All right, readers. This is the 71st chapter of this story!
Now, as you may know, this is going to be the final Bowser Interlude chapter for the story. After this, the focus will be on Andrew from here on out until the story comes to a close.
For this chapter, Bowser and Kammy Koopa make it to Poshley Heights and plan to break into the Poshley Sanctum. Aside from that, Bowser successfully steals the Crystal Star on display, unaware that it is a fake until Pennington points it out to him.
This will additionally lead to a misunderstanding that Mario took the real one and that Bowser thinks that Mario finally found out that the princess was abducted and is aiding Andrew in collecting the Crystal Stars.
And of course, Bowser and Kammy Koopa find out that Andrew has collected the seven Crystal Stars and is heading for the Thousand-Year Door, where they will go to ambush him, and a few other things will occur. How will this go for them? Read and find out, now!
IN POSHLEY HEIGHTS:
Meanwhile, in Poshley Heights, it would appear that Bowser and Kammy Koopa had arrived in the rich-looking city not too long ago. Their luck had been rotten the past couple of times they tried to get one of the Crystal Stars, especially since the last one they tried to claim was a fake Crystal Star.
This time, though, they felt their luck was about to change, especially since Kammy had gotten word that a Crystal Star was in the Poshley Sanctum, which she informed the Koopa King about the moment she got word about it. And now they were there, touring through Poshley Heights just to find the Sanctum.
Bowser didn't care about any of the fancy sites and attractions. He was only interested in getting the Crystal Star. Because of how he was unsuccessful and unable to claim the Crystal Star the past several times, this time he was determined to get one from the Poshley Sanctum.
Eventually, the two of them made their way to the public garden of the Poshley Sanctum, with the sanctum right in front of them. Bowser was oblivious to the sanctum at first, as he was more focused on how they even made it to Poshley Heights in the first place. His attention was on Kammy as he then commented on their arrival.
"Well, we're here! Now where's this stupid Poshley Sanctum?" Bowser demanded. "A Crystal Star's there, right? After how we've been unable to claim a Crystal Star since we've been here, I demand to know that we'll be successful this time!"
"So they say, Your Putridness! And I know," Kammy Koopa remarked. "But I can assure you, this time we'll be successful in claiming a Crystal Star!"
It was then Kammy Koopa then took notice of the Poshley Sanctum right in front of her as she decided to point it out to him.
"And lo and behold, there it is now!" Kammy told him. "Right behind you!"
Bowser then turned around and saw the Poshley Sanctum for himself. It was massive and looked like the perfect place to house a Crystal Star. This ought to be a piece of cake for the Koopa King.
"Great! About time something worked out for old Bowser!" Bowser bellowed proudly. "That Crystal Star is as good as mine for sure! And no Andrew is gonna stop me from doing so this time! In we go!"
And with that, Bowser was just about to head to the front door of the Poshley Sanctum.
Before he could reach it though, Toodles had taken notice of him and sashayed over into his path and gave him that interested look. It would appear that Toodles was taking a bit of a stroll from her home and had wanted to see some of the sites, such as the Poshley Sanctum.
After what Andrew told her, she was convinced that he had been there to collect the Crystal Star. But right now, her attention was solely on Bowser, which got the Koopa King a little confused.
"Uh...wuh?" Bowser was at a loss as to what to say, as Toodles then started speaking.
"I say, I'd like to mount a large animal horn in my foyer to highlight my social status..." Toodle then grinned rather saucily at Bowser's horns. "Oh, my goodness gracious! You have 'terribly' fine horns, don't you, you great thing?"
Bowser was now creeped out by this wealthy-looking woman. Was she implying that she'd like to take his horns off of him for her foyer to showcase her social status? Either way, there was no way that he'd do such a thing.
"Wh-What? That's...disgusting!" Bowser backed away slowly from Toodles with a disgusted look. "Get away from me, psycho! You can't have my horns!"
"Fine by me," Toodles huffed and shrugged nonchalantly. "I know that a certain muscular man would fetch some for me in a heartbeat."
"Whatever," Bowser snorted, missing the fact that she was referring to Andrew. "Just stay away from me!"
As he was backing away from her, he bumped into another female Toad with green spots on her cap. And unlike Toodles, she reacted appropriately to Bowser's sudden appearance; with fear.
"EEEEEEEEEEK!" The female Toad screamed in fright. "Muh-Mommy..."
"That's right," Bowser spat. "Fear me, for I am Bowser; the Koopa King himself! Gwa ha ha ha ha ha ha!"
After he said that, he stormed off, leaving the female Toad shaking like a leaf by his presence. It was then he bumped into another person. This time it was a Bumpty, and he seemed rather spacey today, like all of the other Bumpties that reside in Poshley Heights.
"Oh, hello there, guy!" The Bumpty waved absentmindedly to him, oblivious to his scary appearance. "Poshley Heights is nice on a warm afternoon, eh?"
"Bah! Do you even know who I am?" Bowser huffed. "I'm a great and evil king!"
"Reeeeeeeeeeally..." The Bumpty didn't believe him and waved it off. "Yah... Y'know, guy, I think maybe you got a little too much sun, eh?"
Bowser had to step away from him. 'Clearly', the Bumpty he ran into was not right in the head, considering how spacey, loopy, and eccentric he was, unaware that he was someone that was to be feared by all. Therefore, he wasn't worth his time, so he stomped away and continued onward.
As he was storming to the Sanctum, he ran into another person. This time, it was Bub. He was doing some sightseeing in the Poshley Sanctum while his parents were just staring absentmindedly at the fountain that was in front of the sanctum itself. Bub was able to get Bowser's attention as he gasped at his massive size.
"Wow! You're big, Mister!" Bub then decided to ask him. "What's your name?"
Bowser had to give this Bob-omb kid a look. He truly didn't know who he was. Did he know what he was dealing with? Or who he was standing right in front of? Nonetheless, Bowser decided to introduce himself in the way that he would normally.
"Gwa ha ha ha ha ha ha ha! I am Bowser!" Bowser then pumped up the intensity of his voice. "BOWSER! Evil King Extraordinaire!"
This got Bub to react accordingly as he shivered in fear at how it was delivered.
"Yuh-YEEEK!" Bub screamed, as he then ran off and hid behind the fountain, getting Bowser to bellow.
"That's right! Run, you wimp!" Bowser howled. "RUN LIKE THE PATHETIC WEAKLING THAT YOU ARE! I don't need you anyway!"
Just as he was about to head to the Sanctum, he had overheard Goldbob and Sylvia talking in front of the fountain. They were ignoring the Koopa King's presence entirely.
"Oh! Look! My heart trembles! The fountain... So elegant!" Goldbob declared, admiring the sheer beauty of the fountain in front of them. "This is art at its finest!"
"So very observant, as usual, my dear Goldbob. Indeed!" Sylvia agreed with him wholeheartedly. "Surely this is an artist's art!"
"Yes, dearest. One cannot measure its worth by coins." Goldbob nodded. "That is what makes art, art. And yet...the filthy rich always seek to define art with their ill-gotten coins..."
"Yes, they seek to buy it...yet how can one appraise what the eye cannot perceive?" Sylvia queried in curiosity.
Bowser, for his part, had to step away from them as he was confused and crept out about their vague conversation, and their cluelessness about how he was right behind them.
"...Whoa," Bowser backed away with a frown. "I don't have a CLUE what you're talking about! You people scare me. Seriously."
Of course, Goldbob and Sylvia completely ignored him as they continued to fixedly stare at the fountain. This stunt got Bowser to huff steam through his nostril.
Hmph! That's the last time that I talk to wealthy people! They're as ignorant as everyone else! Bowser thought in irritation. Oh well! Time to head into the Poshley Sanctum and claim that Crystal Star for myself!
With that, Bowser stomped off as he approached the front door that led into the Sanctum. The only problem with that was...the door was locked with a padlock. This proved to be a massive setback for the Koopa King, as the lock wouldn't budge.
It would appear that Pennington; the owner of the sanctum, had to step away for a moment or so. So he locked the sanctum up, and only he had the key to unlock it. Regardless, this sent Bowser into a state of fury as he was stomping on the ground.
"DARN IT!" Bowser roared quite furiously at this.
Fortunately for him, due to the pressure his stomping did to the padlock, being locked out meant nothing to him when the padlock fell off the door. 'Apparently', Bowser was successful with breaking the lock off with his anger and the brute strength that was in his stomping.
"Huh?" Bowser stopped stomping and looked at the broken padlock, which now gave him an advantage. "Whoa, baby! Awesome! It opened! Talk about 'lucky'! I guess rage 'really' pays!"
Bowser then slammed the door open with his massive arm and stormed right in. Kammy Koopa, upon seeing how Bowser was successful with getting into the Poshley Sanctum, got off of her broom and scurried as fast as she could behind Bowser. Or as fast as an elderly female Magikoopa could move, overall...
INSIDE THE POSHLEY SANCTUM:
It didn't take long for Bowser and Kammy Koopa to make it to the other end of the sanctum. And resting on the pedestal in front of the painting, was supposedly the Crystal Star. And Bowser took notice of it along with Kammy Koopa.
"There it is! The Crystal Star! Yes!" Bowser was bellowing rather excitedly. "This is it, Haggy! This is finally it! This is like taking candy from a baby, which is FINE BY ME!"
In one swift movement, Bowser swiped the supposed Crystal Star from the pedestal and held it up high in his right-clawed hand, He 'really' seemed triumphed and over the moon with having finally gotten a Crystal Star, unaware of the supposed Crystal Star's real identity.
"Gwa ha ha ha ha ha ha ha!" Bowser cheered haughtily. "At last, I've gotten my mitts on a Crystal Star! YESSS! And this time, Andrew CAN'T stop me!"
"Impressive work, Lord Bowser!" Kammy Koopa started snickering at how he was successful in claiming the Crystal Star. "You're the absolute best star-getting-guy!"
By now, Pennington had returned from his little errand that he went on, as he had entered the sanctum and took notice of Bowser and Kammy Koopa having broken into his sanctum.
Not to mention the fact that he saw that Bowser had the supposed Crystal Star in his possession, having just stolen it from its perch. Once he stopped near the area where the pedestal was, Pennington decided to get their attention.
"You there! I have you now, villains!" Pennington then started giving Bowser the accusations while pointing at him. "You...are common thieves! Aren't you? AREN'T YOU? My eyes never deceive!"
Bowser and Kammy Koopa had to exchange looks with each other. It's as if they thought this Bumpty detective was blind and oblivious as to who Bowser was supposed to be.
Feeling the need to clear it up with him, the Koopa King and the elderly Magikoopa walked away from the pedestal and were now standing right in front of Pennington, with Bowser still carrying the supposed Crystal Star.
"What are you implying? I'm no little thief! I'm..." Bowser huffed before he cleared his throat and revealed his true identity to him. "Bowser, the Remorseless King of Evil! So I'll take what I want! And I want THIS!"
Bowser pointed to the supposed Crystal Star that he had in his hands as he finished up his introduction. Pennington, for his part, now had to flinch and shiver upon hearing what he said and who he was. Trying his best to maintain his posture, Pennington still decided to speak to him.
"...Uh-oh. B-Bowser, you say?" Pennington uttered meekly. "Remorseless King of... What was that last bit, again?"
Immediately after that, Pennington shook his head and put the fear to the side as he continued to speak to him. "Yes, well, no matter! Hmm... Yes... Yes... I... So I deduced! Ahem!"
Pennington then cleared his throat as he decided to reveal the truth about the Crystal Star that he was carrying in his right hand. This would be imperative information that would bring Bowser's good mood upon claiming a Crystal Star to a complete and utter stop.
"Then listen well! That Crystal Star is 'actually' a veritable red herring!" Pennington revealed while pointing to the supposed Crystal Star. "Yes! An impostor!"
This caused Bowser's good mood to come crashing down. Did Pennington just say that he was holding a red herring of a Crystal Star? As in not the real thing, but an imitation of one? Surely, this wasn't another streak of bad luck that was trying to screw him over once again, was it? Needless to say, Bowser reacted to this appropriately.
"Whuh-WHAAAAAAAAT?!" Bowser gave him a shocked look. "A FAKE?!"
As soon as that escaped his mouth, he dropped the fake Crystal Star and it shattered into a bazillion pieces, which was undeniable proof that it was a fake after all. Kammy Koopa then stepped up, walked in front of Pennington, and spoke to him as a result.
"But look at this fancy display! The pedestal and everything! It's so posh!" Kammy Koopa proclaimed as she then demanded. "If it's a fake, then where's the real one, huh?"
"If you must know, I gave the real one to Mario! And he's traveling with a diverse bunch of friends," Pennington revealed. "He's traveling with a Goomba, a Koopa, a Wind Spirit woman, a Yoshi kid, a Shadow Siren of some sort, a Bob-omb, and a white Little Mouser! Ohhhhh ho ho ho ho ho!"
Bowser then furrowed his eyebrows at this. He did NOT just hear him correctly. Did he say that the real Crystal Star was given to Mario? Did this mean that Mario FINALLY found out about the princess having been kidnapped by a 'complete' stranger? And was he helping Andrew in collecting the Crystal Stars? Needless to say, this did not sit well with him.
"You have got to be kidding me. 'You' mean to tell me that MARIO beat me here? He FINALLY got word about Princess Peach's disappearance? ARRGH!" Bowser then roared angrily. "That Mario menace is the most annoying plumber of all time! And both he and that Andrew punk are two of the worst nuisances that I ever dealt with! EVER!"
As a result, Bowser started stomping on the ground in anger at how he was given the short end of the stick yet again. And this time, Mario had 'apparently' gotten word about the princess's abduction, unaware that Pennington was 'really' referring to Andrew.
While Bowser was throwing his hissy fit, Kammy Koopa tried to contemplate everything that she had been told, and how they had kept failing to get the Crystal Stars before Andrew could get them.
"Hmmm... How bothersome..." Kammy Koopa murmured. "The fact that we keep being outmaneuvered is disturbing."
She then had to clear her throat before she continued to talk. "But where in the world could that Andrew scum and Mario be heading? Where..."
She was then cut off when the window that Pennington had repaired recently that was broken by Doopliss got broken into again. This caught their attention as Bowser stopped stomping and a voice was heard yelling out to him.
"Lord Bowser!" That voice yelled out as the source of the voice then revealed itself to them.
It was a typical, regular Paragoomba. The Paragoomba flew in and landed right on top of Pennington's head. Pennington didn't react to this as Kammy Koopa was the first to speak about this Paragoomba's unexpected presence.
"Ah... Paragoomba!" Kammy Koopa adjusted her glasses and demanded to know what was the problem. "What are you so worked up over, hmm? Tell me!"
"Now reporting, sir!" The Paragoomba then realized his mistake and fixed it. "Uh, and ma'am! Sir and ma'am!"
The Paragoomba then got to the point and delivered the all-important message. "Andrew's collected the seven Crystal Stars and is headed for the Thousand-Year Door!"
Kammy Koopa was rather perplexed by this, as it answered where Andrew was heading, but also noticed that Mario wasn't even mentioned by the Paragoomba. Bowser, by contrast, was completely confused, as if he had never heard about the Thousand-Year Door before.
"Huh-WHAAAAAAAAT?! The Thousand-Year Door...?" Bowser voiced his confusion before he asked. "What in the heck is that?"
"The Thousand-Year Door!" Kammy Koopa remarked before going into brief details about its importance. "An unbelievably legendary treasure is behind that door!"
Now Bowser furrowed his eyebrows in determination. He had already had so much rotten luck with getting a single Crystal Star that was the real deal. And now Andrew had all seven of them.
The least he could do was head to the Thousand-Year Door and claim the legendary treasure for himself, all on top of trouncing Andrew and his friends for putting him through all of this madness.
"YAARGHH! Then I'm going there, too! IMMEDIATELY!" Bowser bellowed. "And I'm gonna RUIN Andrew too while I'm at it!"
"As you wish, Your Impatientness!" Kammy Koopa nodded. "Let's head out!"
And with that, Bowser, Kammy Koopa, and the Paragoomba left the Poshley Sanctum and Poshley Heights with the ambition of heading to the Thousand-Year Door to wreck Andrew and his friends permanently. Pennington, meanwhile, had to shake his head at this as he murmured to himself.
"...Will you, now?" Pennington then uttered. "Mario! Well done, lad! Way not to fail! ...Yet."
Pennington then shook his head and looked at the broken window he had just had repaired, and the empty pedestal that once had another fake Crystal Star.
He decided that it was for the best that he'd stop putting a fake one up there because other thieves like Bowser and Kammy Koopa would try to swipe it from the Poshley Sanctum too. As for the window, he would get it repaired again momentarily, but not right now.
As far as Bowser and Kammy Koopa were concerned, it seemed like things were starting to heat up. And they would both end up cornering Andrew and his group within the Thousand-Year Door before long. That was certainly a given...
END OF CHAPTER 71...
All right. That's the end of this chapter. Yeah, just like all the other Bowser chapters, this one is shorter than the previous chapters focusing on Andrew. But of course, all the Bowser interlude chapters were set up like that, so that's a given. Still, I hope you all enjoyed this chapter, especially since this is the last time I'll be doing this kind of chapter.
Anyway, I don't have anything else to say here, so I'll just say that the next chapter will focus on Andrew and his friends again as they're planning on getting back to Rogueport. In that chapter, Andrew and his crew will spend the night in Peach's former holding room, while eating some leftover food in the fridge that the X-Nauts had possession of.
Andrew will also be able to take a shower in the bathtub and make sure he's washed up, along with the others, since they don't want to have bad body odor before they get back to Earth plan things further with Professor Frankly. And of course, Andrew and his friends meet up with TEC for the first time, who is running on backup power.
TEC will reveal where Peach had been taken, which is the Palace of Shadow; behind the Thousand-Year Door, Andrew decides to send one last e-mail before TEC permanently deactivates himself and plans to self-destruct the X-Naut Fortress the moment Andrew and his friends go through the teleporter.
And a few other things will occur. How will this go for them? Find out next time, readers!
For now, only if you like, you can leave a review and let me know what you thought of this chapter overall.
Otherwise, I have nothing else to say. So until next time, I do hope you all will take care of yourselves. And on that note, thanks again for reading, everyone!