A/N: Lo and behold, I was struck with some inspiration to write another chapter. Hallelujah. Put them hands up in the air. Wave 'em like you just don't care. And all that.

Anyway, I'm glad this story got some good reception. I'll do my best to keep up the quality.

Also, I decided to post this story on Archive Of Our Own. Just to see how that would go. It went pretty good, all things considered. Will keep doing it for this story. Not sure about future stories. That'll be a future decision. This site will still be my main site since it's how I got started in fanfiction.

Alright, enough of that. On to the story!

Disclaimer: I don't own anything Nintendo, anything Sega, or anything Death Battle. There. That should cover my bases, lol.

"Allow me to say once again, my new leader, that we are looking forward to serving you to the best of our function!"

"Yeah! We can do anything you ask! We can rub your feet or shoulders!"

"We can reorganize your inventory!"

"We can be great lookouts!"

"Or great patrol bots!"

"Speaking of, can I get one of those shell helmets? I wanna settle a bet."

"It won't fit, brother."

"It will!"

"It won't!"

"It will!"

"It won't!"

Bowser's eye twitched as Orbot and Cubot argued. They had been like this for only five minutes, and he was already sick of them. Granted, he'd look into the apparent massage function later. Being king wasn't easy, after all. Really grated on the body, you know?

He finally arrived at the location he wanted: the kitchen area.

"It will!"

"It won't-!"

"BOTH OF YOU, SHUT UP!"

The two robots flinched from their new ruler's yelling.

"Alright, listen up! You two will be assigned to the kitchens for the time being. I'll summon for you two later. I've got some matters to take care of. You two know how to cook, right?"

He refused to believe that Eggman cooked his own meals when he could have robots do it for him.

"Oh yes, sir!" Orbot nodded. "We cooked all of our previous leader's meals!"

He knew it.

"Good," Bowser nodded. "Get to it!"

He opened the kitchen doors and beckoned them inside. Orbot and Cubot entered enthusiastically. And then immediately found themselves surrounded by koopa troopas in chef hats. Chef Bros.

"Alright!" the head Chef Bro started. "Before you start cooking, we're gonna see if you two know how to dodge!"

Orbot and Cubot blinked. "Wait, wha-?"

"DODGE!"

The two were immediately assaulted by thrown frying pans and scrambled all around the kitchen in a vain attempt to escape the wrath of the Chef Bros. Bowser chuckled at the chaos and closed the doors.

"Never gets old."

He continued on his way towards his throne room. His mind filling with several issues he'd have to address. Not just about Sage, but with matters outside the Koopa Kingdom.

That battle wasn't exactly, well, quiet. It had essentially be an all-out war. There was no way the Mushroom Kingdom hadn't heard all the explosions. Or seen the moon-sized weapon moving next to the moon. Even if they hadn't seen that, they'd definitely see the moon-sized brown block in the sky.

Princess Peach would no doubt demand to know what was going on. If he was lucky, maybe she'd come visit herself. Granted, it wouldn't be alone. That blasted Mario would no doubt be with her to make sure this wasn't some kind of trap to kidnap Peach.

"Hm. Maybe I could actually-? No, no. Not worth it right now."

He wasn't in any good position to actually kidnap Princess Peach. If he was going to kidnap her, he needed to be in a position of strength. He wasn't anywhere near that right now. Even if he had these extra machines to supplement, it would be a good bit before they properly acclimated into his army. The Koopa Troop coordinated perfectly, covering each other's weaknesses. With these machines joining, time would be needed to get them to coordinate well with the Koopa Troop.

That Sage girl might be able to make that time shorter. She could probably get those machines in line. But that required a large amount of trust. Something she'd need to earn. Hence why he made her his son's problem for the time being.

This was going to be a test for the A.I. girl. Bowser knew exactly how his son was like. And he had a good idea more or less how the girl was like. Those two trying to interact with each other would certainly be interesting. Especially with how the girl felt about her father's death.

If she hated Bowser for "murdering" her father, how would she feel about the son who played a part in it?

Was it risky? Yes. However, Bowser had complete faith in his son. Junior was practically as tough as himself! More or less, anyway. Not like Junior ever fell into a black hole or into a star that went supernova. And he never would as long as Bowser had something to say about it.

Course, testing the girl wasn't the only reason he dumped her on Junior. Truth be told, he had eventually learned about his son feeling lonely at times. And he was ashamed it took him this long to see. So now he got Junior a potential new friend in the daughter of the enemy. Who likely hated Junior as much as himself for her father's death.

…

…

"I think I need to rethink my plan."

"What plan, my lord?"

Bowser let out a goat scream, then turned to see Kamek floating on his broomstick.

"Kamek! Don't sneak up on me like that!"

Kamek chuckled. "Sorry, my liege. But what plan, sir?"

Bowser sighed and started explaining for context. About Sage, the deal he made with her, and how he basically dumped her on Junior as a test. And so that Junior could have a friend.

Kamek just stared at him.

"…Sir, perhaps it would've been better to just give him one of the robots, instead?"

"It wouldn't be the same. The girl is as close to an actual friend I could find. Besides, it's a little late now."

"You can quite literally go back and grab her right now."

"I have faith in my son. Besides, we have other matters to attend to."

Kamek raised an eyebrow. "Such as?"

"For starters," Bowser began. "Have patrols sent out to keep an eye out for any potential visitors. No doubt the Mushroom Kingdom will have heard all the commotion and want answers. I want to know ahead of time when someone shows up to ask questions. Probably Princess Peach and Mario. If anyone does show up, offer to escort. Do not escort immediately. Offer it first. Don't need to cause any misunderstandings right now."

"I see. I'll let them know."

"Good. Also, send out troops to gather all the 1-up mushrooms they can find. We'll be hoarding and locking them away."

"May I ask why?"

"The girl will learn eventually about the ways to bring back her father. Don't need her grabbing some early. Plus, I want to be ready to bring the idiot back once the girl's fulfilled her end of the bargain."

Kamek seemed doubtful. "You really intend to bring back the man that attacked us and very nearly won?"

Bowser shrugged. "What can I say? No kid should be without their parent. Being a dad makes you see things differently. And besides, I'm taking the proper precautions."

Perhaps in another version of events, he would've immediately brought the doctor back based on fatherhood alone. But he had his kingdom and family to consider. And that Eggman had given him one of the toughest fights of his life. It could've gone the other way under different circumstances.

Kamek sighed. "If you say so, my liege."

"I do. One more thing, send other troops out into space to look around the brown block. And maybe the moon. If there's somehow anything left of the Doc up there, have it retrieved and brought back. Oh, and make sure the troops take buckets."

"For throwing up?"

"For throwing up."

If anything of Eggman survived from the impact, it was not going to be a pretty sight.

"Very well," Kamek nodded. "I'll inform the troops, immediately."

Bowser smiled. "Thanks, Kamek."

"I live to serve, my liege."

Nodding, Bowser dismissed Kamek. As the wizard left, he still wondered something.

"Er, my liege. If there isn't anything physical left to bring back the enemy with the mushrooms, you realize we may have to resort to other methods of bringing him back?"

"I'm aware. We'll cross that bridge if it comes to it."

Seemingly satisfied, Kamek flew off to relay the orders.

Bowser sighed as he turned and entered the throne room. He understood what Kamek meant. And while it would be amusing to see Eggman as a walking skeleton, he doubted the girl would appreciate it. So that would be a last resort kind of deal.

Meaning the best sure-fire way would be the Dream Stone. And that wouldn't be easy to grab.

He sat upon his throne and grumbled.

"Maybe I'll be lucky and there's something left of the Doc up there."

Doubtful. There was a reason Bowser could punch a castle into orbit.

"Oh well. Hopefully it's going well between the girl and Junior."

It was absolutely not going well between Junior and the new girl. In the sense that the two had been awkwardly staring at each other for a full ten minutes.

Well, it was awkward for Junior. The new girl was just blankly staring at him. Though the little koopa prince could sense some heat behind that stare. Almost like she wished she could incinerate him then and there with that stare.

Yeesh, what did I do? Also, who is she? Dad didn't even say what her name was! He just dumped her on me!

Ugh. Dads. Granted, this girl was actually kinda…cute. For someone that was giving a blank glare, anyway. He'd have still appreciated a bit of warning, though.

"So, um," Junior started. "What's your name?"

"…"

"I'm Bowser Jr. You can just call me Junior."

"…"

"Sorry my dad kinda just dumped you in here."

"…"

Still that same blank, yet heated stare. Maybe he should ask something else. But what though? Not like he's ever seen her around here before. Like she was a new arrival or-. Wait a minute.

"Were you a part of that Egg guy's army that attacked us?"

There was finally a reaction from the girl. A narrowing of her visible eye. She seemed a bit angrier, too. He could barely tell, though. Like she tended to always have a blank look by default.

Least I got something out of her.

"I kinda remember you now. You launched those machines at my Dad, I think. So, is that why you're not saying anything to me? Cause you're mad that Egg guy lost and died?"

That blank stare grew a lot more heated.

Okay, walk a fine line when talking about that. Got it.

"I can understand, then," Junior nodded. "If my dad lost and died…well, I guess it wouldn't be anything new. But I'd still be sad about it. He's my dad."

Her blank stare became less heated and more…somber.

"I'm glad it didn't happen, though. Serves that Egg guy right for picking a fight with my dad."

And now she was angry again.

"Er, I mean, what I meant to say was-!"

She hovered off the floor, moved to the corner of the room, sat back down, and just faced the corner. Not looking at him.

Junior facepalmed. "Me and my big mouth."

He decided to think back on some advice his father gave him when it came to angry women.

"Remember, son! If a woman is angry at you, just kidnap her and put her in a cage!"

Junior facefaulted. "THAT DOESN'T HELP, AT ALL!"

Sage just stayed in the corner. Not bothering to turn when the prince tried to call out to her. Or that random shout beforehand.

She was once again in disbelief. She was apparently supposed to assist Bowser so that she could get her father back. Yet her first task is apparently being some kind of "playmate" for his son: Bowser Jr. Who had played a part in her father's death and even trapped her in that now-brown block.

This was…honestly insulting. She was an artificial intelligence! She had assisted her father in building many of his arsenal! She networked all of his machines and had control of the Eggnet! She could be doing more important things than being a "friend" to Bowser's son!

And yet the Koopa King had decided to just dump her here, instead.

…

Needless to say, she was not happy.

Unfortunately, whether she liked it or not, this was apparently what he wanted her to do for the time being. Tch, fine. She supposed she could just fake being the prince's friend. Whatever it took to bring her father back. Besides, if she succeeded in her deception, perhaps she could use the prince's influence to gain information about this Koopa Kingdom and the surrounding areas.

Of course, all that required that she leave the corner and face the prince again. And she was not in the mood, right now. She needed a minute. Or two. Or several. A downside to having "emotions". But if she didn't have them, she wouldn't feel…real.

I need to do this. For Father's sake.

Pushing her anger away and doing the A.I. equivalent of "taking a breath", Sage floated off the ground and hovered in place, then turned to face the Koopa Prince. Only to stop as she witnessed him doing something ridiculous.

He was currently trying to balance himself upside down on a single finger.

…

She briefly considered returning to face the corner before shaking her head. She decided to get his attention.

"Bowser Koopa the Second."

The Koopa Prince let out a Finn scream before falling on his front.

"Don't just sneak up on me like that!"

"I have been here the entire time."

"Oh right. Sorry. So, you done moping in the corner?"

Sage's eye narrowed. "I was not 'moping'."

"You were moping."

Was it too late to forget the deal and destroy the prince?

…

No. Remember. For her father's sake.

"But anyway," the prince continued. "You finally gonna talk to me, now?"

"…Unfortunately."

"Great! Maybe lighten up a little. But great! Anyway, let's try introductions again. I'm Bowser Jr! You can just call me Junior. What's your name?"

"…Sage."

"Sage, huh? Pretty name."

"What?"

"I-I mean, so what was a cute-? What was someone like you doing in that Egg jerk's-?"

If looks could kill-.

"I-I mean-! Hi, I'm Bowser Jr! You can-!"

"You've told me your name, Bowser Koopa the Second."

"Oh right. Also, you can just call me Junior, like I said."

"…No."

"R-Right, whatever floats your boat. So, um…what were you to the other side? Like, what did you do?"

An actual question? Color her surprised.

"I am an A.I. designed by the great Ivo Robotnik to assist him in managing his army of robotic creations. Thanks to me, the Eggman Empire has been running at a far greater efficiency than before my creation."

"Huh. Wait, A.I.?"

"Artificial Intelligence."

"Oh…and who's Ivo Robotnik?"

"Dr. Eggman." Her eye narrowed. "My father."

The Koopa Prince went wide-eyed at that, as though he finally realized something.

"Oooooh," he finally nodded. "So that jerk-?"

She imagined incinerating him with her stare.

"I-I mean, so that guy was your dad?"

"Yes."

The young prince crossed his arms and seemed to think very carefully on something. Honestly, it looked like he was trying to figure out a difficult equation. If she bothered to care, it might have looked amusing to her.

"Okay," he nodded. "I see why you look like you want to throw me in the grinder."

She'd rather use instant incineration. A grinder would be far too messy.

"I'd say I'm sorry, but…I mean, your dad kinda had it coming."

Okay, she could take it from Bowser because he was far too powerful for her to actually hurt. But the young prince? Free game.

"N-No offense, of course!"

All offense was taken as she raised her palm towards him and charged her laser.

"Hey, why is your hand glowi-? WHOA!"

He barely sidestepped as she fired her laser. A good portion of the wall got destroyed as a result.

Sage blinked as she processed what she just did.

"…O-Oh no."

If Bowser found out about this, then the deal would be off! And for all she knew, he might just decide to lock her away as a result!

"D-Did you just fire a laser from your hand?" the Koopa Prince asked, shocked.

"…Yes?"

It was over. Not even fifteen minutes, and it was over.

"That's so awesome!"

"Wait, wha-?"

The Koopa Prince invaded her personal space, looking rather excited.

"You can shoot lasers out of your hands! That's so cool! What else can you do? I remember you launching all those machines at my dad back in the battle! You can levitate machines? Are you good with machines? You said you helped your dad with his machine army, right? That means you have to be super smart, right?"

Sage blinked owlishly. She slowly placed a hand on the prince's head, then tried to push him back to regain her personal space. Only it looked more like she had used him to push herself backwards, since he wasn't exactly easy to push. While she herself was essentially weightless and still hovering.

"…Yes, I am intelligent. And I am efficient in robotics. I've worked with my father, after all. He is the smartest being in our universe."

The Koopa Prince grinned. "That's awesome! Forget video games! I've got a better idea! Come with me!"

He quickly grabbed Sage's small hand in his larger one and started dragging her out of the room.

"W-Wait, but the damage to your room-?"

"Meh, it's fine. I'll take the heat and say I tried to make something that backfired. Dad should buy it. Now let's go!"

And so he ran off with Sage in hand to wherever he had in mind. The A.I. girl essentially flowing in the air as she was dragged. A blank look of confusion on her face.

The Koopa Prince intended to take the blame for the damage and not inform Bowser of her transgression? Why? What did he hope to achieve by doing this? What was there to gain? Perhaps so that she would owe him a favor? But for what? She was stumped.

While she was annoyed at being dragged like this, she let it slide for the sake of her task. She very nearly ruined her chances of getting her father back before she could even begin to create a fake friendship with the Koopa Prince.

She needed to keep better control of her emotional state.

The Mushroom Kingdom had been in a state of chaos.

Several reports had come in about some kind of battle that had taken place in the Koopa Kingdom. Not only that, but there were several eyewitness accounts of a moon-sized weapon that fired a large laser, seemingly causing much damage. Said moon-sized weapon had then apparently been transformed into a large mystery block that had then exploded and released a multitude of coins upon the Koopa Kingdom. Leaving a brown block very visible in the sky in orbit.

It had taken Princess Peach a good while to calm her citizens and keep the panic from getting out of hand. The chaos and panic now replaced by a cautious peace. It wouldn't truly be peaceful until some questions were answered. And sadly, there was only one place to get said answers.

Princess Peach sighed as she stared out a castle window of her sleeping chambers towards the general direction of the Koopa Kingdom. She didn't look forward to confronting Bowser, but she needed to find out what had happened. And if it would affect the Mushroom Kingdom and its citizens.

Pursing her lips, she turned towards an item that had been brought to her. Some royal guards had noticed it stray from the moon-sized mystery box after it had exploded. The item had crashed into the royal gardens, making a small crater and ruining some plants. She picked it up and examined it.

This red emerald seemed unassuming, but Princess Peach can feel it radiating a great power. Power that seemed to be on par with Power or Grand Stars. A dangerous item, certainly. When she had that thought, the emerald gave off some negative energies. And when she had thought of ways for it to be used for good, it gave off positive energies.

Like any item with potential for danger, it also had potential for good. It all depended on the user. And while Princess Peach very obviously would have good intentions, she was not about to mess with something she did not fully understand.

Which is why she approached a portion of the wall of her sleeping chambers and activated a secret switch. An opening was made, revealing a special chest. She opened the chest and placed the red emerald inside. It floated in place but made no other movement. She closed the chest and locked it, then activated the secret switch to conceal the opening. As though nothing had been opened.

Nodding to herself, she left her sleeping chambers and made her way to the main lobby. Where she spotted a very familiar hero, and a good friend with him.

"Oh, hey Princess!" Mario waved.

"Princess Peach!" Toad waved.

The princess smiled. It was always nice to see the man who rescued her time and again. And Toad was always a welcome sight.

"Hello, Mario. Toad. I'm sure you two have heard about what's been happening?"

Mario nodded. "Yeah. Some kind of battle over at Bowser's territory."

Indeed. And truth be told, Peach and Mario were a little worried. They both knew how tough Bowser could be. And for someone to boldly attack the Koopa Kingdom like this? They had to be formidable, judging by the sounds of battle that had carried over. As well as a giant moon-sized weapon firing a large laser before being turned into a block.

"Exactly," Peach frowned. "We need answers. And the only one who can answer them is Bowser."

"But, um," Toad started. "Are we sure that Bowser is even…you know. Still kicking?"

That was a valid question. One that had Peach and Mario glance at each other, a silent conversation between them.

"…Nah," Mario finally said. "We all know Bowser ain't easy to put down. That laser from space seemed strong, but he's been through worse."

Peach agreed. "Right. And we've had no reports of any enemy forces of a mysterious sort. At most, it's only been Bowser's troops that can be seen patrolling the outskirts of his territory."

Toad rubbed his head. "I guess. Still, only one way to find out."

Right. They needed to make a trip.

"I'll be making my way to Bowser to get answers," Princess Peach said. "Mario, I'd like it if you would accompany me. In case Bowser decides to make any kidnapping attempts. Toad, I need you to remain here and keep an eye on things. If anything happens, send out a signal and we'll know."

"You got it, Princess." Mario gave a grin and thumbs up.

"You can count on me!" Toad saluted. "But what about Luigi? Shouldn't he be here, too?

Mario shook his head. "He's over at Princess Daisy's castle…enough said."

Toad let out an "oooh", while Princess Peach giggled. Those two have gotten really close ever since they met. Honestly, the three wondered when those two would finally tie the knot. Literally everyone had betting pools on it.

Toad himself bet on another year before it finally happened…as well as a secret bet for when Mario and Peach stopped dancing around each other and finally got together. Seriously, it was ridiculous nothing happened with them yet!

"So, then!" Mario exclaimed. "Are you ready, Princess?"

Peach smiled and nodded. "I am. Let's move forward, shall we?"

Toad waved goodbye as his friend and ruler both left the castle and made their way towards the Koopa Kingdom. It would take a day or two if they hurried. Which they intended to.

Whatever had happened, they needed to see if the threat had passed. Or if there was more to come.

A/N: And that'll be it for this chapter. Lots happening here. Bowser taking precautions, Junior and Sage off to a…rocky start. At least Junior is trying, lol. Oh, and Princess Peach and Mario are on the way to get some answers. It'll be a bit before we see them arrive, though. Oh, and Peach has one of the Chaos Emeralds. That's a thing. Though like a smart ruler, she's hidden it away for now. Only way it'll come back is if she brings it out herself, or if someone is actively looking for them. We'll see which happens first.

Not gonna lie, I was tempted to do a Red vs. Blue reference where Junior would pull a Caboose when asking what A.I. stood for, but then I remembered he isn't that level of stupid. And it would've resulted in Sage blasting him with her laser sooner, lol.

Anyway, hope you enjoyed this chapter. Leave a follow and fav to be kept up to date. Leave a review while you're at it. I love reading them.

See you in the next update. Laters.