

Yet her body moved without thinking. The woman hopped down from the rooftop and landed in the alley. Leanna peered around the building's corner from the shadows once the crowd was far enough away. Luckily, her mind managed to regain control before she could do something really stupid.

She had to stay focused. She was here for Pauline, after all. No one else. Leanna could not afford to get side-tracked now. She had a job to do.

But still…how could she pass up an opportunity like this? When would she ever get a chance to see Roy again?

But how could she get closer? What could Leanna even say to him after all this time? Roy would almost certainly ask Leanna what she was doing here, assuming he even recognized or remembered her at all to begin with. How much could she afford to tell him? How much might he already know?

Until she could settle on a satisfactory re-introduction, Leanna kept her distance. She trailed just close enough from behind so as not to lose sight of Roy once he merged with the ocean of people up ahead, yet still go unnoticed.

He was at least going in the same direction as her. They were both headed into Pleasure City, it seemed. Surely there was no harm in following Roy for a little while longer just to make sure he got inside safely. Then Leanna could take off and look for Pauline from there. A solid enough plan for now.

Leanna paused for a while as she watched Roy make his way to the front of the line. He stopped there for a noticeable period of time. What was the issue? Why wasn't he going inside?

Before Leanna could begin to ponder if she should do something, a large purple creature in a black suit jacket and tacky fedora approached Roy from inside the park. Being as gaudy as he looked, a figure like that almost certainly meant trouble. Did Roy even know what he was getting into here? Even if she couldn't permit herself to approach him, Leanna still felt compelled to watch his back. She might not have had the full context for what was going on, but surely she had more than Roy did.

The woman dashed in and maneuvered her way through the crowd swiftly; ducking underneath the ticket window without getting spotted. Luckily, Pleasure City was so crowded that Leanna didn't have to do much to blend in from that point on. There was so much commotion happening in all directions that no one would look twice at her unless they were specifically looking for her.

Leanna followed the shady character, Roy and the other strangers who were accompanying him through a rather plain-looking steel door tucked into the back corner. She slipped past the door just before it closed.

Her luck held out. The dim hallway cast just enough shadow that as long as Leanna trailed a calculated distance behind, she could feasibly follow the group all the way to its destination without being spotted.


Passing through a metallic door, the group trekked through a poorly-lit brick tunnel that seemed to stretch on for quite a while. Long, fluorescent lights buzzed and segregated the shadows from the uncomfortably small patches of visibility. The tunnel was eerily empty; freeing the echoes of the group's footsteps to radiate both far ahead and behind at the same time. At the end of the long hallway, Grubba shoved open another metallic door and gestured for his party to proceed inside.

The room suddenly exploded in size from a mere corridor into a gymnasium. The lighting inside was far better, as would be required to adequately illuminate a much larger space. Once inside, the group spread out slightly to take advantage of its new-found freedom after being forced to walk in a single-file line for a while. The empty bleachers managed to impose an eerie sensation on the new arrivals that they were not alone; that they were somehow being watched and judged.

Larry's nerves immediately skyrocketed into high alert when he turned and noticed Grubba lock the door behind

"Is…this your office, Grubba?" Daisy asked.

"Not quite," a different voice answered. She and the others all froze in place.

Standing straight ahead across the room were six figures of varying sizes. They were each positioned side-by-side in a single row; creating an ominous, cult-like assertion of authority.

Larry scanned the room and identified a female Toad in a red business suit and glasses, a Pianta in white formal attire and sunglasses, a large, dark-haired gorilla wearing red boxing gloves and shorts, and a man wearing a mask over his eyes who was dressed in all black with a green scarf and a matching - albeit eerily familiar - hat.

Diddy and Daisy became immediately bewildered by the presence of these last two figures in particular.

The princess stepped forward cautiously towards the man in the green hat. His pupil-less mask was staring right back at her, and his frown was far from inviting.

"You...look familiar," said Daisy as she reached out her hand. "Luigi…?"

Similarly, Diddy slowly crossed the room towards the ape.

"…DK? Is that you…?"

The man took a small hesitant step back without answering.

The gorilla however, snorted like a bull and gritted its teeth. Without warning, it leaped forward and sent Diddy flying across the room with a single punch to the gut.

Before Daisy could even process what had just happened, the gorilla did the same to her.

The two fell back with a thud and slid across the polished wooden floor; stopping near Roy and Larry.

The two Koopalings prepared to retaliate, but a familiar voice stopped them in their tracks.

"Well, well. Look who's here! You chumps finally made it!" Omega exclaimed as he held out his hands. "So, Gooper Blooper didn't scare you off after all, it seems."

"Welcome to Pleasure City," Alpha added with a sinister grin and a cordial bow. "We're delighted that you decided to accept our humble invitation."

Daisy and Diddy sat up. They watched as the ape and the man each returned to their neutral positions across the room to the side of the other figures like obedient soldiers.

Larry clapped and summoned one of his pistols.

"Drop the formalities," the Koopaling replied. "We're shutting you and this whole circus down!"

The entire room fell silent. Either nobody had heard Larry's threat – which was extremely unlikely - or they simply didn't believe him. Omega shook his head with disappointment.

"Tsk, tsk. You really are one of those 'shoot first, ask questions later' type of guys, aren't you, Tex?"

"Keep screwing around and you'll have your answer to that before long," Larry retorted.

"Larry! What're you doin'?!" Diddy called out between clenched teeth. "This wasn't part of the plan!"

"So what? We came here looking for Wario and Waluigi, and here they are. Why beat around the bush? Let's take 'em out right now!"

Alpha and Omega exchanged a quick glance with one another and nodded. Omega cracked his knuckles, then vanished into thin air. He re-appeared inches away from Larry's face and slapped the pistol out of the Koopaling's hand before the latter could react.

Frustrated, Larry threw a punch, but Omega disappeared once more. This time, he appeared directly behind Larry, gripped the back of his neck, and shoved him straight down to the floor with a loud thud. The Koopaling still wasn't quite used to seeing someone of Wario's stature moving so quickly.

"Don't get ahead of yourself, kid," said Omega. "We invited you onto our turf, and you really think you can just waltz in and start making demands? Not gonna happen. So shut your mouth and listen good."

"What's there to listen to? This is the part where you try to waste us, right?" Roy surmised. "We took your bait and walked right into your trap. Now that you've got us cornered, you're gonna finish us off in here with the door locked while your bodyguard makes sure we can't run away. Am I wrong?"

"Give us a little more credit," Alpha chortled. "If we really wanted to dispose of you so thoughtlessly like that, then we wouldn't have invited you all the way out here in the first place. We would've simply killed you back at Shooting Star Summit instead. The fact is, you have a bigger role to play."

Larry, Roy, Daisy and Diddy all looked at one another.

"What role?" Daisy asked on their behalf.

"Y'all are still fixin' to become fighters, right?" Grubba inserted from behind them.

"Don't tell me you really only came all this way on a bluff," said Alpha. "Don't even try denying it. I can see it in your eyes. We might have been your ultimate objective. But you really did come here tonight with the genuine hope deep down of participating in our main event. To that extent, we really have no more of an ulterior motive here than you do."

"What're you gettin' at? Are you sayin' this whole set-up is really legit? It ain't all just one big ploy to kill us?" Roy asked as he crossed his arms.

As if to demonstrate their point, Omega climbed up off of Larry; allowing the latter to stand up. The man disappeared and reappeared next to his partner.

"Don't misunderstand. Death for you is still a very real possibility. But we're not going to simply kill you here," Alpha continued as he shook his head. "If you came here looking to fight in our tournament, then that's exactly what we'll give you. Whether you come out alive or not remains to be seen."

"What about the giant Blooper that attacked our train, huh? What was that for then?" Larry countered.

"Oh lighten up," said Omega. "That was just a test to make sure you're up to our standards. The fact that you survived and you're here right now means you are. So give yourselves a pat on the back for that one."

"And what does that mean? What are these 'standards' of your's, huh?" Daisy probed.

To the group's surprise, the female Toad in glasses stepped up this time to respond.

"This tournament requires a certain degree of teamwork. It's not a solo event," she explained. "Our audience demands more substance and symmetry from our fighters than basic one-on-one bouts alone. I assume you intend to enter as a group, yes?" No one responded.

"We had to make sure you work well together first," Alpha added. "That's why we sent a creature that we guessed none of you would realistically be able to overcome on your own. You would have to work together as a team to fight it. The fact that you're here means you passed the test."

"Big whoop. So what happens now?" Roy asked.

"Now, you chumps are gonna answer to me!" another voice boomed. The formally-dressed Pianta stepped forward to address them for the first time. "Da name is Don Frankie. I run dis lil' shindig. So if you wanna take part in da festivities, den ya betta listen, and listen good, capiche?"

Like with the Toad, no one responded; although this time, half of it was due to genuine curiosity, and the other half was due to sheer intimidation by the commanding impact of Don Frankie's deep, booming voice.

"Now den," Don Frankie continued. "I don't care who any of you bozos are, why you're here, or what you're lookin' to fight for in da ring. All I care about is dat ya know da rules, and ya follow 'em to a T. If you don't, den we'll have a problem. Trust me, you don't wanna have a problem with me. Ya got questions or concerns, den ya bring 'em up to one of my associates here," the Pianta explained as he gestured to the other figures standing around him. "If ya play it straight, den da next time you see me will be in da winner circle. But I don't wanna see any of you clowns in my office for any other reason before den, capiche?"

Reluctantly, Larry, Roy, Daisy and Diddy all nodded together instinctually before they even realized what they were doing. Was this the commanding power of the Pianta's mob boss? Don Frankie surveyed each of them behind his shades, then nodded, turned and exited out the door on the other side of the room behind him without another word.

"With that said, let's get down to business, shall we?" the Toad suggested as she adjusted her glasses and stepped forward once more as if on cue. "My name is Jolene. I am the Match Proctor and Logistics Manager of the tournament here in Pleasure City," she introduced. "From this point forward, I will be your primary point of contact for any questions or concerns during your time here."

"Good to know," Roy said without any emotion.

"The…gentleman behind you is Grubba," said Jolene. Although, she practically choked on the word "gentleman" as it departed from her lips. "He is the head of Security, along with Crusher and L."

Diddy and Daisy perked up as Jolene gestured towards the ape and man in green respectively.

"They work together to maintain order and customer safety in the tower. As long as you follow the rules and do as you are told, you will practically never see them." The princess clenched her fists. She had been fighting to hold herself back until now, but simply couldn't do so any longer.

"Luigi! I know it's you!" Daisy blurted out; not caring what the consequence might be for interrupting Jolene. "It's me! Daisy!"

Yet, her call seemingly went unanswered as L remained unfazed and didn't move from his spot across the room from her.

"C'mon, DK! Snap out of it! It's me, remember?! Your little buddy?" Diddy also exclaimed.

Unfortunately, Diddy too was ignored by the gorilla.

"What have you done to our friends?" Larry called out towards Alpha and Omega.

"We didn't do anything," Alpha answered. "Our boss simply guided these two lost souls to their proper places."

"'Lost souls?'" Daisy parroted. "What the heck are you talking about?" Omega wagged a gloved finger at her.

"Not important. Unless you chumps wanna get booted outta Pleasure City before you even get a chance to compete, I suggest you stop interrupting Jolene."

"Thank you, Omega," said Jolene. It was downright eerie how the woman carried on so effortlessly as if she hadn't been interrupted just now. Was she even human? "Before we go any further, I'm required by my superiors to give you four a choice."

"What would that be?" Roy probed.

"Registration for the Pleasure City tournament is on a strict voluntary basis. I don't know what history you have with Alpha or Omega, and that's frankly irrelevant to me. Regardless, it has no actual bearing on your ability to participate in the fights. If you want to compete, you are welcome to do so."

"Cute, but we were still gonna get in on this somehow, even if you told us we couldn't enter," said Daisy.

"That said," Jolene continued; completely ignoring Daisy's threat just now. "I am still required to disclaim that you are by no means required to take part in the tournament. Should any of you be having second thoughts about it at this time, you are free to go, and Grubba will escort you out. Provided you pay for park tickets, you are more than welcome to enjoy all of the other attractions and amenities that Pleasure City has to offer as customers instead."

"Is that supposed to scare us?" Larry asked. "Do you seriously think any of us are gonna just back down now?" Yet, like some sort of robot, Jolene soldiered on through her speech without addressing Larry's question.

"My reason in telling you about this choice is to make sure you four understand that this is the point of no return." The Toad paused to let her words just now sink in. For all four, it was admittedly starting to work. "If you want to leave, this is your last chance to do so because once you sign the contract, you will be forced to follow any and all instructions that are given to you. Additionally, leaving Pleasure City for any reason will be out of the question. Rule-breaking or insubordination of any degree will not be tolerated, and there will be consequences if you do not do exactly as you are told."

"Doesn't exactly make your tournament sound all that appealing, if I'm bein' honest," Roy commented facetiously.

"Like it or not, those are the facts. I want there to be total transparency about this. I trust that each of you fully understands that you will have no reason to complain about forced compliance when you know ahead of time to expect it. At this moment, you still have your freedom. However, if you choose to register, you will waive away all of your rights. All of your freedom will be gone until the end."

"And what exactly is 'the end?'" Larry asked. "Or are you just gonna ignore that question too?"

"I will explain what 'the end' means when I go over the rules of a match, should you decide to register," Jolene replied. "However, I cannot release specific information pertaining to how the tournament is run before you sign the contract. Now, do each of you understand exactly what I am trying to tell you?"

"Yeah, if we wanna back out, we gotta do it now. Otherwise, there's no goin' back later," said Roy.

"Precisely," Jolene affirmed with a nod. "Now I need to hear your answers. You must each give me verbal consent. Do you wish to participate in the Pleasure City tournament?"

"H-hold on! We haven't even seen what the fights are actually like yet," said Diddy. "Maybe we should talk about this first?"

"It's too late for that," Larry argued. "I mean, you can back out if you're really that scared. But we talked about this yesterday, remember? We all know what's at stake." Diddy sighed.

"Yeah…you're right…," the monkey conceded.

"I need your answers," said Jolene.

"I'm in," she said without hesitation.

Daisy looked straight over at L. The man met her gaze, yet his expression remained blank. She was more sure of it now than she had been up until this point. That man had to be Luigi. Daisy might not know why he wasn't recognizing her or what exactly was wrong with him. But she would never find out if she turned back now.

"Count me in," said Roy confidently as he stared Alpha down.

The Koopaling may not have known why Waluigi insisted on going by a different name. But what he did know for certain was that the man had historically always been a loser. It was time to pop this scrawny schemer's inflated ego and tear him down a few pegs. If Roy had to knock a few other heads along the way to make that happen, then so be it.

"Me too," said Larry with equally stern resolve as he glared at Omega.

The Koopaling was sick and tired of letting Wario of all people get the best of him. Calling himself a different name didn't change anything; nor did his new powers. There was simply no way Larry was going to back down now. He was going to reach Wario and surpass him, no matter what.

Diddy glanced over at Crusher; sadness lingering in his pupils.

What had happened to Donkey Kong? Standing before him now, it was obvious this "Crusher" guy was DK. But what was going on with him? Was it brain-washing? Amnesia? Diddy didn't like thinking about it. Nor was he thrilled about the idea of having to fight someone he cared about who was also twice his size with double the strength. Even so, he owed it to his big buddy to try and save him.

"Yeah…I'll do it too," Diddy agreed hesitantly.

"Very well. Then, we'll need each of you to sign the contract," Jolene instructed.

"Fine, let's see the papers. You got a pen?" Daisy asked.

"Hehehe, I'm afraid it ain't that kind of contract, lil' lady," said Grubba.

Without warning, the group was immediately ambushed.

Grubba scooped Roy up in a tight bear hug position.

L dashed over as if on command, slid past Daisy, and tightly gripped her forearms from behind.

Crusher scooped up Diddy in his arms.

Omega teleported and pinned Larry to the floor from behind once again.

The four of them struggled in vain as Alpha calmly approached with his hands behind his back.

"What the hell's going on?!" Larry exclaimed. "I thought you said this wasn't a trap!"

"Yeah, you said this was a real tourney!" Roy agreed.

"Oh, it's a real tournament alright," said Omega. "But this is the cost of entry. Remember, you kids just agreed to join of your own free will. So we better not see any lip about it!"

Diddy watched in horror as Jolene stepped back and averted her eyes. Clearly, she was already well aware of whatever was about to happen, but couldn't bring herself to watch.

Alpha strolled closer towards the captives from across the room. He pulled his arms forward and revealed pairs of injection needs in each hand. Clear vials of an unmarked red liquid were attached to each one.

"No…!" Roy started.

"That's…!" Larry exclaimed.

"It can't be…!" Daisy denied.

"Sure it can," said Omega with a chortle. "Welcome to the club, kiddos."

Omega, Crusher, L, and Grubba each carried their captives until they were positioned side-by-side in a line. Alpha smirked and threw all four needles simultaneously. They flew with terrifyingly accurate speed and trajectory. All four landed their mark at once; one in the neck of each captive. Roy and the others each cried out in agony.

A numbing sensation and wave of nausea washed over them within seconds. Omega, Crusher, L and Grubba all released their respective captives at once; eerily confident that it was safe to do so. Instantly, Larry, Roy, Daisy and Diddy all collectively crumbled to their knees as their bodies went limp.

"You wanted know what Essence is, right? Well, now you'll get to experience it first-hand," Omega continued. "Fair warning, you're gonna feel a little woozy at first, so it's best to take it easy for a while."

"You…tricked...us…," Roy muttered with as much energy as he could muster.

"Nothing of the sort," Alpha retorted. "You agreed to this without knowing exactly what you were getting into. That was your own fault. Now we'll really see how you fair in our games."

As if on-command, the team of four all slipped into unconsciousness at once. Grubba hoisted their limp bodies up in his massive arms proudly.

"Take them to the fighter's quarters," Alpha instructed. "Jolene, I trust we can expect you to be there to catch them up to speed when they come to, yes?"

"Of course, sir," Jolene affirmed with a slight bow of her head.

"Hehe well alright! Let's get excited, folks! Now that our guests of honor are here, the main event can finally begin!" Omega cheered as he and Alpha turned to take their leave out the door on the other end of the gymnasium.

"L, Crusher, keep an eye on things until I drop these kittens off. Meet me at the usual post, got it?" Grubba instructed. L and Crusher each nodded silently and proceeded out the door behind Jolene and their leader.

Leanna waited until the room was empty before stepping out from behind the bleachers.

She was silently kicking herself for not stepping in to do something. But not only would she have been dangerously out-numbered, the flawless coordination of her enemies was downright frightening. Everything seemed to be going all according to their mysterious plans. If Roy and the others had fallen to their mercy so easily, what chance did she have on her own of stopping any of this?

Smothering her hesitation, Leanna crossed the gymnasium and proceeded through the door that all the others had exited from.

All she could do now was watch from a distance and wait for a chance to strike back.


The "infirmary" Damian had described turned out to be little more than a large tent out in the open; held in place by a series of ropes and wooden stakes hammered into the ground.

Bowser sat cross-legged outside the tent and couldn't take his horrified eyes off of his claws, which were caked with bruises and dried blood.

It had been quite a long time since Bowser's "dark passenger" took control of him like that. But it had never gotten quite this bad before. This time, it felt as though the Koopa King had blacked out and woke up hunched over the unconscious drunk with no clue as to how he'd gotten there.

Bowser wasn't proud of what he'd done. But at the same time, that man had it coming.

Of course, all his years of intense mental training with Peach instilled in Bowser just enough of a conscience for him to immediately recognize now that what he did was wrong. Yet when that poor woman was screaming for the horrible man to go away, no one else there even tried to lift a finger. In a way, all of them had just as much blood on their own hands as Bowser did on his own right now.

There was Morris, of course. But his little hippie-dippy "kill 'em with kindness" approach was too spineless. Meanwhile, all of those other people stood around crying and screaming for the abuse to stop. Not a single one of them did anything to physically remove the drunk man from the situation. They could have easily overpowered him if they worked together. Maybe then Bowser would never have had to intervene in the first place. There was a much deeper problem with the people of Dammerel than just their unwillingness to deal with their individual problems. They lacked humanity.

A few minutes later, a figure emerged from the tent. It was the Yellow Yoshi who had helped out in the aftermath of the incident.

The Yoshi knelt down in front of Bowser, holding a rag and a small wooden bowl of water in each hand.

"Why don't we get you cleaned up, hm?" she offered tenderly. The Yoshi took his silence as submission and gently lifted one of Bowser's swollen hands atop her own. The Koopa King breathed through clenched teeth, but he said nothing; nor did he move. The cold, damp cloth stung at first, but it didn't take long for the following soothing effect to set in. This small gesture went a long way towards helping the Koopa King relax.

"Thanks…," said Bowser hoarsely.

"You're welcome. My name's Honey," the Yoshi introduced. "What's your's?"

"Bowser."

"Well, Bowser, we sure are lucky your friend Mario also turned out to be a doctor, huh?" The Koopa King rolled his eyes.

"Yeah. He's a man of many talents."

Honey may have taken that response as out-of-place sarcasm, when in reality, Bowser always found it genuinely annoying how versatile his rival was. Of course Mario could be a doctor and a plumber and a champion at just about every sport imaginable and a world-famous hero. Because why not? The sky was the limit with him.

"It was a bit hard to understand his directions at first, given his silence. But I think Mario was saying that the man is going to be okay, thankfully," Honey went on. "His nose is broken, and he likely won't be doing much else besides resting at home these next few days until the swelling goes down. But it's a big relief that he'll pull through at all."

Deep down in Bowser's sadistic black heart, he had been hoping for the opposite outcome.

"So what happens when he's up and about again? Is he gonna go right back to harassing that woman and cause another scene?" Bowser asked. Honey frowned.

"Well….I'm sure Damian will do something about it." Bowser's eyelids narrowed at this.

"Like what? Put him in time-out? And why's it up to Damian to do something anyway? There were dozens of people there watching. Yet the pig and I were the only ones who weren't too chicken to do something about it."

"Because it's my responsibility," another voice interjected. Bowser and Honey turned to find Damian emerging from the tent with Mario at his side.

"What do you mean it's your responsibility?" Bowser asked.

"I invited that man here; just like I did everyone else," Damian answered. "He seemed like just another poor soul burdened with so much pain when I met him. I listened to him struggle to describe how much he missed his wife and son who had run out on him. I thought inviting him to Dammerel would help him heal."

"That so? And how did that turn out?" Bowser retorted with unwavering sarcasm. Damian refused to take his serious eyes off Bowser's; his resolve evident.

"I didn't have the full picture, okay? I didn't know his family was here in Dammerel as well. I didn't know that he drove his family away by physically abusing them. If I had, or I had known what the guy was truly capable of, I never would have told him about this place to begin with. It's my fault for putting that mother and her son in harm's way. I had no idea that he was the person they were trying to run away from." Damian's head drooped low as he reached the end of his statement; the shame clearly weighing down on him like a sack of bricks.

"You were just trying to help them, Damian," Honey offered. "You mustn't blame yourself."

"She's right. Beating yourself up about it is a waste of time," Bowser agreed. "After all, it's not gonna magically fix that guy's face. But if you really wanna help, you should kick him off the island and make sure he never comes back." Damian's head jerked back up and he shot Bowser an intense glare.

"So banishment is the only suitable punishment then? That's what's going to make this all better? Should I do the same to you without so much as a second thought?"

"Hey, I stepped up and stopped that sack of garbage from doing something worse," Bowser defended.

"You could have killed him, Bowser!" Damian argued. "I'm trying to help these people heal. Violence is the last thing any of them need!"

"That scum needed a wake-up call! My fist was the only thing that was gonna get through to him! And who are you to decide what's best for these people in the first place anyway?!"

"If I don't help them, then who will?!" Damian exclaimed.

Both Bowser and Honey fell silent at his retort. The man took in a sharp breath and shook his head. A veil of despair draped over his face.

"Look, I'm not claiming to have all the answers," Damian continued. "I don't have it all figured out, okay? But I can't just go around banishing people who act on their negative emotions. This isn't a dictatorship. Like I said before, many of these people are here because they were cast out of society. They have nowhere else to go."

"And we're all very grateful to you for all that you have done for us, Damian," said Honey as she placed her hand to his arm. He immediately pulled it away.

"But if I banish people too, then I'm no better than the rest of society."

"Have you ever stopped to think that maybe there's a reason people like that were kicked out in the first place?" Bowser countered.

"Of course I have. But what else am I supposed to do? Should I just treat them like poison and completely disregard any good or redeeming qualities they might also have buried deep down?"

"You should if they don't have any!"

"How do you know they don't?!"

"Because maybe I'm speaking from experience!"

Damian and Honey both stared. Bowser's pupils shrunk as he slowly realized what he'd just said.

Definitely too much for someone trying to keep a low profile. If he wanted to keep the attention off himself, then that was the absolute worst response he could have given just now. The Koopa King stood up in a hurry.

"Look, I'll just save you the trouble. I'll get out of your hair."

"Bowser, wait-," Damian started.

"No, I'm serious. Just tell me how to get off the island, and I'll do it. Mario and I will pack up our things and be on our way."

Abort.

Abort.

Bowser had to get out of this conversation fast before he revealed anything more.

"You don't have to-"

"Seriously, it's fine. You don't have to make the decision. I'll make it for you."

"Bowser, just hold on a second."

"Point me in the right direction. What do I need to do to get out of this place?"

"You can't leave!" another voice interjected. Everyone turned to watch Morris emerge from the tent; pressing an ice pack to his swollen face. His face paint had been smeared and smudged from the condensation. "Please, you mustn't go! Damian, you can't do this!"

"Me?!" Damian replied; raising his hands in surrender. "He's the one who said it!"

Morris turned and grabbed Bowser's hand with his free one. The Koopa King winced from the surge of pain in his wrist. Everyone watched with discomfort as Morris then dropped to his knees; almost as though the pig were about to propose.

"Dammerel needs someone like you, Bowser. Someone who isn't afraid to act," said Morris.

"We don't need violence," Damian argued.

"Perhaps...we do."

"Morris…what are you saying?!"

"W-well…! I am not advocating for violence, per se! I am just saying that we might need a different approach, is all," Morris clarified.

"Like what?" Damian probed.

"The people of Dammerel have become far too passive. They are completely numb to their suffering. I have seen it myself. They refuse to open themselves up at all by normal means. If we ever want them to truly heal and take back control of their lives, then they need to take action. And if they can't do it themselves, then we need to do it for them."

"Give them a little tough love. Is that what you're saying?" Bowser guessed. Morris turned to him and smiled.

"Exactly," the pig affirmed. Damian folded his arms.

"Somehow I doubt that will help. You don't kick a wounded animal while it's down and expect it to feel better."

"Certainly not. We care about all of these people. That much is true. However, do we love them enough to do what is truly necessary in order to help them grow? Even if it seems harsh?"

"Well…"

"I think Morris is right," Honey agreed. "The hurt aren't the only ones who need to act. We should be doing more to help them get to that point because we're able to. At least until they are capable of taking action on their own like us."

"But what more could we possibly do at this point?" Damian asked.

Mario opened his mouth and made a gesture with his hand; miming speech.

"You need to get them to talk about their past," Bowser translated.

"But we don't-" Damian started.

"I know, I know. You don't ask people about their past around here. But maybe you should." Damian's eyes widened slightly at this.

"Yes!" Morris agreed enthusiastically. "Perhaps instead of giving them space to run from their problems, we should be giving them room to talk about them. It's so obvious!"

"But that's gonna be way too painful for some of them to do," Damian countered.

"Well do you wanna coddle them, or do you want them to actually heal?" Bowser challenged. "Cuz if all you ever do is feed into their fantasy that whatever they went through was too painful to ever think or talk about, then they'll never get over it. Trust me. They won't have any reason to."

"You can't expect people to suddenly open up just because they have the space to do so," said Damian. "Besides, we have been giving them space to talk at the town halls. It's just that no one ever volunteers."

"Then push them to volunteer," Bowser argued.

"They'll never respond positively to that if you force them to talk."

"Maybe not at first," Honey reasoned. "But if we can show them that it's safe for them to open up - as many times as it takes - then maybe at some point, at least some of them will come around on their own. It's as good a start as any."

"They think they're in the worst pain right now, but that's wrong," Bowser added. "The real pain is having to face what they went through. Only after they've gone through that can they really start to heal and grow."

The Koopa King was barely noticing the words coming out of his own mouth at that point. Suddenly, he found that the only thing on his mind was Peach. Bowser couldn't help but recall his decade of rehabilitation with her. In that grand span of time, Bowser had been forced to confront so much of his own real pain; recalling deeply buried memories of trauma and solitude that Peach likely hadn't even been aware of such as his father's abuse or Celia's death.

When it came to pain and poisonous tendencies, Bowser was speaking from experience on a level far greater than Morris, Honey or Damian could possibly fathom. Suddenly, they were all too close to the truth.

Why oh why couldn't Bowser just keep his mouth shut?

"Bowser is exactly right!" Morris exclaimed as he turned back to the Koopa King and flashed him a big, goofy grin. "And that's why you can't leave now! We need you; you and Mario. With your help, we could finally start getting through to these people!"

"I…," Bowser began before he lost the words. He turned to Mario, but the plumber also seemed to be unable to articulate a response of his own.

"What do you say, Damian?" Morris proposed. "Let them help us." The man's brows knitted together into intense contemplation.

Several minutes of unsettling silence passed. Once he arrived at a decision at last, Damian shot Bowser another intense look.

"If you help us, then…maybe I could forget your part in what transpired here today."

Without waiting for Bowser to respond, Damian stormed off. The man hardly seemed satisfied with this resolution as he quickly made his exit. Yet, it seemed that he had somehow still been able to maintain just enough rationality for him to be willing to offer such a compromise.

"Perhaps Damian needs time himself to fully agree to such terms," Morris offered. The pig turned and without warning, dropped to his knees again. This time, he hunched forward into a completely submissive bow in front of Bowser. "Whatever you decide, please know that I am deeply grateful for what you did, Bowser."

"Oh c'mon. Get up already," said Bowser as he rolled his eyes. Morris shook his head.

"Though our tactics may have differed, I sense that our hearts both sought to do what was right. I failed to make an impact, but you succeeded."

"I wouldn't go that far…"

"I have no shame in admitting it. In fact, I believe I speak on behalf of all of Dammerel when I say that we could learn so much from your guidance."

"Alright, Morris. That's enough," said Honey as she pulled the pig back up to his feet. "I think they get it. Why don't you go get some rest yourself?"

Morris nodded and stood up to leave; suddenly remembering to continue pressing the now-melted ice pack to his swollen eye.

Honey prepared to depart as well when she stopped and looked back at Bowser once more and smiled.

"For what it's worth, I'm grateful you stepped in when you did too," she confessed. "I can't say I would have gone as far as to punch that man as many times as you did. But you weren't afraid to stand up for someone who desperately needed help. That counts for something pretty great in my book."

Bowser and Mario lingered outside the tent long after Honey and Morris were gone.

"What have I done…," Bowser pondered aloud as he blew out a heavy breath. Mario patted the Koopa King's arm and smiled warmly. "I was so close to getting him to just tell us the way off this stupid island. Now I have to play therapist for a whole stinkin' village."

"This might actually still work in your favor," Gwen said as the orange spark materialized in the air next to him. The Koopa King raised an eyebrow.

"How do you figure that?"

"Well, you were already going to ask the villagers how they got to Dammerel in the first place, right? If you help them work through their own problems, then they'll certainly be more willing to tell you what you want to know after that. You'll have earned their trust for sure." Mario nodded in agreement.

"Oh, it's easy for you guys to be all happy and gung-ho about this! One of you can't talk and the other doesn't have a body. That means I have to do all the hard work here!"

"Cheer up, King Bowser! You can do this. Mario and I have faith in you!"

"Keep your stupid faith! You both owe me big time once we get out of here!"

The trio smiled and shared a hardily laugh together. Once the merriment of the moment faded however, a cold stillness quickly set in.

"Umm…King Bowser?" Gwen asked.

"Yeah, what is it?" the Koopa King replied.

"When you and Damian were debating earlier about people being poison and having no redeemable qualities…and you said you were speaking from experience…what did you mean by that?" Bowser's eyes fell as he contemplated a response.

"The rule's not broken yet, kid," he replied. "You don't get to ask me about that stuff. Besides, it's…" Mario frowned and searched Bowser's eyes in vain for elaboration. "Well, it's not important anyway."