Jungle Kingdom, D.K Island

A table of unidentified apes goes down two rows. A plate of bananas awaits each member. There's two seats at the end of each table. Ones being filled by Cranky Kong, who looks like he doesn't want to be there at all.

"Ordah, ordah…" Cranky mutters. "We got business."

"You could at least act interested." DK says, all the way at the other end.

"Nobody likes meetings."

"That..is fair. But this one good."

Cranky pinches his nose. "Ok. Cool. So the Yoshi's wanna do their races at Sun Sun. We agree with that?"

A Kong with a red bandana, white top, and slick shades decides to pitch in. "We have no beef with Yoshi. That's an easy yes. What else ya got?"

"Sarasaland wants a Kong to go over there and sign a treaty. I'm gonna make an executive decision: we're signing it no matter what." Cranky admits, some terror in his eyes. "The last Kong who snuck over there was never heard from again.."

The whole room goes silent. Well, not Funky. "Their empress don't play."

"Yep. That's why YOU'RE going."

Funky slides his glasses up. "You're gonna send me? Look, i live for the thrill, but this ain't no thrill, it's a death sentence."

"You have best social skills." DK says, pleasing Funky's ego.

"If they trying anything, YOU'RE our best guy."

"I am already busy."

"He's got a date with the..Mushroom Kingdom." Cranky says, with a hint of regret in there.

"Peach is rad, why's everyone hating on her place?" Funky asks.

"You must've been sunbathing during THAT conflict. We fought over the little island to the west, 'member?" Cranky asks, and the whole table nods.

"My bad."

"You're a smart ape Funk, but sometimes you gotta pay attention." Cranky lectures. "But yeah we're workin' a treaty out with 'em too."

A skeleton of an ape is somehow able to huff smoke out of his nose. "Why we work with Toads? Voice hurt ears."

"Bink. It was my plan." DK admits, taking the heat for his grandpa. "Their voices may hurt, but treaty will heal."

"Nice wordplay bro." Funky compliments. "That's the type'a quote that gets put on gravestones."

"Thank you."

Cranky sighs at all this. "Funky..can you take this seriously?" He eyes DK. "This is why YOU are the heir."

After hearing Funky smack his lips, DK gives his grandpa a disapproving gaze. "That was mean."

"I'm not tryin' to be an ass for once."

"You are wise ape, Cranky. But sometime you must take criticism."

The table chuckles and chortles at Cranky's lecture getting thrown back in his face. After all the mouthing off Cranky was allowed to do, it's a relief to some seeing DK stay more assertive.

Cranky actually shrugs his shoulder at that. "Maybe. But before I think about that we got thirty proposals to go through."

"OH BROTHER." Funky says, covering his face. He'd rather be surfing, or jumping through a wave about now.

The Princess Peach (Boat)

Peach stands at the front, holding onto a railing and looking at an island in the distance. There's some structures on their way up, but others are solidified. It looks like the ground is a blue carpet.

Mario steps out, heading to her side. "What's-a this place about?"

"This is a fun vacation spot." Peach smiles. "We won a battle over this island. A man who looked just like you aided us at the finest moment."

"Our dad was just saving everyone, wasn't he?"

"..Excuse me? I don't believe he's my father."

"No no, me and Luigi's dad." Mario nervously chuckles. "He has-a reputation around here…so what are you-a looking to put here? Hotels? Water slides?"

"Baseball."

"..huh?" Mario looks puzzled. "Base-a ball?"

"Is there a problem?"

"It's just-a not an exciting sport. To ME." Mario admits. "Tennis is my-a favorite."

"Don't knock baseball if you haven't tried it. You could be missing out on a fun time." Peach warns, sticking up for her investment. "Baseball gets a big turnout."

"Curling does-a too and you see how boring that-a is."

"Curling IS very boring..but Golf has to be down there too."

"Hey-a now..Golf is a guilty pleasure. Don't-a knock it if you haven't tried it."

Peach smirks at this giant debate about sports. At her place, she never really gets to speak about it too much unless her cousin comes around. Most of the Toads are either too small or too fragile for those sports. But this Mario guy..easy to talk to. "I WILL try Golf…if YOU try Baseball."

"Done-a deal."

They shake hands, making their wager official. It must feel refreshing for them to have some good conversation before sailing back into the massive, consequential conflict with the big turtle. While those two bond outside, inside the only room it has, Yoshi's staring a wall, with Captan Toad slumped next to him. Unfortunately for them, they aren't on a giant cruise ship.

"Hnnnn.."

"What's up?" Toad asks..

"I don't wanna lose this time. Donkey Kong is sweet but if he does anything, I'm gonna..fight even better than last time." Yoshi says, trying to be intimidating but failing. "There's so many strong people out here.."

"Just be you. You can't let these bullies get in your head. If you think you'll suck, you'll suck. If you think you got it in you, then.."

"I know the speech."

Toad sighs. While he has some pity for Yoshi, Boshi really is in his head rent-free. "Pet" won't seem to die until Yoshi makes it. "Yeah…I'm going back to my nap. Can't explore on a foggy head."

"..I could use one too."

DK Island, DK Isles

After a set sail, Peach and her answers to Bowser head to the front gate. It's wooden with that sculptured ape staring into them. Seems to have a gold tint on it.

"Didn't look-a like that before." Mario notes.

"This is our first peaceful meeting in years. Everyone on their best behavior." Peach demands, wanting this to go absolutely perfect. The gates raised, and they are greeted by Diddy Kong…gun aimed at Mario's head.

"I can still fight! You'll see!"

"WOAH! Calm down.." Mario answers, putting his hands up. "Your papas-a called for this."

"After you broke into the castle? This better not be some trick! Or else I'll start firing." Diddy has fire in his eyes, and will turn those embers into reality if Mario doesn't cooperate. Lucky for him, Mario's not some grand terrorist.

"It's-a not."

"Oh yeah?" Diddy asks. He finally notices the Princess, and takes his cap off in surprise. "You're the..the..the Princess?!"

"Peach forces a smile on. "Why of course. Are your leaders available? We have a pressing matter to report."

Diddy scratches his head. "What are you talking about?"

"I must explain to your elders first."

Despite his distrust of Mario, Diddy lets them through. The next face they see is Donkey Kong, who smiles at the sight of Mario. "Old friend!"

"D-K! You look like..yourself!" Shame Mario couldn't find a difference.

"What brought you back to this world?"

"He has the same goal as we do." Peach answers. "He wants to find his brother, and the Mushroom Kingdom's in desperate need of assistance. Where's your counsel?"

Next thing they know, Peach, Mario, Toad, and Yoshi stand in front of the Kong Council. Cranky doesn't really look impressed, but hears them out anyway. Peach though..she wastes no time with the rundown.

"The Snow and Sand Kingdoms have been victimized by these attacks. If our brave unit didn't stop a tyrant, the Bomb Kingdom would have joined them." Peach says, causing whispers at the table. "There's no denying it: Bowser is coming."

Funky spits a peel out, while Cranky raises a brow. "Big guy finally took it up a notch. After all those botched proposals you think he'd do something new."

"That ain't a good thing." Funky talks back. "If this guys smacking THREE kingdoms around, we ain't got a shot alone."

"We do not have a shot if we argue." DK says, getting the two back on track. He has an aura of confidence around him, being the middle-monk naturally. His confident look faces Peach and her small, oddball military. "We'll provide the transportation."

With a thunderous clap of those hairy hands, his loyal brothers and sisters rumble through the manor. Their force is so big that Mario loses balance! He rubs his ass, rocked by them. "How-a hard can they walk?"

"This is normal." Peach confirms, standing so stiff that it didn't affect her.

"And that doesn't-a knock you at all?"

"My castle has been bombed before." Her answer has Mario flabbergasted with his mouth hanging open. "Yes. The monarch life is still a dangerous one."

"How..are you even alive?"

"The same reason you are. Not to sound arrogant or anything, but we are strong enough to survive a lot." Peach says, with a genuine smile. "Your ribs should be shattered into a million pieces, but you're still walking around as usual."

Mario tries to find an answer, but can't, so he shrugs. "I—"

Donkey Kong breaks into their conversation, and shoves them along. "When I said we had no time to waste, I meant it."

.

.

.

Given the hustle, Mario decides now isn't the time to ogle the slot machines. That's right. He witnesses as each Kong rolls a wheel and smacks it to pick a part. One chooses a monster truck. Another goes barebones.

"There's so much stuff in here!" Toad yells, rolling the wheel like a maniac. The blank look in his eyes scream "addiction."

Peach looks on with a smile, casually going about her selection. Mario, man on another little mission, picks the one next to her. "Are all of yours like that?"

"I love how they find the small things in life to appreciate. They don't let someone's bitterness direct them." Peach says, her tone at the end being pointed. "If I had the opportunity to go back to the world above, I still would not take it."

Mario blinks. "You don't-a have anyone you want to see?"

Peach just shakes her head. "The world above sounds clouded by hate. I can't bring that to my people. It would crush me to see them upset..it's why I never went back."

This fact drop doesn't really stun Mario at all. She did look awfully different from literally everyone else in the kingdom. He doesn't laugh out of nervousness though, so that's a great sign for his social skills. "I don't blame you. Never know what to expect down there."

"You don't seem to know what to expect anywhere."

"Life is-a mess." Mario smacks his preferred options into place. "Hope this car isn't."

A golden door rises up, revealing a new pathway. It's more elevated, and has a few twists and turns. Kong architects were really hard at work. Mario tips his cap. "Our-a construction needs people like you.."

DK smacks him on the back, knocking the guy right back down. "If we could fit in the pipes, we would have made a deal yesterday." Mario can't really retaliate, not only because of how painful fighting Donkey is..but all those revving engines don't help either. He has to jump into his car before he becomes roadkill.

Toad rolls up front, in a MASSIVE monster truck. He towers over Yoshi, who's just sitting on a bike. "How's the weather down there?" Yoshi cracks a smile at the question. Toad let's out a laugh and jots down more info on his notepad. His friends in the Mushroom Kingdom would be STUNNED at the Kong's technical evolution. "This could be a crazy trend…"

An army of cars zoom up this twisted road, ready to aid each other. This isn't just some traffic stop though, because Bowser leads the race for the seven stars. Mario may have the ones from Yoshi's Island, and the Bomb Kingdom, but Bowser's dominance on the Penguins and Skeletons leave him up by one. 3-2.

Number six could be in sight, but it's still a tight race.

Bowser's Castle

While Mario's squad keeps the mission on their mind, Bowser is losing his. He stares at a Peach cutout he probably got for cheap at a market. "You got a map? I'm getting lost in your eyes…" Bowser brushes a hand over his red hair. "No, too corny. What are ya thinkin'?"

Take two.

"Your love really makes a guy come out of his shell.." The king flashes a confident smile. "That'll get her woo'ing."

The door swings open, as Kamek flies in with a Blue Shelled Koopa, having wings on him. Given the interruption, Bowser looks agitated. "Your wickedn…oh. Was I interrupting?"

"..just tell me what's going on."

Kamek clears his throat. "We got sight of the princess. Mario's with her and looks..way too clean for her." Seeing Bowser look more angry by the second, encourages him to continue. "I like the meaning of opposites attract..but this Mario doesn't stand out enough. He's just another human."

"Again with this Mario guy!" Bowser slams his fist on the table so hard, that a couple plates crack on the ceiling. The silence is defeaning, so Bowser takes a deep breath. "Ok. That's on me, I'll pay out of pocket…but anything ELSE i need to know before we crush that idiot?"

Blue Shell steps forward. "I can get a team out there STAT!"

"Wreck 'em!"

"It would be my honor, Lord Bowser!" That Koopa gives a little salute. "A fried Italian coming right up!" He storms out of the room, ready to do whatever it takes for the cause. Once he's out of Kamek's view, that wizard adjusts his spectacles. It seems like he has some unfinished business.

"He's a weirdo."

Bowser pinches his massive snout. "Not weird. We're all weird. He's a little too..extreme."

"Even for us."

"If he gets my troop hurt again, he'll go into the fire with that stupid mustache." Bowser scoots away from the table, causing a loud scratching sound. "I need a drink."