Chapter 20 Two Drivers One Kart

"Ugh…" Pom Pom watched as Wendy and the hammer bros came back around. It looked like such a grueling process; it was almost like the mind and the body were at war with each other. Pom Pom exchanged a look with Derek, whose deep frown contained some degree of guilt. Pom Pom prayed that they would wake up and that everything would turn out alright in the end.

Eventually, Wendy and the guards were revitalized. Wendy rose to a sitting position, blinking her eyes out as she looked at everything surrounding her. "What…" She rubbed her eyes, furrowing her brow and shaking as she did. "Where am I…"

"Wendy." Pom Pom handed her the coffee in her hand. "Take this, Derek said it should help."

Wendy blinked, looking down at the coffee cup as if she had never seen an object like it before. Regardless, she still took it, and after giving it a whiff, started drinking it. It seemed that the second the coffee touched her lips, all the confusion went away. Understanding was restored to her expression, and that only got more pronounced the more coffee she gulped down. Looking at the hammer brothers, Pom Pom saw them going through a similar transition. This made her smile, made her feel as though everything was indeed going to work out fine.

After a little bit, Wendy put the cup down. Pom Pom stepped closer to her as she rubbed her eyes. "How are you feeling?" She paused. "You know where you are, right?"

Wendy raised an eyebrow at her. "Of course, I don't know where I am!" Pom Pom seized up, fearing that the drink wasn't as effective as Derek projected. At least, until Wendy spoke again. "The last thing I remember was this person knocking me and the hammer bros out in Derek's Double Dashers! For all we know, the figure could've brought us to the other side of the town." She gasped, trembling as she did. "Or worse, brought us to a place where he plans to do unspeakable things to us…"

Despite those words, Pom Pom let out a breath of relief. "No, Wendy, that isn't what's happening." She placed her hand on Wendy's shoulder. "You're in the basement of Derek's Double Dashers. Everyone is present and accounted for, and nothing bad is happening."

Wendy blinked. "You sure?"

"Positive." It wasn't Pom Pom who had said that word, but rather, Derek. He approached the confused Koopaling and bowed to her. "It is an honor to meet you, Princess Wendy. I am Derek." He chuckled sheepishly. "AKA, the one who knocked you and your guards out."

Wendy and the hammer bros gasped. All three of them jumped to their feet, with Wendy readying her bracelets and the hammer bros looking ready to hurl their hammers straight into Derek's nose.

"Wait, wait, stop!" Pom Pom got in between Wendy and Derek, holding her hands up as she did. "It's alright! Derek's actually a really nice guy; I talked with him." She lowered her hands as Wendy got out of her fighting stance. "In fact, he said he's willing to lend us some go-karts to get to the Flower Kingdom."

"Oh." Wendy looked between Pom Pom and Derek, her upper lip curling. "How do we know we can trust him?"

"How do we know we CAN'T trust him?" Pom Pom realized that was a bad counterclaim as soon as she said it, causing her to sigh. "Look, he's the owner of the store, so clearly he has the go-karts we need. Even if I didn't have the talk with him, I'd still say we should at least throw him a bone. I mean, what other choice is there; it's not like we're gonna walk to the Flower Kingdom. And besides..." Pom Pom lifted her foot, making Wendy blinked. "I injured myself. He was the one who fixed me up, despite having no reason to. If that's not proof that he's trustworthy, I don't know what is."

Wendy's face softened up a bit. "Alright." She finally put her bracelets back on and approached the beanish man. "I am pleased to make your acquaintance Derek, no matter how weird the circumstances are. We are in need of some go-karts to get to the Flower Kingdom; would you by any chance have what we need?"

"Of course, Your Majesty," Derek said. He paused, appearing to consider things. "Or at least, I think I do." All of the Koopas in the room with the exception of Pom Pom raised their eyebrow. "Like I told your friend, a lot of people over the course of the day have come to me for go-karts. So I do need to check to see if I have anything that would be usable to you four."

"Check?" asked one of the hammer bros. "What do you mean check; there were a bunch of kart parts in the main area of the store! You have no shortage of them at all!"

"True." Derek sighed. "But here's the thing about that. One, those kart parts are prototypes. If you guys wish to drive in a go-kart built with those parts, I would need to test them first for safety purposes. And that leads in to my second point; I don't have any time to build you guys a kart. If I work as efficiently as possible, it usually takes me a day to build one. And that's assuming I don't stop for meals, water, or bathroom breaks. And… well…"

"We don't have that much time." Pom Pom started to feel a little nervous. "So… do you have any go-karts we can use or not?"

"Like I said, I need to check." Derek wiped some sweat on his brow. "I specialize in two-person karts primarily, so I think I should have at least two functioning ones for you guys. I just need to check the garage."

"I see." Wendy stepped forward. "Well then, check the garage. I will give you all the money in my hammerspace if you provide us with some usable go-karts."

Derek smiled. "That isn't necessary at all, Princess Wendy, but I do appreciate it." He sighed. "Alright, you guys come with me upstairs."

The koopas followed Derek out of the basement. As they walked back into the main area of the store, and as Derek went outside to the garage, Pom Pom's stomach felt a little squirmy. Would Derek be able to give them a kart? Based on the little knowledge she had of him, he seemed the trustworthy type. He seemed like a person who would stop at nothing to ensure that this little party got what they needed. But would he be able to find that? He couldn't exactly give them what they needed if he didn't have it in his possession.

"Oh boy." Pom Pom curled her ponytail back as the minutes ticked by. She looked at Wendy and the hammer brothers, wondering if they were just as nervous as she was. The hammer brothers didn't look the part, but then again, they were trained soldiers. Wendy, on the other hand, looked a little fidgety. Remembering the scene that played out while they were still on the airship, Pom Pom put her hand on her shoulder.

"It's going to be okay."

Wendy sighed. "I hope so."

Pom Pom frowned. Oh, how she wished she could say something to boost Wendy's confidence in the situation. Unfortunately… all they could do at this point was wait. Pom Pom pulled away, closing her eyes as she recalled the techniques her therapists taught her when it came to being patient. She was just about to employ one of them when…

"Well, I've got good news and bad news!" Pom Pom opened her eyes, seeing Derek coming back into the store. "The good news is… I have a go-kart!"

Wendy gasped. "Really? That's great!" Her face fell. "But.. what is the bad news?

Derek's face fell. "The bad news is that that go-kart is the only usable one I have left."

"You mean…" Pom Pom stepped forward. "You mean only two of us will be able to get to the Flower Kingdom."

"I'm afraid so."

Pom Pom looked over at Wendy. Of course, it wasn't a mystery which half of them would ride in the go-kart. Pom Pom was the one who had experience with Viv and Wendy was the leader of this whole mission. It was obvious that they were the ones who should go to the Flower Kingdom. Which logically and unfortunately meant…

"We're gonna have to leave Matt and Barry here?" she asked.

Wendy whimpered as she turned toward the hammer bros. "No." She shook her head. "No no no! We can't leave them here! We all need to get to the Flower Kingdom!" She approached Derek. "You have to have another go-kart!"

"I don't, Princess. I checked the whole garage twice."

"Well then… you need to build one!" Wendy was sweating now. "You said that it'll take a day for you to build a new one, but… what if the four of us help you? Eight extra hands should speed up the process!"

"True, but are those eight extra hands experienced when it comes to building go-karts?"

Wendy seized up. "Um… well, no…"

"Right. That's the issue. If you four know what you're doing, then yes, by all means you can help me build a go-kart. But if I have to constantly be giving you directions and correcting your errors… well, that would just impede progress more than anything else. It would waste time."

Wendy whimpered. She slowly pulled away from Derek, and tears were visible in her eyes as she went up to Matt and Barry. "Matt, Barry… I'm so sorry!" She wiped her eyes. "You guys are my soldiers! You are part of my crew! If you're forced to stay here in Beanbean Castle Town with the darkness closing in…" Wendy shook her head, the tears pouring more frequently. "I already left the rest of the crew behind; I can't leave you guys too!"

Pom Pom frowned. Oh, she felt so bad for Wendy. Their struggles in regards to the darkness were quite different, of course, but still. Seeing the Princess of the Koopa Kingdom and her new friend this close to having a meltdown just hurt. It hurt more than Pom Pom would care to admit.

Thankfully, Matt and Barry stepped forward at that exact moment. "Don't worry, Your Highness," one of them said. "While it is less than ideal, I can assure you that we will be fine."

"We can hide somewhere," the other one said. "We'll hide away from the darkness, hide in a place where it won't be able to get us."

Wendy blinked. "Like where?"

"Like in my basement!" Derek exclaimed as he approached. "I've already stocked up on food and supplies down there, and I'm gonna be staying there myself." He laughed as he went up to Matt and Barry. "I can keep these guys down there with me! I've got plenty of room, and I mostly don't bite." He snickered. "Mostly."

One of the hammer bros gave Derek a thankful nod. "Thank you. That is very kind of you, Derek." He turned back to Wendy. "So yes, Princess Wendy. We will be fine. We'll camp out with Derek until you and Pom Pom stop the darkness."

"Which is something we're definitely going to do," Pom Pom said. She put her hand on Wendy's shoulder again. "We'll be fine." Sure, she had her own doubts in regards to the plan, but she was still willing to have faith in it.

Wendy appeared to think about all of this for a minute before sighing. "Very well." She turned to Derek. "Make sure to take good care of these hammer bros. They are my soldiers and are valuable assets to the Koopa Troop."

"I will guard them with my life, Princess Wendy," Derek said with a sparkle in his eye.

"Good." Wendy took in a deep breath. "Come on, Pom Pom. We need to hurry if we want to get to the Flower Kingdom."