RECAP:
Larry, Roy, Daisy and Diddy found their way to the home of Professor Frankly, where the Goomba shared with them his theory about Contemno's ambitions. He explained a likelihood that Contemno was collaborating with the mob boss of Rogueport's notorious criminal gang – the Piantas – in an arrangement that would provide the former with a powerful army, and the latter with an opportunity for vengeance. In exchange for funding the Pleasure City fighting tournament, Contemno would assist Don Frankie in exacting revenge against Ishnail – the leader of a rival crime syndicate within Rogueport. Frankly cautioned the group about the dangers of the tournament before sending them on their way.
The four travelers eventually found the local inn to rest at for the night, but not before surviving an encounter with Ishnail's men. In addition, Larry and Roy butted heads once more; thus widening the ever-growing divide between the two brothers.
Elsewhere, while Bowser searched in vain for a means of escaping from Dammerel, Mario made friends with a mysterious source of orange light that revealed itself to him near Castle Oblivion.
**Trigger Warning: The following chapter contains implications of physical abuse. If you are sensitive to this subject matter, proceed with caution.**
The following morning proved to be even more nerve-wracking for Roy and company than their first day in Rogueport. It was all too quiet. Too easy. The team had woken up bright and early, enjoyed a modest, peaceful breakfast at the inn, and quickly departed for the train station all in the span of about an hour and a half.
Everything seemed to be going too well thus far.
Despite his ever-vigilant eyes, Diddy saw no sign of Ishnail's gang. There weren't any Craws waiting just outside the inn to ambush them like he'd expected. Even so, he knew he still wouldn't be able to drop his guard entirely until he was seated comfortably on the train as it departed.
Similarly, Daisy kept her wristbands ready for action at a moment's notice. She found herself somehow more able to tune out all of the harassing merchants and con artists bombarding her as she strolled down the street today than the day before. Probably because she knew now there was a greater danger lurking.
Larry and Roy hadn't said a word to one another since their conversation the night before. It deeply pained Roy to stand idly by and do nothing while he sensed the emotional turmoil his sibling was wrapped up in. But talking only seemed to agitate Larry further. That much was clear. Thus, Roy remained committed to silence for the time being.
Meanwhile, Larry admittedly felt some remorse deep down for shutting Roy out so harshly like this. But it was what needed to be done. The younger Koopaling knew this indescribable hurt was something he needed to work through on his own. Roy had a tendency to swoop in and just take care of everyone. At least, that's how he'd always been when they were growing up. In some ways, Roy reminded Larry of Mario; always trying to be everyone's hero. But if Larry relied on Roy for this the same way he'd always done, nothing would ever change. The pain would never go away.
Larry couldn't rely on anyone else if he truly wanted to solve this turmoil brewing deep within himself.
Somehow, the group reached the train station rather seamlessly, and Daisy handed four tickets to the Koopa Troopa behind the glass window. Within a few minutes, they were cleared to board. The four took their seats silently. This time, Larry made certain he wouldn't be stuck sitting next to Roy; snagging a row seat with Diddy instead.
Although none of them had said a word to one another – much less made eye contact - they all knew they shared the same uneasy feeling: After the rough welcoming to Rogueport they'd experienced yesterday, how could today be going so well?
When was the other shoe going to drop?
Were they already through the worst of their troubles posed by this miserable town? Or was this fleeting moment of peace merely the calm before the real storm began?
The uncertainty made it nearly impossible for any of them to truly relax; even aboard the posh, comfy gold and red velvet interior of the train car. And yet, without a hitch, the train departed from Rogueport right on schedule and slowly eased its way out of the station.
After an hour of uninterrupted travel, Larry watched as the blurred stretch of barren land just outside the window disappeared in a flash. The tracks and solid, uninhabited terrain soon morphed into an endless bridge of wooden train tracks plastered against a deep blue backdrop; stretching on ahead for miles and carrying the train dozens of feet above the ocean faster than a speedboat.
The train had been traveling so fast that any bumps or minor shuffles on the tracks were thoughtlessly swallowed by the mechanical beast; its passengers none the wiser. Larry had unintentionally achieved a zen state where he was neither asleep nor entirely conscious of his surroundings. The hypnotic sapphire waves which were cradling thin beams of sunlight danced across the ocean's surface and locked the Koopaling into a peaceful trance.
As quickly as he had entered this state however, Larry and everyone else around him were abruptly ripped out of their unexpected - yet not entirely unwelcome - bliss.
An ear-piercing screech rang through the air and all of the passengers were collectively shoved forward it their seats at once. It was as though gravity had suddenly shifted its placement on the earth's surface from below to straight ahead.
Once the train had concluded its disastrously intense stop, Roy and the others quickly gathered their bearings.
"What the heck just happened?" Daisy asked; nursing her head.
"Are we there already…?" Diddy wondered as his pupils stopped spinning.
"Not even close," Larry answered as he quickly drew their attention to the window.
Indeed, the train was still suspended high above the middle of the ocean; not a single land mass to be seen for miles.
"Why'd we stop then?" Roy asked.
Before anyone could propose a guess, a violent tremor pulsed across the train from front to back. The quaking quickly spread across all corners of the transport and agitated the passengers into a collective panicked state. The entire train then began to tilt to one side at once as though gravity had shifted once more; this time towards one side.
As the crowd spilled hysterically at the mercy of the train's sudden rotation and struggled to process what was happening, several windows were shattered in unison. Long, white, ominous tentacles broke through the glass in several places; the tip of each gelatinous mass a darkened shade of blue with a red circular center. These blobs wound themselves like serpents around multiple passengers and yanked each one out the window in the blink of an eye.
"What are those things?!" Diddy panicked.
"They're taking the passengers!" Larry exclaimed.
"C'mon!" Roy shouted as he climbed the now-tilted train and kicked open an escape hatch on the ceiling. Larry, Daisy and Diddy quickly followed him through the rectangular hole leading outside.
Standing atop the slanted train's roof, the group took in the cause of the calamity. A giant, white squid-like monster with blue polka dots scattered all across its body had emerged from the ocean and was now holding several of the helpless passengers captive within its twelve tentacles; two of which were attempting to pull the train into the water.
On their own, it didn't seem that these two limbs would be strong enough to accomplish their task very quickly. This meant they could be dealt with last.
"Is that a…giant Blooper?!" Daisy guessed.
"It's gonna be calamari when we're done with it," said Larry as he summoned his pistols.
"Wait! We can't just attack that thing. We gotta save the passengers first," Roy cautioned him.
"You got a plan then?" Diddy probed.
"Larry, aim for the face. Try and weaken that thing's grip. Daisy, you and Diddy get those people out of harm's way."
"Roger!" Daisy and Diddy affirmed in unison.
Larry open-fired on the Blooper's face. At first, the creature didn't appear to be fazed as it swung one of its many tentacles across the roof of the train towards them. Roy summoned a large slab of metal from the man-made surface beneath his feet to block the tentacle from advancing and protect Larry.
Daisy summoned her Piranha Plants and used them to latch onto and swing from one of the other tentacles as she propelled herself high into the air before landing on its tip. Diddy meanwhile scurried across another tentacle's slick surface. The pair reached the first hostage before long: a terrified Toad trapped between the tips of two tentacles. Together, Daisy and Diddy pulled but struggled to pry the Toad from the red suction cups.
Larry continued firing and moving his trajectory across the Blooper's face as he searched for a weak spot. Soon enough, he settled on the eyes – which the blooper quickly shut in response to the magic bullet barrage. The Blooper's entire body began to tremble slightly and a small moan of pain escaped its circular mouth.
Roy continued to shove the tentacle back, but made little progress as the limb continued to hold its ground.
"It ain't enough, Larry!" Roy exclaimed.
"Yeah? Well let's just see how he feels about this!" Larry replied. "SUBMISSION SHOT!"
The Koopaling fired his signature twin cylindrical blue beams at the Blooper's eyes. This elicited more of a response as the Blooper roared in anguish. Roy, Daisy and Diddy all immediately felt the Blooper's reaction. Roy shoved the tentacle off the roof. Diddy pulled the Toad free and Daisy used Chomper's vine to carry the Toad back to solid ground.
"I…can't hold out like this for long!" Larry warned as he gritted his teeth. "So hurry it up!" While his beams pinned the Blooper in place, Diddy and Daisy picked up the pace and hurried to the next pair of tentacles.
Roy battled two persistent tentacles on his own a few inches away from Larry.
Daisy and Diddy managed to free a panicking Koopa Troopa - who had since retreated into its shell. This actually made the rescue noticeably easier. With a single, powerful kick, Daisy sent the Koopa Troopa careening back towards the train and straight through the open hatch like a basketball through the net.
Larry knelt down to one knee. He fought through the pain and maintained the flow of the beams from his weapons; still concentrating them squarely on the Blooper's eyes.
From his blind-spot, Roy was swatted away by one of the tentacles and tumbled off the train, but managed to grip the roof's edge before falling off the tracks into the ocean below. He hoisted himself back up and charged towards one of the tentacles – which was now racing towards Larry. The blue-haired Koopaling saw it coming from the corner of his eye, but Roy tackled it. However, Larry had still flinched from the approaching danger, and this broke his concentration for a few precious seconds.
The Blooper recovered and slightly regained some of its strength just as Daisy and Diddy reached the third passenger: a Shy Guy. The pair was nearly thrown off-balance by the undulating tentacles until Larry resumed his attack and locked the Blooper back into its paralyzed state. Climbing back onto the tentacles, Diddy and Daisy pulled together and freed the Shy Guy; with Bitey delivering it back upon the safety of the train's solid ground.
Larry's vision blurred and he was drenched in sweat. His breathing grew hoarse and shallow. It felt as though this attack was draining the very life out of him. But even as he grew weaker by the minute, Larry refused to give up.
Roy continued battling the two tentacles and bought just enough time for Diddy and Daisy to rescue the final passenger – a Bandit.
With their job complete, Diddy hopped and climbed back onto the train's rooftop while Daisy swung in to join him. Roy ushered each of the remaining hostages back inside of the train, but held the Bandit back for an extra second.
"Tell the conductor to get the train movin' again!" the Koopaling instructed.
"B-but it's halfway off the track!" the Bandit argued.
"We'll fix that. Just get this thing ready to move!"
"We can't leave you guys behind!" the Toad reasoned.
"We're not askin' you to! Just get the train away from the Blooper before it tries to take anyone else!" Without another word, the Bandit and Toad each nodded and hurried back inside.
Larry's power waned and the beams from his pistols flickered in and out of existence. Finally, his will gave out. The beams and pistols all vanished at once. Larry collapsed and slid off the slanted roof; plummeting helplessly into the ocean. Chomper clamped down on the bridge and Daisy swung down from his vine. She managed to catch Larry with Bitey's vine before the Koopaling could reach the water. The duo rode the momentum until they flew back up onto the train at the height of their ascension.
Roy clapped and summoned two sharp sheets of metal from the train's exterior and used them to slice the two remaining tentacles still pulling on the train. The vehicle crashed back into its neutral position once the Blooper released its stranglehold in response to the attack.
However, the team didn't even have a chance to catch their breath before the monstrous sea beast retaliated. The engine roared and the train slowly crawled away. Daisy, Diddy, and Roy – who was now carrying the unconscious Larry – all hopped off the train together and landed on the tracks which their ride was slowly leaving behind.
The Blooper bellowed a deep, monstrous roar as its entire body quickly turned an unsettling shade of red. The ominous red aura even bled into the water immediately surrounding the Blooper and began to stir the waves faster and faster until a violent whirlpool formed. Larry awoke from the racket and quickly joined the others in steeling himself for another round with the beast.
"No way! Don't tell me this thing has-" Daisy started.
"Essence…," Roy finished.
Four of the red snake-like tentacles jetted forward at once and captured Larry, Roy, Daisy and Diddy. As each of them struggled to get free, the Blooper wasted no time in pulling them straight down into the heart of the whirlpool beneath it.
A violent current of pitch black water raced past them. But before any of them could even start thinking about the possibility of drowning, they were dragged back to the surface once more. Although, this wasn't the same realm they had just left seconds ago.
The Blooper had pulled them into what appeared to be some sort of parallel world; complete with the same ocean and towering railroad bridge they now found themselves laying upon. The most immediately noticeable difference being that the sky had since turned an aggressive shade of red; matching the Blooper's own transformation. Red lightning crackled across the stormy sky as hurricane winds raged.
The railroad tracks no longer extended in one direction indefinitely. Instead, the Blooper had bent the railroad tracks into a ring shape which wrapped around the circumference of its whirlpool.
"WHAT THE HECK'S GOIN' ON?! WHERE ARE WE?!" Diddy exclaimed.
"This is just like what happened with Midbus…," Daisy observed.
"Looks like this thing can use Essence to change the world around it too," Larry agreed.
"Doesn't change what needs doin'," Roy reminded them. "Let's end this!" Daisy, Larry, and a nervous Diddy all nodded in agreement.
Without warning, a red lightning bolt tore through the sky and struck the Blooper. The team watched in horror as even more tentacles began to sprout from the monster's slimy flesh in many unnatural places across its body in rapid succession. At the conclusion of the transformation, the Blooper looked much less like a squid and more like a gelatinous blob of twenty-four tentacles.
Roy slugged at one of the two dozen tentacles as it approached him, but he was met with a jolt of electricity upon making contact.
"What the-?!" he exclaimed as he hopped back a few paces. Immediately, the others noticed the red surges of electricity bouncing wildly across each and every one of the Blooper's slimy red limbs. "Oh c'mon! You gotta be kiddin' me! Now this thing's electric?!"
"Whadda we do now?! We can't touch these things!" Diddy shouted over the roaring winds.
"Not with our hands, maybe. But we've still got some firepower!" Daisy argued.
"My thoughts exactly," Larry agreed as he summoned his shield and one pistol. "Diddy, got any weapons?"
"Duh! Of course! I never leave home without 'em!" the monkey replied as he clapped his hands. A small wooden barrel materialized in front of him with the signature red and yellow "DK" logo plastered across the front. Diddy smashed the barrel with both fits. After a small cloud of smoke dissipated, he found himself armed with his trademark Rocketbarrel jetpack and twin Peanut Popguns.
Similarly, Roy summoned his Bullet Bill Blaster cannon and propped it atop his shoulder proudly.
"Been a while since I've used this baby," he mused. "Alright, let's hammer this thing with everythin' we've got!"
Larry tossed his shield and sliced several of the tentacles in half; clearing a path for himself to run across the ring of the tracks. The limbs were quick to grow back, however. Even so, in the precious handful of seconds it took for the replacements to grow in, the Koopaling managed to pepper the Blooper's exposed eyes with shots from his pistol. It wasn't enough to do any critical damage as half a dozen tentacles were quick to step in and block the line of fire in response.
Regardless, the weak point was obvious. It was just a matter of reaching it.
Daisy dove off the bridge and used her Piranha Plants to swing underneath the platform and propel herself high into the air. While airborne, Chomper and Bitey exhaled an army of fireballs at the Blooper's face. Only a few managed to clear the forest of tentacles and scorch their target. The limbs pursued Daisy, but they were too slow to catch the princess as she ricocheted herself across the sky.
Upon the eventual descent, the Piranha Plants chomped down on the ledge and flung Daisy right back into the air once more as she flew diagonally over the Blooper. The princess directed her companions to discharge another round of fireballs along the way. Although the damage Daisy was inflicting on her own was minimal, her hit-and-run maneuver kept the monster guessing as to where she would come from next.
Armed with both the complete freedom of aerial mobility that Daisy lacked and twice the firepower of Larry's lone pistol, Diddy was in the perfect position to help turn the tide of this battle; covering for the weaknesses of his comrades while complimenting their attacks with ones of his own. The monkey managed to land a few clean shots at the Blooper's head, despite it not being his ultimate goal.
Diddy then flew in low to lure the tentacles into giving chase; knowing full well they wouldn't be able to reach him at the top of his eventual ascent back into the sky.
Roy clutched his cannon tight and gritted his teeth; biding his time. He had to wait for just the right moment.
Larry sliced off more and more tentacles. Their regeneration was slow to follow his rampage.
The burn marks across the Blooper's head grew more and more abundant with every pass from the trio of Daisy, Chomper, and Bitey.
Diddy helped keep the blooper disoriented and confused.
Slowly but surely, it was working. The Blooper was steadily growing weaker. Soon. Not just yet, but very soon. Roy's moment to deliver the killing blow would soon arrive.
The Blooper bellowed yet another deep, echoing roar. The malevolent red aura engulfing the monster's body spread and poured into its eyes. A blood-curdling screech tore through the air at such an intense frequency that all of the combatants were immediately caught off-guard.
The tentacles attacked in three swarms of eight limbs. Each team deliberately dismantled the three assailants.
The first eight tentacles delivered a coordinated, simultaneous strike upon Diddy's Rocketbarrel jetpack, causing it to explode and leaving Diddy to fall helplessly into the raging tides below.
The second set of eight tentacles caught Daisy, Chomper, and Bitey mid-flight and gripped them tightly in three pairs of two. The remaining two tentacles shocked the princess and her partners with two powerful red lightning bolts, then viciously threw their victims into the sea.
The third team of eight tentacles tripped Larry off his feet in the blink of an eye, smacked him several times from multiple directions, launched him up into the air, and then swatted the Koopaling back down into the ocean with tremendous force.
Diddy, Larry and Daisy resurfaced and helplessly swam to fight the all-encompassing waves pushing and pulling them in every direction. Try as they might to stay afloat, avoiding drowning was going to be a challenge; much less reaching the train tracks to get back in the fight.
Roy took no pleasure in watching his comrades get struck down all at once. But he'd make certain their efforts wouldn't go to waste. The Blooper set its sights on the lone Koopaling standing on the ring of train tracks.
Roy jerked his head side-to-side, rolled his shoulder, gripped the cannon, and stared the creature down.
The Blooper thrusted all twenty-four of its limbs directly towards Roy at once. At the last second, the Koopaling stomped his foot. The land beneath his feet launched him high into the air; just barely clearing the tentacles' maximum reach. At the apex of his ascent, Roy took aim and fired a Bullet Bill straight down at the Blooper.
The metallic monster flew with blistering speed; faster and faster, it picked up velocity. It dodged and weaved effortlessly past the many tentacles now scrambling madly to obstruct its path.
The recoil of the cannon had launched Roy backwards, and he fell straight into the ocean below.
But just before he hit the water, the Koopaling heard the thunderous boom of an unmistakable direct hit.
By the time Roy resurfaced near the others, he caught a glimpse of the aftermath of the explosion. The charred body of the Blooper had been sent flying away several feet away from a dissipating cloud of smoke and was now floating lifelessly on the surface of the water.
The red storm subsided, but not before Roy and the others were pulled back into the whirlpool.
Emerging on the other side – back in the normal realm - Daisy took the lead by scaling the steel support beams up to the tracks and fishing her comrades out of the water soon after.
Under clear blue sky and the blistering sun, the team was pleasantly surprised to find that although the train had moved a few feet, it was still very much stationary and hadn't gone far. Dropping in from the roof's hatch and taking their seats, the heroes were met with joyous, rousing applause from grateful passengers all around who wouldn't have dreamed of leaving their saviors behind.
The conductor ushered the crowd of adoring fans back into their places and within minutes, the train set off once more.
"I don't know if I should be disappointed that it sounds like you didn't find anything up there at the castle, or relieved that you failed just about as badly as me," said Bowser as he reconvened with Mario at the bottom of the staircase leading to Castle Olympus.
Mario shrugged his shoulders stiffly. Bowser grunted and punched a nearby tree.
"It just doesn't make any sense!" he exclaimed. "How did they build a town and get all these people here without any way of even docking a boat?"
Mario placed his hand over his heart, then pulled back his glove and pointed to the Kagi symbol on his hand.
"If we were still in the heart kingdom, then I wouldn't be playing charades with you right now," Bowser reasoned. "No, we're back in the real world alright. I'm sure of that much. I just don't know how we got here or who could've gotten us out. But regardless, we're here."
Mario pointed a finger straight up to the sky.
"What, you think they fell from the sky and crash landed here? Is that it?" Bowser guessed incredulously. Mario shrugged. "I doubt it. Damian told us people chose to come here. Didn't sound like any of these folks are here by accident except us."
Bowser watched Mario's frustrated arm angle itself down from the sky towards the village below. The Koopa King groaned loudly.
"What is it now? C'mon, you gotta start givin' me more hints here cuz I suck at guessing games!"
Perhaps I could translate? A voice interjected.
Suddenly, the orange spark materialized out of thin air and floated down gently in between Mario and Bowser. The Koopa King hopped back a few feet.
"WHAT THE?!" he blurted aloud. "What the heck is that?! Some kinda…bug?" Mario smiled in recognition of his mysterious new acquaintance; holding out his palm. The spark took his invitation and descended slowly until it hovered in his hand.
"There's no need to make such a scene, Mr. Turtle. I'm not going to harm you," said the spark.
"'Mr. Turtle?!'" Bowser replied; insult washing over his face. "First off, I'm a king! Show a little respect! Second, I don't remember inviting a firefly into our private conversation!"
"First of all, I'm not a firefly," the spark corrected. "And secondly, I'm afraid I fail to see how your conversation could be classified as private when you're standing out in the open like this."
"Aw buzz off, sparky! You were eavesdropping on us just now," Bowser argued. "We thought we were alone until you showed up. Now why don't you go crawl back into whatever lantern you broke out of, huh?"
"Hmph! You're not very trusting, are you?"
"No. Especially not towards weird talking fireflies."
"Well then, I think I see now why this man was able to sense me back at the castle and you weren't. His heart is much more open than your's." Bowser folded his arms and his gaze shifted from the spark to Mario.
"Hold on, you know this thing, Mario?" The spark perked up and began to float a little higher as though its invisible line of sight turned toward the plumber as well.
"'Mario?' So that's your name?" the spark asked. Mario nodded.
Bowser blasted a small fireball out of his mouth, but Mario quickly cupped the spark within his hands and pulled it out of the way.
"Quit feeding this stupid thing info about us!" Bowser exclaimed. "I know you're eager to make friends with anything with a pulse, but show a little restraint for once, will ya?"
"Mario didn't say anything. Hehe, you were the one to say his name out loud just now, King Turtle!" the spark countered playfully.
On a deeper level within himself which he was unable to recognize immediately, Bowser's aggressive resolve melted slightly. Something about hearing the instantly recognizable, innocent chuckles of a young child – even one lacking a physical form – cut through his tough exterior like a knife through butter.
"That's…! Well I…! I mean, y-you were the one who…!" Bowser stammered. "Bah, forget it. I doubt you're much of a threat to us in that form. What the heck are you anyway?"
"Well I'm not a threat, for starters," the spark replied. "As rude as I think you are, King Turtle, I wouldn't have any real way of harming you in my current form; even if I wanted to. Anyway, I'm a human."
"Humans don't look like bugs," Bowser retorted dismissively.
"What I mean is, I used to be a human. I was telling Mario earlier that my body was stolen by a monster. For some reason, my soul didn't disappear when it happened. I don't remember much, and I don't know why I have taken the appearance of a 'firefly' now. I thought I was invisible until Mario was able to sense my presence," the spark explained.
"You've got amnesia? No wonder you and him became quick friends then," Bowser replied with a sarcastic laugh.
"What do you mean?" the spark asked curiously.
"Not too long ago, Mario had it too."
"'Had?' You mean he has since remembered?" The plumber nodded. "And you helped him, King Turtle? Wow, maybe you're not so bad after all."
"Enough with the 'King Turtle' crap. The name's Bowser. King Bowser. And I'm a Koopa, not a turtle. There's a big difference."
"Oh? And what would that be?"
"Well, regular turtles don't breathe fire or have claws, for starters," Bowser answered.
"Why yes, I suppose that's true," the spark agreed. "If it weren't for your age, I'd be inclined to suspect you were their son."
"Whose? Bah, forget it! You got us way off-topic!" the Koopa King declared before the spark could elaborate.
"Oh…I suppose I did! Hehe, sorry! What were you mentioning before? Something about how people get to this place?"
"Yeah, but if you can't remember much, I doubt you'd be much use to us."
"Hmph, I'm going to choose not to take offense to that," said the spark. "But you were also upset about not being able to understand Mario."
"Oh yeah, right," Bowser affirmed. "You said you can translate?"
"Well, I can at least try."
"How?"
"I may not be able to do much in this form. But I can 'read' emotions, in a manner of speaking."
"And how is that supposed to help exactly?" The spark floated up near Mario's face; the plumber's blue pupils following it carefully.
"I'm not entirely sure how to put it into words exactly. But when I'm close to people, it's as though I can read their thoughts and feelings; as long as their hearts are open to it."
"What, so you're some kinda psychic? Are you reading my mind right now too?"
"Not your's, no. I sense that you keep yourself pretty reserved and don't let people in very often. Mario doesn't seem to have nearly as big of a barrier put up as you do, King Bowser." The spark descended back down into Mario's hand. "His heart is much more trusting and inviting."
"Oh really?" Bowser scoffed. "Then what's he thinking right now?"
"Mario also seems to agree that you're far too distrusting of others."
"As if! That just sounds like you putting words in his mouth."
"Perhaps I should elaborate then," the spark contested. "Mario seems to believe your best course of action when it comes to getting off the island at this point is to talk to the people of Dammerel."
"What? No way! Why would we do that? I told you before, we don't know these people." Mario stared down at the spark in his hand, then back up at Bowser.
"But if you want to know how these people arrive here in the first place, asking them directly seems as good a place to start as any," the spark paraphrased on Mario's behalf.
"But we can't trust them! They could turn on us if they figure out who we are or if we draw too much attention. Besides, even if they didn't want to hurt us, they probably wouldn't tell us anything. Damian said people don't talk about their past here."
"It doesn't seem that Mario is implying it would be easy. But I am inclined to agree with him. If you approach people with a distrustful attitude, it is very likely that you're right, King Bowser. They won't be honest with you. People have a way of subconsciously picking up on the true feelings people keep buried within."
"What's your point?"
"If you approach people with a more open mind; present yourself with more humble and honest intentions, you never know. People might be more willing to open up to you than you realize."
"That just sounds like a bunch of hippie crap," Bowser replied with a grumble. Then he sighed. "But it's not like I've got any other ideas at the moment. Fine, we'll ask around to some of the folks in town. But try to keep a low profile, will ya? And you, sparky, stay outta sight. You're sure to turn some heads if you're floating around Mario's like that."
"Fair enough," the spark replied. "Although, if I may, I have one small request."
"What is it?"
"Would you please refer to me by my real name? After all, I was once a human."
"Do you even remember it?"
"I do. It's one of the few memories that are still clear to me now."
"Fine, what's your name?"
"My name is Gwendolyn. But you may call me Gwen."
Alpha flipped open his handheld communication device on the second ring.
"Done already?" he answered.
"Yes," L affirmed on the other end. "The train just pulled in to the station at New Donk. They'll be disembarking shortly."
"That was fast," Omega added incredulously. "Did Gooper Blooper attack the wrong train or what?"
"No, it fought them alright. But they performed even better than we expected," L reported. "Their individual skills and teamwork are nothing to snuff at."
"Tch, that'll only get 'em so far in these parts," Omega scoffed anyway.
"You weren't spotted?" Alpha probed.
"No," L denied simply. "I was able to keep tabs on them from Rogueport to here. They never once noticed me."
"Good. What else did you observe about them? How does their dynamic look?"
"Not without its faults. There's definitely some tension between the two Koopas at least. It's too early to say for sure how well they'll hold up under real pressure, but it could make for a possible exploit."
"Hehe, guess we'll see then. I'll put 'em all through the ringer," said Omega.
"Easy," Alpha cautioned his partner. "There's no point unless we make them put in the work first, remember?"
"I know, I know," said Omega. "We'll let the others get first crack at 'em."
"There's…something else," L's voice interjected hesitantly from inside the device.
"What is it?" Alpha acknowledged.
"There was a girl with them…and a monkey too…"
"It's probably that princess in yellow who got in our way last time," Omega guessed. "The monkey's new though."
"Probably just some back-up. I knew the Koopas wouldn't be man enough to face us alone again."
"Not after the way we mopped the floor with them last time, amiright?"
"The princess….is she…?" L asked nervously.
"It doesn't matter. Let them all come. It's all the same in the end," said Alpha. "Now then, L, return to your post until further notice. Keep surveillance on things until we get back."
"Where are you going?"
"We're gonna roll out the red carpet for those idiots," Omega answered. "Gotta make sure they don't get too lost on their way up."
Mario and Bowser were unsettled to find a small crowd gathering at the center of town. Working their way through a less-populated opening, the pair discovered there was some sort of stand-off taking place between a man and a woman at the center of the commotion.
To their surprise, Morris was also wedged between the two combatants in this apparent stand-off with his arms stretched out.
The man was short and plump. His head was completely bald and his brown shorts and muscle shirt were tattered, wrinkled and stained in several places. From where Bowser was standing, the man reeked of booze and the Koopa King noticed he was swaying back in forth slightly and slurring his words. No doubt he was drunk.
Mario noticed the woman's puffy red eyes, tear-stained cheeks, and hoarse pleas to be left alone. She was very clearly upset about this man's presence. The plumber was dumbfounded as to why people were standing around watching instead of helping someone who was very visibly distressed.
"C'mon, Ashley. Don't be like that. Y'know what we have is s-special," the man slurred. "We're soul mates!" He hiccuped.
Despite the obviously troubled state of the woman, the man was essentially harmless as far as Bowser could tell.
He seemed to be nothing more than a desperate, love-sick idiot who probably couldn't keep as much liquor down as he bragged. But that alone didn't make him inherently dangerous. If all these people were gathered around but frozen with fear, it was unfounded. With his current lack of sobriety, Bowser would wager this man likely couldn't hit the broadside of a barn. The Koopa King folded his arms and observed with mild intrigue. If nothing else, he wanted to see how long before the fool fell flat on his face.
"No, Bruce! I told you a thousand times we're done! We don't want anything to do with you anymore!" the woman exclaimed.
"Bahh, speak for yourself! You can't tell the boy how to feel about his own dad!"
"Now, now. I am sure we can come to some sort of understanding if we all just-" Morris suggested, but was promptly ignored.
"I didn't have to tell him anything. He can see it for himself. It's plain as day what you are. You're nothing but a selfish, manipulative drunkard who has no respect for anything or anyone!"
Both Mario and Bowser noticed the sudden hardening of the man's expression. His thick eye brows burrowed towards one another as his forehead scrunched together. The man's lips stretched into a scowl of disgusting, yellow teeth and square gaps where a few were missing.
Clearly, the woman's words just now had struck a nerve.
"You ungrateful bitch. After everything I've done for this family, this is the thanks I get?"
"What have you done, Bruce? Huh? Nothing. Nothing but lie and cheat and hit and yell and rant about how unfair life is and how much the world owes you when you don't do a damn thing to deserve anything more!"
The man's filthy, hairy hand curled into a fist; tucking each sausage-sized finger in tightly against the palm.
"When are you gonna learn to quit runnin' your mouth, Ashley? This is what you get! You deserve it, like always!"
"Please! Violence is never the answer!" Morris pleaded. "We have all chosen peace. That is why all of us have come to this place. Let us all take a deep breath and-"
"Oh shut your mouth, Porky!" the man exclaimed as he proceeded to back-hand Morris across the face and send him tumbling into the dirt. The woman gasped in horror. Morris sat up and rubbed the swollen, red bruise that formed on his cheek.
But before he could respond, the man proceeded to deliver a kick straight into Morris's gut. The pig coughed and gasped for the air that was now being forced from his lungs.
Mario and Bowser didn't have to look at one another to know that this didn't sit well with either of them. Luckily, they weren't the only ones to have a problem with this, it seemed. Mumblings and murmurs of shock and horror bounced across the crowd.
At least they weren't all so far gone mentally that they couldn't detect obvious cruelty when they saw it.
Unsatisfied, the man kicked the defenseless Morris in the chest again, and again, and again; each time harder than the last.
Now the crowd was weeping with sympathy and urging for the violence to stop; just as the woman had been doing since the start.
Morris moaned and coughed up a small amount of blood before laying back in defeat as he lost consciousness.
The man tilted his head up in disgusting satisfaction. Then he turned his attention back to the woman. Her horrified eyes met his as the tears continued to flow.
She knew it was her turn now.
The man stepped towards her and wound his arm back again; nearly losing his balance during his intoxicated stupor. The woman winced and shivered as the arm raced forward towards her.
Everyone on the scene froze after an audible "pop" cut through the tension.
The man's eyes widened when he found his fist trapped within Bowser's claws.
"Settle down," the Koopa King warned him ominously.
"H-hey! What do you think you're doin', freak?!" the man exclaimed.
"Stopping you from making another stupid mistake. But aside from the pig just now, this sure doesn't seem like it would be your first offense, would it?"
"What of it?!"
"Learn how to treat a woman, will you?"
Though his stern expression didn't show it, the sheer hypocrisy behind Bowser's words was most certainly not lost on him at that moment.
Bowser was the last person in the world who should be lecturing anyone about how they should and should not behave around a woman.
Peach would most certainly attest to this undeniable truth if she were here at the moment. The Koopa King was most certainly aware that kidnapping a woman as many times as he had over the years undoubtedly made him scum. But even Bowser himself would never go so far as to outright assault her.
Bowser was far from a virtuous individual, but surely even he would land just a tier higher on the morality chain than this scumbag.
Yet this idiot seemed to have no qualms whatsoever about crossing the line. Morris didn't have to be sprawled out in the dirt just now for Bowser to be sure of it. Judging by the woman's bruised arms and only partially-healed black eye, this was likely not the guy's first offense either. Even objective trash like Bowser couldn't stand by and watch that happen again.
Meanwhile, Mario was admittedly quite surprised to see Bowser swoop in for the rescue and beat him to the punch; not that he was complaining if it meant protecting this woman and avenging poor Morris.
"Let go!" the man exclaimed. He clenched his free hand into a fist and prepared to throw another punch. The Koopa King watched this from the corner of his eye and immediately dug his claws into the man's trapped hand; puncturing the skin deeply until streaks of blood leaked out.
This jolt of pain stopped the man in his tracks; freeing up Bowser to slug him across the face with his own free hand. The large man tumbled back several feet and slid through the dirt. Small yet audible shrieks and murmurs of fear continued to trickle through the audience.
The virus of violence was spreading. Bowser was now infected with it too. He knew it all too well.
The Koopa King stepped forward and approached the man as he sat up and proceeded to kick the now-defenseless man in the chest. The man groaned loudly in pain. Bowser continued to kick the man over and over as though this noise were music to his hears. The corners of his mouth curled into a sadistic smile.
The man attempted to sit up, but Bowser shoved him back down on the ground with his foot and pinned him there. The Koopa King then proceeded to kneel down and punch the man squarely in the face over and over.
The rest of the audience was now screaming and pleading for the cruel cycle to stop.
If only they knew what this blood lust felt like. It had certainly been a while since this long-dormant instinct deep within Bowser had been awakened. There was a side of him which always followed and lurked just out of sight. It was now in the driver's seat. It wasn't going away so easily.
The sheer horror on the defenseless man's face – Bowser knew that expression all too well. And boy was it satisfying to be on the other side of it again.
The memories came flooding back all at once. Every single time King Morton had taken his anger out on Bowser by hitting or screaming at him. The vivid memories had always persisted long after the physical wounds healed. One time in particular, Bowser had lain motionless on the castle floor for hours; too soar to move. His throat had been stepped on; making it impossible to cry out for help. All he could do was lie there still until someone eventually found him.
As a young child, Bowser was unable to fight back against his father's cruelty. But as time passed, that quickly changed. Once the Koopa Prince had grown and his body had become more developed, his anger festered. The Koopa King began to retaliate whenever he got on his father's bad side. While it still was never quite enough to overpower King Morton, standing up for himself was better than nothing.
The one fight Bowser had been able to win against King Morton just so happened to be the very last one the two would ever have – when the title of king was on the line and Bowser managed to kill his father. Although the monster was gone after that, he somehow managed to continue haunting Bowser for many years after; a curse that would never be lifted; a primitive rage that would only ever emerge when Bowser's anger was provoked in a very particular way; the way only King Morton's involvement ever could.
Bowser continued to punch the man's face over and over. With each senseless strike, he saw glimpses of his child self on the receiving end and his own limbs turning into those of King Morton's. Then Bowser saw the man turn into his father as an older Bowser struck back.
All the while, a faint echo danced just outside of the ranger of Bowser's hearing.
It slowly grew louder and louder and louder.
It was his name. Someone was calling out to him.
Once Bowser figured out what was happening, he immediately snapped out of his trance. The pain came flooding into his hands at once. His dark passenger relinquished control of his body.
At last, Mario and Damian succeeded in pulling the Koopa King backwards off of the man and wrestled him to the ground. Bowser's eyes widened in horror at the sight of his swollen hands caked with streaks of red. He couldn't bear to look at what the receiving end of his rage looked like.
Mario was helping Morris up, while Damian and another man tended to the victim. The bald man's face had been obliterated to a pulp. He was downright unrecognizable now. Yet his faint, hoarse wheezing signified that he was miraculously still alive.
The world was still spinning around Bowser's head as he tried to gather his bearings. The crowd gradually dispersed. A yellow Yoshi was escorting the terrified woman away. Mario was doing the same for Morris. The Koopa King heard faint direction from Damian being delivered to the plumber. Something about following him back to the infirmary.
For a second, Bowser wondered when someone was going to check up on him. But the Koopa King quickly dismissed this notion from his mind. Morris, the woman, and especially the man were all in much worse shape than him. They all needed medical attention far more. So the Koopa King collected himself and slowly stood up.
"Hey," Damian called out. Bowser turned to acknowledge him. The unconscious drunk was propped over Damian's shoulder and that of another, unknown individual. "You better follow us too." Bowser stared down at the terrible shape his hands were in.
"I'll be alright," the Koopa King replied. Damian shook his head. There was a seething disappointment in his eyes.
"That's not what I mean. We need to talk about this. If you can walk, then come with me."