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James had been oddly quiet for the last week of his recovery. Despite his strength returning to him, Roy and Koopin had noticed his strangely calm demeanour even when they were watching another round of 64 Questions. His knowledge of the world became much better than before as he managed to answer past 40 questions with Roy hitting somewhere around 30 and Koopin slightly higher than James. The raptor's colour had returned to him, and so did his appetite as he wolfed down his lunch before they sat down to watch TV. Roy did not dare speak about what James had told him previously, despite his burning curiosity to know how the story ended. Charlie had his lunch too, and with a big steak to satisfy his hunger he simply rolled on his back to sleep and dream of more food to eat, his gentle stirrings mixed with smacking lips and fleeting whimpers of joy as Koopin smiled down upon him.

"Should be getting back to work tomorrow," said James.

"Really?" asked Koopin. "That's good, you sure you're doing okay?"

"Yeaaah I'll be fine now, the doctor said I was good to go this week."

"Well okay, I just don't want you to go pushing yourself."

"I won't. Would have gone today but, like you said."

"Ahm glad you recovered," said Roy, "now ah don' have to babysit you all thuh time."

"Yeah I was getting real sick of seeing your face around here all the time."

"Pffft, prettier than your face."

"Enjoy being young while it lasts Roy, it goes by reeeeeal quick, next thing you know you've got white scales hardening up on your chest."

"Hey-ey, you ever hear thuh phrase 'black don't crack'?"

"That doesn't work on raptors and you know it."

"Whut, naw it does!"

"We'll just see in about five years."

"Heeheeheh, you certainly sound better," said Koopin gladly. "You've been awfully quiet the past few days though, is everything okay? Cuz you have to tell me if something's wrong or you feel off about something."

"Naaah it's just...it's just that time of the month, you know about...him."

"......oh. Ohhh stars you're right, I completely forgot."

"I'll go deal with it tomorrow. Like you said, best not go pushing myself, won't do me any good if I get sick again."

"I think that's best. Speaking of, Roy told me that you were telling him about my adventures in Rogueport."

"Yeaaaaaah he sure did," said the black raptor grinning, "now ah wanna ask you, HOW did you think of even takin' on a freakin' drug organisation?!"

"It wasn't THAT organised for starters."

"Yeah but...man, you're a civilian!"

"And I got involved pretty deep with some crazy things, like what after Charlie got possessed I think I was ready to handle anything!"

"Well ah wanna hear. Cuz ah been DYIN' to hear about this, FG left off on a really big part, an' ah need to know the end o' your story!"

"Alright alright jeeez, you're like a kid all of a sudden."

"Well he is like a year younger than you," said James reminding.

"WHUH-c-come on man!" stammered Roy.

"I'm just saying you're like the youngest person in this house!"

"Whuh-Charlie is totally younger than me!"

"Not in chomp years."

"That is not even a thing, thuh point is ah have heard everything about this story of yours up until now, an' ah have to ask you...how does it end Koopin? Tell me, please."

"Weeeeeeellll...alright then."

Koopin put his feet up and began to tell his end.

"So we all got ready for the big plan to take Rogueport back, along with making sure that our spirit got what he wanted. We had a pretty good setup, if not tremendously risky-"

"Question! Why don't thuh KIB get involved to take down D-Mob?"

"Because that's not their job, they don't deal with crime organisations. Would you go doing spy work in Bowser's castle because of your job?"

"Ahhh...alrigh', alrigh' you got a point, but whut about Shybert, where's he come into all this?"

"That I'll explain, so lemme just set the scene...it was around four days after we discovered the truth, and we sent in me, that is Koopa-Bloopa, to gatecrash D-Mob's party the hardest he would ever crash a party with one single phrase."

---

The Rising Fallen Star

Chapter 8: Kaelan

"WWWHUT?!"

VRRRRRRRP

Koopa-Bloopa had never heard a record scratch so sharp and so suddenly in his life, that he almost could not help but smirk with fearful excitement when the party suddenly stopped. The drinks would stop flowing, the lines of fuzzy would remain unsnorted as thirty-dozen eyes stared upon him. D-Mob stood up in the midst of them with a look of shock and outrage along with Yoshua.

"WHUT....did you say?"

"You heard me the first time you fuzzy freak, I challenge you to a rap battle."

The gasp from the audience was overwhelming, sucking all the breath out of the room with one long drift as the rapper swaggered forwards with fists clenching with deep insult.

"You come into mah house, to MAH party...so's you can challenge me to a rap battle? You best step off with that fuzzy head, cuz ah think you took it bad last tahm we met."

"I never even touched the stuff, whilst you were too busy snorting back like a chucklehead all I did was dump it to the side, cuz I don't need some white lines tellin' me whut to FEEL, unlike YOU because you can't even put two and two together!"

"Whut the HECK is yo' damn prob-lem you little piece o' gutter trash, YOU WANNA GO?!"

"Oh I wanna go, I wanna see you fall flat on your face cuz that's the only place you headin'! You wanna know why I didn't join you, it's cuz you're a wannabe punk, you got no style, you got no grace, you just beat people down an' expect them to buy your stuff, you couldn't even make it as a rapper so you end up selling fuzz!"

"I am a BUSINESSMAN, unlahk you when you don' even make a damn COIN to yo' worthless name you shell-headed wad!"

"I don't NEED any coins to feel better about myself, you think those two koopa girls you had hanging on your arm would even TOUCH you if you weren't rich, wideboy?! Cuz the only bulge you got in your pants worth grabbin' is your wallet!"

D-Mob clicked his fingers, stifling his rage as best as he could to see Yoshua step up and walk slowly over towards the koopa. The pink yoshi's figure was ruthlessly intimidating with his wooden arm pulley, pressing the cold hook against Koopa-Bloopa's chin as he slung it round the back of his neck and dragged him over towards his boss with a pinching scrape into the DJ's skin. Just enough to emphasise what he could do if he was given the word to use it.

"All ah see righ' here is some mushroom-breathin' crackalack who's too proud to get under mah wing an' see whut a real musician can do."

"And all I see is a jumped-up palm tree freak who thinks he can drug his fans enough that they actually start to enjoy his garbage."

"Look at me kid. You see this? Ahm a multi-millionaire, I OWN half of Rogueport."

"So, the Syndicate are that as well but they dress better than you."

"You comparin' ME to them jumped-up stiffs?!"

"Well course not, I mean you weren't even good enough for them, what'd you do, serve the lemonade?"

"I make TWICE as much moolah as they ever gonna get in their life, cuz ahm not afraid to take risks! That ol' sack o' nuts who called himself the Don got too all-up in his biz about his daughter an' he can't run it no more, you think ahm afraid of sum family?! I'm a lone wolf, ah don' NEED nobody!"

"You better step down," snarled the yoshi, "or else I'm gonna reconstruct your beak."

"Shut up melon-head," countered Bloopa, "why don't you sit in a box at a carnival pickin' up prizes, least you'd make an honest living for once!"

"HOW 'BOUT I JUST HANG YA FROM THE YARD YOU SCRAP-FOR-BRAINS?!"

"HOW ABOUT YOU SLING YOUR HOOK RIGHT ROUND YOUR NECK?! Least I didn't leave my friends to die whilst scamming it up in Glitzville."

" SHUT UP, SHUT UP YOU LITTLE FREAK I'LL BREAK YOUR FACE!"

Yoshua went ballistic and swung violently with his hook hand like a cleaving sword as Bloopa dodged bumping hard into D-Mob, which caused him to fall over from his seat in a great unbalance staggering to the floor. A shy guy tried to help him up, pushing him back onto his seat whilst everyone watched the yoshi viciously attack the DJ who grabbed a vodka glass and smashed it into Yoshua's face, briefly blinding him.

"ALRIGH' THAT'S ENOUGH!"

D-Mob took charge once he righted himself, grabbing Koopa-Bloopa by the shoulder fiercely and warning the yoshi to step back.

"You start trouble in mah club, you challenge me an' you insult mah boy Yosh. You better hope you got yo' will an' testament all written up cuz ahm about to send you down thuh river."

"Yeah, using your fat wad of an ego as a boat once I break you down to tears after I wreck you with my skills."

"You not even a singer, whut the heck you know abou' poetry?!"

"I'd ask you the same thing, pop-boy, so are you actually gonna represent, or do I get to walk out of here knowin' you just a punk who waste everybody's time?"

"Oh we gonna do this. You an' me, right here, we doin' this."

"Great, finally. Bring all your friends, an' I mean ALL of them, so they can see whut you really are."

"Oh ah will. We got oursel' a special place, for these kinda occasions. Lemme take yous down, an' then ahll take you DOWN."

"Sooner the better, this city's worse thanks to you."

Heading down towards the depths of D-Mob's club, they stood within a large abandoned storage room with a circle of trash piled up around the middle like the stage for a fight club. The massing of his army and supporters from all corners of the east side came down to watch the fight. Yoshua stood to one side burning with fury, his constant clenching fist just desperate to hit something until he finally punched one uppity bandit that had the mistfortune to stand next to him. He wasn't going to wake up for the rest of the night, as he watched his subordinates bring down D-Mob's personal boombox. Delfinian-made and plastered with wild graffiti stickers, the pianta walked around the circle like a matador as Bloopa stood in the middle keeping his eyes on him at all times.

"YOU ALL KNOW WHUT THIS IS?!" shouted D-Mob. "A beatdown, of thuh body an' SOUL! This little jackboy think he can come into MAH house, diss MAH style an' walk away with it?! WHUT YOU ALL SAY TO DAT!?!"

"SHELL NAW!"

"THAS RIGH'! AN' WHUT YOU THINK AHM GONNA DO WIT' HIM!?"

"BURY HIM! BURY HIM! BURY HIM!"

"AFTER AHM DONE WIT' YOU BLOOPA-BOY!, you ain' NEVER comin' back to Rogueport, cuz if ah ever see you again after ah beat you down with mah SICK beats, ah won't hestitate to dump you straight into thuh harbour, one-way ticket with cement shoes."

"Pfft, is that all? Why don't we make this interesting? If I win, you toss all that fuzzy and give up your bling an' start getting a real job. If YOU win...I walk away in shame and I never come back to Rogueport."

"Also, you ain' never makin' a song again. Ever. Hang up yo' deck an' crawl back to whutever hole you live in down thuh sewer."

"Got it."

He spat on his hand and offered it to his enemy, who spat on his as they shook with a wet smack of their palms before they started the music. The noise dropped in with an old funky vibe, starting a wacky little bassline that allowed them to get into it slowly as they synchronised their bodies to the beat. Their words would start flowing, their minds would start following and their hearts were now slowing, timing themselves as the people thumped to the rhythm. All around him, the room started to shake as the entire audience whooped and hollered for the rap battle of the centure, with D-Mob kicking off.

"Let, me, EM-phasise, I don't tolerate, any punk who come round to creak on mah beat.

I'm superstitious cuz errybody need, mah sweet street cred to get back on their feet.

So when ah hear sum two bit spinner come runnin' through the alley down to mah hood ah think 'who's this wideboy think he all that, he must got a head-all fulla wood' I say 'knock knock who's-there it's me D-Mob guess whut mah boy your time is DONE!"

First verse sent a cheer of support washing over the pianta as the koopa stomped forwards.

"Stop, right, there here's the deal, I wanna know what, did you get promotion or did you come floating

From up down the sewer wrappin' boys round yo' finger, it ain't just your stink that gonna sit here an' linger.

You wanna talk smack well lemme make it clear ,because I think you got a fuzzy head near an' dear.

I see you know plenty talkin' all 'bout wood, when you just a palm tree that's up to no good.

You got no style you just rank an' vile you'll soon be cleanin up on aisle five,

So let me tell you if that's all you got, go make like a palm tree in winter an' ROT!"

The sick reply sent a jeering of shock through the entire audience seeing this little koopa had come packing. But D-Mob pushed up his shades and hit back.

"Little soft shell sittin' down on a corner, he think he got style cuz he look like a foreigner,

Well lissen up bloopa cuz you steppin' up, I got backup, build-up an' I'll break you down,

Remember the name yo BAM it's D-Mob, the D in mah name mean 'dee-struck-shun',

Which you gon' git if you don' step on BACK, you steppin' in mah house lahk sum mangy rat.

You wanna keep comin' well that fine wit' me cuz ah ain't gonna pay up for yo' funeral fee,

Give you one last chance to git out onna boat, or else we gonna find out if that shell can float

When you feel thuh water all up in yo' throat that's cuz D-Mob says that you got SMOTE!"

The threat went down well with the crowd as a whooping came deafening the entire place. Koopa-Bloopa simply smirked, wiping his beak with the back of his hand.

"Yo thanks for that, I sure need a drink, I wuz feelin' pretty parched when you bore me to think,

What is your deal, did you fry your head, from all that fuzzy cuz your eyes look dead,

You flauntin' like a prince when you ain't even proper, you got no respect can't even call you a pauper,

Why you gotta bother answerin' every call, you got a real big mouth for a brain real small,

Speakin' of small you're just an inch beneath, you ever wonder why the mob don' bother wit' you?

You're just a small time small world small fry small talk plenty other things about you that's small,

But your girl ain't here to back me on up so you better shut down cuz you lookin' testy."

"OHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"

The sound that blew from the crowd was one of utmost shock and awe, the combined force of rhyme and mockery sent D-Mob into a blazing fit as he lost his cool with a stomping of feet. Soon the crowd started turning against him, laughing at his reaction which only further put truth into Bloopa's words as he circled around him like a shark, spitting his next lines:

"You wanna step off well it's time to fight, cuz I been breakin' shells on the beach every night.

You think you too good for mah fuzzy-snortin' all high an' mighty well where's yo' nightie,

It's bedtime for you little koopa boy cuz it's tahm to grow up, get out with yo' toys

You just another kid who wanna get up tall lahk little Bowser Junior well yo' momma just called

She said she gotta choose between daddy an' you an' when ahm done wit' you she'll be mine to screw!

So you better play nice or ahll take her down cuz she'll be up on her knees whenever ahm in town!"

"OOOOOOOOOOHHHHH!"

The classic momma weakness that all street boys knew, but Koopa-Bloopa resisted. It was a stinging insult certainly, but that only gave him more ammunition to break out the killer as he strutted forwards with his palm smacking hard into D-Mob's chest.

"Every time you step with Koopa-Bloopa, you walkin' round flatter-feet all in a stupor,

You got a real thing for koopas dontcha punk, when you undressin' my shell gettin' all in a funk,

I feel you gettin' close, feel your heart gettin' hot cuz back in Delfino you ain't even a dot.

Wax on big boy this all you gonna get waxing off about my shell gettin' covered in sweat,

Don't flatter my momma thinkin' you all that cuz she got better taste than you with that

Wuz that what they called you back home in Delfino with your flat-broke banana swingin' mighty low?

Well you better crawl on back to the harbour Ricco, you ain't never gonna be more than a SICKO!"

" OHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"

The fatal blow to a a man's reputation. And even worse was the crowd amplifying his shame as they watched with cackling derision at D-Mob's reaction to his verbal abuse. Koopa-Bloopa knew he had hurt him where it hit most, right in the pridehood as he bigged it up, flaunting his arms and raising them to his new followers to goad them on more except for Yoshua. Loyal to the end with gristling teeth, he made a signal to D-Mob and passed something quickly to him. Koopa-Bloopa never saw it coming.

"This party's OVERRR!"

Searing hot pain viciously punched into his stomach, a violent scorch of flames blackening the side of his waist as he saw for a brief moment the fire flower in D-Mob's grip. Point-blank force followed by a ruthless haymaker full of golden rings that clocked into his skull as he turned and spun into the floor much to the gasping of their audience. The music stopped, the rapper standing above his opponent as he clicked his fingers for the yoshi to come striding over to him.

"You all saw nuthin'," said the pianta, "all you boys saw wuz that ah won, an' he jus' fell lahk he couldn' do anythin'. That's how it's gonna go, an' that's all it's gonna be. DON'T mess with D-Mob, you got dat?"

They all nodded with fearful respect, with Yoshua grabbing the koopa's body and slinging him over his shoulder to carry him off towards the deeper reaches of the pianta's streets. None of them would ever see Koopa-Bloopa again.

"Wait he SHOT YOU?!" cried out Roy.

"Yep, he just straight-up shot me with a fire flower."

"Holy SHIT dude whut thuh HELL?!"

"Well jeez calm down I'm still alive aren't I?!"

"Wait, h-how...dangerous is a fire flower?"

"It shoots fireballs Roy," reminded James, "I mean if you're really flammable I guess it's bad but it MIGHT give you a third-degree burn? It's when it's more than one fireball that it gets dangerous."

"Jeez...so how did you lahk...just, when did you get so good at rappin' to beat him down in a battle?!"

"I studied up on it," said Koopin honestly, "I just studied all I could on how rap works, like the flow of it, and just memorised a set of lines, wrote some, thought how to really get under D-Mob's skin and set him off."

"So you...didn't just make all that up on thuh fly?"

"Hahaha no stars I am nowhere near that good, I had it all down in my head no matter what he said, James actually does that better than me."

"Koopin always gets me if we get telemarketers," replied his husband, "pretty much fast-talk out of most things."

"So, back to our story, I was dragged out to some room and I woke up naked. Obviously they had plans for me and I knew I wasn't going to get out of this by myself."

His eyes slowly opened at the cool breeze rippling across his chest, feeling his arms wrapped tightly by a rope above his head as he dangled above the floor. He saw D-Mob standing in front of him, along with Yoshua and two goomba guards waiting at the door in a small square blue-walled room.

"Wake up Bloopa-bee," said the rapper smiling. "Guess whut tahm it is."

He said nothing, trying to comprehend his surroundings as well as ignore the pain of his arms turning numb.

"Tahm fer you to feel whut D-Mob stands for. Ah told you whut thuh D meant, so now you gonna feel it. Howsit feel little bloopah? You walk into mah turf, did you really think ah wuz gonna let you stroll out? Now you all locked in, in this ol' freezer, or whut it wuz anyways when this warehouse used to be sumthin' good. Now ah turn it even better, to deal with those lahk you who don' respect other people's turf."

Still nothing. Koopin turned himself away with proud aloofness as the pianta balled his fists at such insolence before he drove them straight into the koopa's stomach.

"HHRRRRK!"

"You gonna lissen to me NOW boy?! Had all dat mouth on you when ah took you down at our rap battle now whut you gotta say?! HUH?!"

He turneed back his head towards him, dull in his expression with uncaring blankness as he stated:

"......you couldn't even win a poetry slam at a preschool you fat dork."

D-Mob almost blew it, slamming his fist viciously into Koopin's chest as he pummelled his yellow skin, bashing back and forth as he swung like a ragdoll, feeling the full strength of the flabby pianta's arms. Shuddering coughs and heaving dry sounds came from his throat as his belly turned to a purpling bruise. D-Mob's fat rings cut into his flesh, leaving marks and dragging scrapes across that hurt even more against the sharp coolness of the underground air. Sometimes he clocked him straight across the face, cracking his knuckle into the jaw or wounding his eye to a thickening swelter. Other times he whalloped with an uppercut, punching hard enough that it pushed Koopin's body upwards before forcefully dropping him, the sense of gravity pulling at his arms even more painfully as he fell back until D-Mob stopped for a bit. He rested his hands which started tingling from the blows dealt as Koopin looked over at his clothes and shell.

"Hope you weren't expectin' nobody," said the pianta, "cuz ah think you gonna find sumbody else be takin' all yo' concert dates from now on."

"Heh...thanks, nice of you to......s-save me the trouble of bombing at them and losing all my followers when...when you could do it."

"You wanna wisecrack at me when ah BEAT YOUR SKULL IN?!"

"Your music already did, trust me......your fists hurt less than that garbage you write."

"SHUT YER YAP!" roared Yoshua. "You play nice an' I MIGHT make this quick."

"That what you...say to your girlfriend?"

"Whut?!"

"Cuz you're always quick in bed...not like your brain that's always slow."

"_SHUT! UP! _"

"G-GAAAAAAARGH!"

The yoshi flew at him with with his hook, cracking him across the face with the dull iron side hard enough to blind Koopin's eye, swollen shut with a painful welting of indigo bruise before he slammed his other fist straight into Koopin's ribs, breaking two of them to cause a shuddering deep throughout his body as he screamed.

"_YEAH! YEAH YOU LIKE THAT!? YOU LIKE THAT YOU LITTLE FREAK?! _"

"SHUT IT FRUITBOY!" shouted D-Mob. "Don' EVER speak outta line from me, YOU HEAR ME?!"

"HE'S JUST A PUNK, JUST TOSS HIM AN' GET RID OF HIM!"

"You tellin' ME whut to do?! I BROUGHT YOU OUTTA THUH NORTH SIDE SLUM AN' AH CAN PUT YO' FACE BACK INSIDE IT!"

"We're wasting TIME, boss."

"AIN' NOBODY WASTIN' TIME, THIS PUNK NEEDS TO LEARN WHUT IT MEANS SO NOBODY SCREW WITH D-MOB!"

"Wow," mumbled Koopin, "you really are a flat banana."

The pianta turned with dark fury in his shades as he took them off. His eyes were beady black pins, twitching with rage as he power-slammed a full frontal fist into Koopin's face, cracking his neck back as the world became a terrible fuzzy hue. Colours started to bleed as he could only see shapes, hearing voices ring in his ears as there came a knock from the door.

"WHO THUH SCRAP IS IT, AHM BUSY!"

"As am I."

The cold voice behind the door made them freeze, suddenly wilting with a fearful look as the guards opened it to reveal a mysterious-looking yoshi, purple skin and an immaculate suit, as his gaze pierced into the rapper's heart with his palm fronds drooping nervously. The yoshi gave an oddly fearsome aura, despite being less muscular than the pink Yoshua who stood against the wall beside him.

"Wh-whut you-wh-whut you want?!" spattered D-Mob.

"My associates tell me that you bet our entire operation on a futile engagement."

"WHUT?! Ah never said-"

"You know very well that gambling is not your scene, that is the job of the Syndicate. They are the ones who draw in worthless idiots, not you."

"Ahm here teachin' one of them wackjobs not to cross wit' me!"

"By senselessly beating him to a pulp? That won't do any good."

"Why?!"

"You can leave a lot of evidence on a body, if you touch it in any way."

"That ain't gonna be a problem," snarled Yoshua. "We got plans to fill up his shell with cement, an' then drop 'im like a stone down the Pit of 100 Trials. Whutever's left of him's gonna be mush food fer all thuh scrabblers."

"I see. And then what happens if he's discovered?"

"Huh?!"

"Bodies are always discovered, especially in pits where noted heroes have traversed and conquered. Imbecile."

"Whut do YOU suggest thing mister Yannis, HUH?! Whut's your big plan to get rid of this punk?!"

"...do you know about the bitter fruit?"

The bodyguard froze with a rigid stance, a fear almost primal crept into his soul and sent him shivering on the spot as his eyes softened to that of a child's plea.

"N-n-n-......no."

"Then if you ever take that tone with me again, I will show you...and you shall enjoy your last meal until I say you are done, is that understood?"

".........yes, sir."

"Good. Now, mister D-Mob, we have business to-"

BOOOOOOM. The sound of rumbling explosions came rippling through the walls as D-Mob squawked:

"WH-WHUT THUH SHELL?! WHUT WUZ THAT?!"

"That...was from the direction of our mooring," said Yannis darkly.

"WHUT?!"

BOOOOM

"Someone has taken advantage of your ego...did you not post enough guards as I asked you to?"

"A-ah dunno whutchoo talkin' 'bout, Yoshua we gotta bounce!"

"BUT, BUT WHUTABOUT HIM!?" shouted Yoshua. "HE STILL GOT WHUT'S COMIN'!"

"WE DEAL WITH HIM LATER NOW WE GOTTA GO!"

"BU-YOU...AAAAAARGH!"

They all left the small interrogation room, the guards following with them as the one-armed yoshi pointed at the woozy-looking koopa.

"THIS...this ain't over between us, when I get back ohohoho you are FINISHED little koopa!"

He slammed the door sending an echo throughout Koopin's skull, trying to recover from the wounds by a soft painful breathing from his laboured chest. Hours seemed to pass when it had only been nine minutes, until someone jostled the door open.

"Koopin? Koopin?!"

"H-h-huuuuh?"

Raising his head up, he saw Shybert and Shellina standing before him as the koopa sorceress cut down his restraints before gently placing him onto his feet. The shy guy fiddled with his green-and-yellow tie with grave concern as the koopa female asked:

"Are you alright?"

"U-unnnngh...e-everything, hurts."

"Wh-what have they DONE to you?!" gasped Shybert with quiet outrage.

"Y-y-you...did...did you get it Shybert?"

"Yes, yes I have it here hwoh."

The shy supervisor brought out from his robe a small silver bracelet with a bell dangling upon it.

"Can't believe how easy it was to take this off him, no wonder people resort to crime around this city."

"Glad that distraction worked...a-aaaah-"

"Shhh come on."

Shellina carefully put his arm round her shoulders.

"You need to rest up, we have a boat ready."

"Wh-what...what about Goombene-"

"She's coming too. She knows everything."

"You t-told her?"

"Yes. ...she took it a lot better than I expected to, probably because she assumed as much already. Or she might be in shock."

"How is she?"

"I think...almost relieved somehow. That knowing he wouldn't abandon her and...still, quite upset but she's on the boat, whichever way this goes she is not staying in this city anymore. The Pianta Syndicate have freed her from their services."

"Tha...that's good...alright let me just...get my stuff and we uh...can leave."

They put back on his clothes and shell as they made their way out of D-Mob's underground routes, the hallways long and arduous within darkness reaching out forevermore as Koopin kept a tight grip on Shellina. Shybert waddled forwards acting as scout, carefully looking around corners to make sure they would not be spotted. Most of D-Mob's people were already at the supply docks struggling to put out the fires as there came cries of shock and fury from across the streets. Dawn was breaking, somewhat more red than usual as flames warped the landscape, the horizon masked by buildings trapped within darkness. Despite the force of the tremendous blaze, the mobsters both from D-Mob and the Pianta Syndicate were working to fight against it along with volunteer firefighters. The Syndicate looked for all the world like concerned citizens employing their services to protect the city, and not once did D-Mob ever manage to make the connection as to them being the ones responsible for his now-completely-sabotaged supplies of fuzzy.

"U-u-um," whimpered Koopin.

"What, is something wrong?" asked Shellina.

"N-no, just...Sh-shybert...do...do you know about all this?"

"About Kaelan?" he replied. "Of how your chain chomp Charlie got possessed by a vengeful spirit whom your boyfriend James caused its release by a tragic accident but as yet unknown how? Yes, Shellina explained it to me."

"Wh-what? But...th-that's, o-official sec-"

"I can worry about that later, right now I'm worried about you."

"I...I-i'm sorry for not telling you."

"It's alright. I know you couldn't tell me the truth about all this, I understand legislations and such, hwoh."

"......I don't deserve a friend as good as you."

"Wha-that is not true!"

He waddled towards him as they waited down a small alleyway, keeping quiet as a horde of bandits rushed with water and flame retardant blankets.

"You're my best friend, not just in the company but my entire life, you actually cared about my feelings, unlike some people."

"I-i-i could have...treated you better-"

"You already treated me the best you could, giving the circumstances. In fact it's rather thanks to you I was able to reach out and start talking to other people in my office like Booris and such. I wouldn't have been able to step out in front until I had you."

"Didn't...you approach me first?"

"Y-yes, but I-"

"I'm not......the one who helped you Shybert, I was just being your friend, it was...you that helped you. S-sorry that sounds all...s-self-helpy junk but you know it's true. You're a lot...stronger than you think, I know you are."

"Really?"

"I've never seen you cry...you manage to control your anger a lot better than most people I know, I just...I always wished I could be as in control of myself as you are."

"I......I-i-i don't know what to say."

"We need to get going," said Shellina regetfully. "Sorry."

"Y-yes, right, right you are let's go."

A full fourteen minutes of wandering through the crisscrossing streets of Rogueport east side led them to the main square, along with the main visitor docks right ahead of them just past the lone gallows with its noose glistening in the sunlight through it. Shellina carefully put Koopin down to sit on a barrel as she said:

"I need to tell the ship to wait, also to check on Goombenedetta so give me a few minutes."

"A-alright."

"Shybert look after him. Also give me your bracelet, it might help Goombenedetta calm down."

"Yes ma'am!"

He gave a little salute and handed over the bracelet as the koopa female ran off towards the docks. Koopin struggled to breathe with a terrible wince, heaving against the graffiti'd wall whilst clutching at his stomach.

"A-aaah!"

"A-are you alright? Do you need something?"

"M-maybe a little...water, s-so thirsty and...sore."

"I think the item shop may be open, I'll just run and check, maybe find you a mushroom to eat?"

"Okay...thanks."

"Don't go anywhere, alright? Won't be a moment."

He watched Shybert run off towards the west side of town, gasping with some relief at having survived such an ordeal. A part of him slowly realised that he had just risked his life for a terrible gamble, one which had he failed at would have meant his parents not ever seeing him again, along with Charlie. He felt a sense of guilt, deep and burning uncomfortably warm in the midst of his wounded gut along with a strange developing awareness at something.

"H-...h-h-hhhhhh...is...is this what...what this felt like before, James? Is this what's happening to you...n-n-now? ...I think...I understand why you left, this...this stupid risk, so stupid but it's the only choice you get, right hun? I......I-i-i don't know if I can forgive you but I......I understand you."

He closed his eyes and gave himself rest, troubled by his mind's waking thoughts in an attempt to numb the pain of his trembling body. He wouldn't see the reaching hand that grabbed at his throat.

"GOT you."

"H-HHHRRRRRKH!"

Waking up to a sudden strangling fit, Koopin looked upon the eyes of Yoshua, his remaining left hand tightly squeezed around his neck whilst brandishing his hook pulley arm towards his face.

"I warned you. I thought I smelled sumthin' shady goin' down cuz of you, now I see you managed to get out, whut's your secret? Got friends on the inside?"

"A-a-aaaaaghkh! G-guh!"

"I told you it wasn't over between us, now we FINISH THIS."

He dragged his victim over towards the gallows. The square was empty, too early in the morning for businesses to start opening proper, with most if not all the dock workers now busying themselves with the fire or remaining on their ships. Yoshua grabbed a stool with his pulley, placing it underneath the noose before placing the weak resisting Koopin's head into it. With iron hook wrapped against his front, he pulled out a small rope from his pockets and singlehandedly tie a knot around his wrists. He struggled, but try as he might, Yoshua simply punched him to weaken him further and stifle his movements.

"Remember whut I told you, Bloopa? That shell gets awful heavy when you start swingin'."

"P-please...don't do this."

"Oh NOW you plead. NOW you wanna say sorry, you were all biggin' it up dissing my friends' memory, DISRESPECTING ME well guess what chucklehead. Now you can join 'em, an' talk smack to them yerself. S'only right."

"This...you r-really wanna go this far?"

"You think I ain't done this before?! YOU are my fifth hanging, but yanno this is gonna be the first I ever get to use this damn thing. Always had to improvise with other things but I ain't never got to use the real Rogueport noose. You're very lucky."

Standing in front of the koopa now weakly struggling to keep steady upon the stool, his hands tied behind him to further impede his balance, the yoshi simply crossed his arms admiring his little setup. Koopin started to breathe funny, the cold damp fabric of the noose coiled around his throat like a deadly serpent, feeling tighter every minute. Yoshua placed one boot upon the gallows front, planting the steel-tipped front against the stool carefully as he stared upon the bruised one-eyed face of his next victim.

"You know they were too cheap to have a proper trapdoor on this thing right? Friggin' port town wuz too cheap to hang people proper, yanno with the drop an' everythin'? Be so much easier to pull a lever an' just CRACK! Heh...least for chumps who got a neck like you. But instead, we have to adjust the noose everytime somebody wuz a different height, got a different stool or a barrel. Whut can I say?"

He gently started to push the stool.

"I'm about traditional values-AGH!"

"LEAVE HIM ALOOOONE!"

Clonked on the back of his head by a water bottle, the yoshi pulled his foot back to regain his balance and turned towards the shrieking voice.

"Whut...the shell-"

"YOU LEAVE HIM ALONE YOU RUDDY BULLY! THIS...THIS IS UNACCEPTABLE!"

"WHUT is your damn problem you little SQUIRT?!"

Peering beyond the muscular hulk of melon pink, Koopin could see Shybert quivering with fear and anger as Yoshua stepped forwards. A quiet breeze listlessly caressed the end of his tie.

"Sh-...sh-shy...r-run, d-don't!"

"YOU HAVE N-NO RIGHT TO DO THIS! YOU'RE A FLIPPIN' C-COWARD!"

"WHUT YOU CALL ME?!"

"I-I'LL REPORT YOU!"

"HAH! Are you serious, like who is THIS your little boyfriend?!"

"HE IS MY FRIEND, AND IF YOU LAY ONE MORE FINGER ON HIM THEN I WILL T-T-TAKE MATTERS...IN...T-TO MY OWN HANDS!"

"Um...are you, for real?!"

Standing before Shybert, the yoshi towered over him with Bobunov reaching only just below his knee. The mobster bent down with his large bulbous snout breathing heavily upon his mask.

"Lissen tomato squirt, you just walk away or else I'll have you join him."

"N-...n-no! No I won't!"

"I'm warnin' you little guy. You better do whut I say, or else I'll make you."

"Y-y-you...you.........nobody tells me hwhat to do."

"Huh?"

"I...am sick...and ruddy tired of bullies like you taking what they want, doing anything they want without even CONSIDERING anyone's feelings."

"Whut thuh scrap you on about?"

"Even when I do my best, when I do nothing but be polite and courteous and try to work alongside people I STILL get treated like I'm not even there, WELL YOU KNOW WHAT I THINK, HWOH?!"

"I don't give a-"

"I'M MAD AS HECK, AND I'M NOT GONNA TAKE IT ANYMORE YORICK!"

"AAAAAARGH!"

Suddenly Shybert pulled something out of his pocket and slammed it straight onto Yoshua's face, clamping hard with a tiny piercing sting of something thin and metallic imbedded into his skin. The supervisor stood bristling with rage as he held a small black stapler in one hand as Yoshua stood back up snarling to dig the staple out, which gave Shybert enough time to clamp right onto his leg.

"_A-AAARGH AAARGH, YOU LITTLE FREAK GET OFF! _"

"WAAAAAAAH!"

Shybert flew off his leg crumpling slightly onto the thick cobbles of the square, standing up to see the incredibly angry yoshi. With rippling muscle and a wicked iron hook in his wooden right arm, it took all of his nerve and beyond not to flee.

"_You...are gonna pay for that you BRAT! _"

Yoshua swung his pulley hook with tremendous force, briefly missing Shybert as he stumbled back in a frightful panic before running off to find something, anything to fight with. Rushing towards a pile of crates, he grabbed a medium-sized plank and brandished it like a spear facing the pink thug. He was too enraged to laugh at the spectacle, stomping forwards with his thick boots before slamming his foot straight into the wall hoping to crush Shybert. His frantic duck was much lower than the yoshi had expected, thrusting his foot above the shy guy's head before he stood up and whacked hard as he could against the trembling muscular limb. It barely caused a mark, slapping it like a child's palm until the brute grabbed at Shybert's plank and hoisted him upwards. Dangling at the other end frantically hanging on, he watched Yoshua pull back his iron hook ready to punch through his face.

He swung his tiny body upwards, grappling on with a burst of agility before lunging at Yoshua's left arm to hang dearly for life.

"WHU-GET OFF ME YOU FREAK! GAH!"

"W-W-WAAAAH!"

"OWWWW DAMMIT!"

Shybert clamped down again with his ruthless stapler, plunging tiny pincers into the skin repeatedly until he whipped off his tie and latched it around Yoshua's eyes, briefly blinding him as he rode the yoshi's head like a wild beast. Swinging back and forth as the tie fabric rubbed uncomfortably against Yoshua's eyesockets, the yoshi flailed and threw his arms against his face trying to assault the little hanger-on. Grabbing on tighter, he pulled his tie harder to squeeze around Yoshua's head, steadying himself with feet planted on the back of his head as he started jamming his stapler as deep as he could into the back of his skull to punctuate with each frightful-angry word.

"LEAVE, MY, FRIEND, ALONE, YOU, STUPID, THUG, I, HATE, YOU!"

"_AAH, GAAAH, DAMMIT, GET OFFA ME! GET! OFF! _"

"NO! NO I WON'T YORICK YOU SHUT UP!"

"WHO THE HECK IS YORICK YOU FREAKIN' MORON!?"

"HWAAAAAAAAARRRRRH!"

Incensed by a rare instinct of confidence and fightin' spirit overcoming him, Shybert drove his stapler so hard into Yoshua's head that it became wedged fiercely into his skin. The clamp had bent from the impact slightly, which now twisted the skin in its tiny jaws causing the yoshi to screech with insufferable constant pain. Through the burning red vision he managed to focus on pulling the tie off from his eyes sending Shybert to come tumbling down onto the streets. Yoshua swung with a sweeping kick knocking the supervisor away quite strongly, sending him rolling across the street with a thudding bounce that hurt his chest. He only looked up when he heard Koopin:

"SH-SHYBERT, DODGE!"

The yoshi clicked a small lever on his pulley arm before swinging it forwards like a fishing line as the hook went flying, a strong rope coiled up inside whistling behind it as it plunged straight into a large crate next to Shybert with a vicious board-cracking impalement. He pulled back retracting it with the switch as the shy guy ran towards the broken crate to find something else he could use to fight.

"GET OVER 'ERE!"

Yoshua swung out once more, launching his hook pulley to try and shank Shybert but managed to miss him again. Clattering snapping wood and broken bars rang out as he viciously gouged into the pile of crates. Tearing apart the pile to a crumbling mess of splinters, he stomped his way forwards and kicked through the cluttered mess trying to find where Shybert had disappeared to.

"FOOOORE!"

"AAAAAARGH JEEZ!"

A shower of splinters blasted at his chest, the shy guy revealing himself now armed with a golf club amidst a pile of sports equipment.

"_YOU...LI'L PIECE O' SCRAP! _"

"WAAAAAAAAAAH!"

Dashing forwards with a frightened battle cry, he whalloped Yoshua's leg as hard as he possibly could, cracking the blunt iron to thud with a dull pain as he ran underneath. The stomping feet of the yoshi did not deter him, whacking hard against the back of the knees to try and send him down as Shybert constantly circled him. Round and round he went until Yoshua simply turned the opposite direction, staring down upon him with a fist ready to drop on him.

"_STOP! MOVING! _"

Falling back just barely dodging the hammerfist crunching into the pavement, the supervisor threw his golf club straight towards Yoshua's face knocking him powerfully hard across the eyes and blinding him briefly. He ran straight back towards the sports gear, grabbing both a tennis racket and a pack of golf balls to send scattering across the street. The yoshi heard him shuffling around in the pile and marched towards him, clearly not seeing the rolling balls as he slipped and fell right into the shards of wood splintering.

"GUH-G-GAAAAARGH!"

Struggling to pull himself up, his hand smacked down onto more shrapnel which then only further blinded him with absolute rage. Shybert took his chance and whacked him across the face repeatedly with the tennis racket, smacking him like it was a fan back and forth as the yoshi snarled and swung out at him violently. His hand covered in splinters slapped Shybert across the face, hard enough to send him falling backwards before he shot out his volleying hook pulley straight towards the supervisor. Frantically hurling his racket at the incoming missile of pure iron, it tore through the racket's net but had its trajectory thrown off giving Shybert enough time to grab another weapon. Yoshua retracted his hook, still trying to stand up amidst golf balls and wooden splints.

"I'M GONNA BREAK YOUR FACE YOU WORM!"

He shot out once again, trying to plunge his hook through Shybert as he braced himself with a baseball bat in hand.

"HWWWWWAAAAH!"

Surprisingly he managed to strike with perfect shot, whacking the iron hard enough to send it shooting upwards until it reached the end of its rope, pulling back like a tetherball hard enough to thwack itself straight onto Yoshua's head with a blinding concussion. The shy guy swung his bat taunting the semi-conscious thug.

"YOOOOO BATTER BATTER BATTER BATTER BATTER BATTER BATTER BATTER SWINNNNNG-HWOH!"

Dropping his bat behind him, he leapt from the crumpled crates and rushed over towards Koopin. Grabbing a chair from nearby, he placed it behind the koopa and set to work trying to undo the restraints.

"Don't worry Koopin, we'll all get out safe and sound."

"Th-thank you...Shybert, you're a good...friend."

"Let me jus-oh flippin' flippers I can't...phew, alright starting to loosen up-"

"H-hurry, I...oh stars I'm sorry you got caught up in all this."

"No no, don't apologise this is not your fault-WAAAAH!"

"NOT! YET!"

Yoshua plucked him from behind like a cherry fruit, grabbing him by the back of his tie.

"We're just getting STARTED!"

He dropped Shybert right before kicking him hard like a football, crushing the tip of his boot against his stomach before the littlle supervisor crunched against the wall, screaming and clutching his arm.

"_ A-AAAAAAAAH, AAAAAAAAAAAAGH! _"

Sobbing from the intense agony of his sharply broken limb, Shybert curled into a ball rolling gently back and forth at the foot of the stone wall, whilst Yoshua stumbled towards him half-dazed and blindingly furious.

"I told you...to leave us alone but YOUUUU HAD TO FIGHT ME!"

"A-A-AAAAAARRRRH! PLEAAAAAASE!"

"I am SICK of you little brats, WALTZING in from over the ocean thinking you get to DO WHAT YOU WANT in Rogueport, in MY CITY!"

"H-H-HELP, HELP PLEASE S-SOMEONE HEL-"

"SHUT UP!"

The moment Shybert tried to stand he was rewarded by a monstrous punch to the face, knocking him viciously to the kerb as he screamed with tears down his mask.

"YOUR LITTLE FRIEND CALLS ME A COWARD, YOU CALL ME A COWARD, WHEN I COME BACK TO FIND ALL MY FRIENDS GOT MURDERED BY SOME MONSTER, WITH A PAIR O' BLADES WELL I'LL SHOW YOU!"

He lifted his foot straight above Shybert ready to crush him.

"_I'LL SHOW YOU ALL I AIN'T A COWARD, WHEN I TURN YOU INTO A RED SPLATTER ON THE PAVEMENT AND NOBODY'S GONNA ASK WHY BECAUSE THIS! IS! ROGUE-PFUUUUH! _"

Something cracked against his face. A thick green boot could be seen from his blearing vision before he crumpled onto his knees, feeling someone flying past him. He rose his head to see Koopin, his one swollen eye brimming with pointed fury as he roared with a rising strength.

"_Shut. The FUCK! UUUUP! _"

Before the yoshi could pick himself up, Koopin slammed with a forwards snap kick cracking into the punk's chin as he staggered onto his feet with neck craning back. Fists plunged into his stomach one after the other, crushing blows as he coughed and sputtered with dry heaving sounds until Koopin stood upon one leg and thrusted with a brutal side kick, his foot become a dull-pointed javelin straight into Yoshua's stomach now bruised a deep violet. Choking from the air that almost vomited from his lungs, he swung out his pulley hook in a desperate bid to clothesline Koopin from afar, the taut rope snapping like a whip just barely missing him as he dodged to the right. He grabbed the rope and pulled hard, forcing Yoshua to fall flat on his front before he managed to pull back, a brief tug of war before Koopin released at the hardest pull that sent the yoshi flying on his back.

"GET UP YOU PUNK!" roared the koopa. "THIS BEAT AIN'T OVER 'TIL I SAY SO!"

There was a strange smile beneath Koopin's trembling fury that seemed to finally understand James' feelings, as if all his emotions had been left behind to become his own. Realising this, he forced himself to put a limit upon his anger, breathing heavily to calm his focus. Yoshua stood up, staggering but still bearing as he rushed forwards with a lunging haymaker that Koopin dodged easily, ducking underneath to slam a vicious uppercut right into the yoshi's wounded stomach that forced him to kneel, leaving his head in perfect height for Koopin to grab before slamming his knee straight into the jaw. Yoshua stumbled hard to his right, falling amidst the pile of damaged crates as he grabbed onto something warm and leafy next to him. He smiled with a cruel gleam as he stood tall now wielding a fire flower primed and ready to shoot at Koopin.

"KOOPIN!"

Shybert cried out in warning as he grabbed a golf club from the sports crate before tossing it at Koopin hard as he could. Time slowed down briefly as everything went into a haze with his body taking over everything. He rushed forwards with a wedge drive in hand, swung fiercely at the yoshi's hand which sent it cracking up towards his face. The moment he realised was just after he pulled the trigger on the flower, as a roasting grand heat burst into his eye sharply.

"_AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA AAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRGH! _"

His scream echoed across the city of Rogueport. Koopin stood brandishing his golf club just in case, watching the yoshi drop his fire flower and desperately clutch at his now smoking right eye with tears burning down his cheek. The look of fear and stuttering anguish became transfixed in his one remaining eye, as he went to his knees in sobbing fits.

"M-m-my...m-my...my eye...MY EEEEEEEEEEYYYYYYYYE!"

Koopin felt a pang of sympathy, if only for the fact he hated seeing another creature suffer so badly. Looking through the crates, he brought out something thick and heavy, crackling as he planted before Yoshua.

"Here."

He stared upon the thick bag of ice with confusion.

"Put this on your eye. We're done here. I'm never coming back."

"Y-y-you...who...who are you?"

"I'm Koopa-Bloopa. And you just got served. Peace."

The koopa walked away, and Yoshua could only watch with burning anguish searing into his face. Koopin picked up Shybert carefully, helping him back towards the ship almost carrying him against his chest like a wounded toddler. Shellina stood at the docks confused with shock.

"Wh-what...happened, I heard screaming!"

"Just...had a sending-off party," muttered Koopin, "courtesy of...R-rogueport's finest."

"My...s-stars I...I'm...s-s-sorry but, Goombenedetta broke down in tears, I-i-i had to console her, I couldn't-"

"It's okay. We're alright, let's just...get ourselves home, okay?"

"Right. Come on."

This would be the last that Koopin and Shybert would ever set foot in Rogueport for the rest of their lives. Neither of them would miss it. Nor would Goombenedetta as the small ship made its way gently across the ocean towards the dawning horizon.

"Gooood," said James with glee, "I like never get tired of that bit."

"You beat down a yoshi?" asked Roy.

"Course he did, you think I married him just for his looks, he's got everything! Strong, dependable, loveable."

"Awwww jeez," mumbled Koopin blushing, "I mean I just try my best."

"And you ARE the best. Seriously."

"So Shybert never knew HOW Kaelan died?" inquired MacGregor. "Also, did you actually use the F-word?"

"Yes......and also yes. What!? He's a bad influence on me!"

"HAH, hhhhhah I knew it! Ah told you, ah always knew you wuz a bad influence FG!"

"Oh shut up Roy," shrugged James, "I get lots of habits from Koopin too."

"Yeah lahk whut?!"

"I...um...when he gets some bad habits I'll let you know."

"We had a long ride home," continued Koopin, "so me and Shybert went and caught up with some things and also I had to talk with Goombenedetta more properly. I wanted to explain at least, from my own words and not others she might have talked with."

The voyage seemed longer with every journey they had made to Rogueport back and forth. They would not bother looking behind them, the raw-burning city now beyond their fears as the horizon swallowed it completely. The small cargo ship was not normally used to taking passengers, but the bob-omb crew were friendly after a few hundred coins had been generously donated to their services as Koopin stood above deck keeping out of the workers' way. Shybert stood beside him, his arm now in a sling to match Koopin's thick-clotted eyepatch covering his wounded face, as well as the bandages that wrapped his chest beneath his shell.

"You were really brave back there," said Koopin proudly. "I never thought you had it in you."

"Well...I mean it's all just swings and roundabouts isn't it?"

"Iiiii um...yeah...I guess so. You alright with all the stuff you just learned?"

"Oh I've dealt with worse."

Koopin raised an eyebrow with vague caution.

"Well...no, not WORSE I mean I have dealt with my own fair share of rather unusual incidents."

"Any of them involve ghosts or possessions?"

"No, no actually. But I understand what it's like to be all alone in the world so I could not help but want to...help, heh-hoh."

"Really? Like none of this freaks you out, I mean there's this whole KIB organisation and such-"

"Well I mean it makes sense, who else is going to handle all these things that come flying out of nowhere? I think you forget about the Smithy incident quite some years ago, where did THEY come from Koopin?"

"......huh, you're right. That was pretty weird...I wonder why they don't tell us more about these things like make them public knowledge."

"Well the last time we had some invading force from outside our world people got really panicked about it, I mean I certainly would hwoh. People don't want to think about things that make them feel small and insignificant. That's the secret to people Koopin, if you make them feel like they're an important part of the world, they can do anything. That's what my uncle told me."

"You've mentioned your uncle a few times," replied the koopa," but what about your parents?"

"I don't know. They're out there somewhere but...well they never bothered finding me."

"Wait, what?"

"......I was abandoned by my family, hwoh."

He nervously rubbed his shoulder as Koopin turned to look at him with a gentle surprise in his eye.

"Wh-......what?"

"I was from a very big family, the fifth of ten children. My parents were always very busy, bustling back and forth, I can't remember what they did. I was very quiet compared to my brothers and sisters who were all quite vigorous and loud jumping all over the place, doing backflips on the table and all wild acrobatics hwoh. One day, when I was about six, we went to a great carnival. It was a magical place, so vivid and full of colours, we saved up all summer to get there because, we were all rather frightened about moving house soon, so our parents thought 'let's cheer up the little ones before then with a great big day out' and it was great!

"The carnival, the games, the roller coasters, it was all very exciting but, then I got stuck in the ferris wheel. The door locked me inside and I was so tiny that nobody saw me, I kept shouting from the top of it but no one would hear me. When they finally realised someone was inside, I dashed out trying to find where my family went.

"I searched for ages, I went to the lost and found trying to find someone and when put my name out on the intercom no one came. No one picked me up, for hours until they found out that, they had already gone home without me. All my siblings, none of whom noticed I was gone. I waited, and waited, hoping someone would find them but...turns out my family had moved away afterwards and left no forwarding address. They never noticed I was missing and there I was, lost in a theme park far away from home forever."

"...oh my stars," gasped Koopin, "that...that's awful."

"I know they didn't mean it," spoke Shybert softly. "At least I hoped they didn't. But there always was this part in my head wondering why, why had they left me. Was it because they simply forgot, or did they never even want me but were too cowardly to come out and say it? I wasn't very noticeable, but I would have thought at some point they would have at least counted us or something. But I'll never know, and so I was forced to work at the carnival because they had no place else for me to stay.

"I set out to work sweeping things up and in return they let me have some food, some treats, and even a place to sleep. One day, around eight months later, there was a group of bob-ombs that came from the Fahr Outpost, specialising in pyrotechnics for fireworks and such. There was this guy with silver shell and these really soft eyes that saw me asking 'who is that?'. They said 'the boy who was abandoned', so he walked over to me and asked 'are you alright?'. And I just broke down into tears. It was the first time anyone had asked me that directly and I just sobbed into his tie. This tie that I'm wearing."

He slowly stroked his hand along the green and yellow stripes with fond rememberance.

"He asked if I wanted to stay at the carnival, and I said no, so he decided to ask the people if I could come home with them. They had no reason to say no and I ended up just heading home with them. His name was Nitraly Bobunov, and he became my uncle when he adopted me."

"He...he actually just adopted you, right there?"

"Yes, I don't know why. I suppose he was so moved by my tears or perhaps it was something else. He lived on his own and he never married so I think...he wanted company. But I think perhaps he wanted...something like a protege but not like a son since he felt weird about having me call him dad. So we went with uncle instead, he home-schooled me, taught me everything he knew because he was an accountant for the pyrotechnics company. Taught me maths and computing, how to do business, how to treat people properly in the workplace, had me work as an assistant with him at his job until I was old enough to leave.

"He asked what I wanted to do, and I said 'I want to travel the world uncle...I want to explore and meet new people but with all the things you've taught me'. So we called up the TGA and asked if they could have me for an interview and, after a trial period they accepted me. I lived with my uncle for seventeen years and the day I left he gave me this tie.

"He told me to 'wear it with pride, for you now carry the spirit of my hard-working ancestors. Whether you work in the mines, or an office, or even at a cake shop, you are a part of the world that no one can replace, no one can do a job like you, even if others may not think that it's significant. No one notices the well is empty unless it is not there anymore. I want you to be the well that good people spring from, my nephew'. And that's why I try to do right by my job, to work hard for a living no matter what I do and try to keep people happy...even when I get stuffed in a broom closet they just put a desk into and call it an office, hwoh."

"I never knew," murmured Koopin, "I just...wow. Are you okay?"

"Oh I'm fine thank you. I have you, I told my uncle all about you, he thinks you're great! Perhaps some day we could go up to see him if you're up for a Fahr adventure?"

"Sure, that'd be great I'd love to meet your uncle Shybert. Should we...tell him about all this?"

"I think that's up to the official secrets act, I think you'll find hehehohOH-ow-ow-"

Koopin bent over cautiously to check that he was alright but he simply clutched his arm and waved him back gently. They decided to head back downstairs as the air started to turn cold with Kennidon making his way towards the room Goombenedetta slept in. He hadn't met her since the cafe and was rather nervous knocking on the door.

"Who is it?"

"It's uh...Koopin, friend of Shellina?"

"Yes?"

"Can I come in? I...would like to talk about...Kaelan."

Gently opening the door was Shellina, nodding as he walked in to see the goomba now wearing her simple clothes of a plain green shirt. Her eyes were red from tears, and a look of exhaustion was clear upon her face as Koopin kneeled respectfully.

"I'm...I'm sorry, firstly about all this."

"It...i-it's fine. I know this is...so weird, it's not like we can talk around it."

"I know. I'm still sorry."

"Did...d-did you find...Kaelan first?"

"Yes...well technically, I never found his body, just his spirit."

"The Syndicate will find his body," added Shellina, "since we know where it possibly lies, they will retrieve it and hand it over to us."

"I...I see."

Goombenedetta fell silent, nervously looking towards the floor feeling lost for words suddenly. Koopin swallowed his apprehensions and spoke more boldly.

"He loved you...always he loved you."

"He...h-h-he did?"

"I heard his last words. He said he was sorry he never got to take you to the beach."

"O-oh......o-o-oh my stars."

Even when she had run out of tears, her body went into a gentle sobbing with eyes burning bleakly.

"He wanted me to...find out what happened to him, so he could tell you. He had something to tell you, but we need to let him know about it so he...so he can tell you from himself."

"He......wh-where is he?"

"Can you help us? We need to lay his spirit to rest, but we can't do it without you Goombenedetta."

"I-i will. Of course I will, a-anything for Kaelan. He...h-he loved me, and I loved him I always did."

"Thank you."

"You...your friend mentioned a gift that he...he had for me?"

"Yes. Something he bought for you but I think that it's best he tells you what it is. Want to make sure he finish what he started."

"Right, of course. Th-...thank you for all this."

She gently walked towards him and nuzzled against his head. Koopin wrapped his arms around her with a careful hug respectfully.

"Y-you've done everything for me mister...?"

"Kennidon. Koopin Kennidon."

"You...get me out of my debt, you help me find Kaelan and I...am grateful to you always."

"Sooner we help bring Kaelan to rest the better. We're altogether in this, don't worry."

Around two days after their Rogueport escape, Koopin stood with Shybert, Boona and Shellina at the basement of E. Gadd's laboratory. Goombenedetta stood like a stranger in a strange land amongst the suited koopas, along with Kammy, Gadd and 57 who stepped firmly to attention despite being in the last stages of recovery, with banded shell wrapped in gauze protective as they all stared upon the entity, locked inside a containment field. The glass cylinder housed Charlie's sleeping form inside like a foetus, gently floating with eyes closed amidst the sounds of whirring beeping security functions. They felt as if they were standing at the gates of a grand fortress calling for the end of their journey.

"Are we all ready?" asked Kammy Koopa.

"Yes," replied Gadd, "we have the artifacts, the madam in question by which I thank you very much for coming and I am sorry for all this."

"It's...it's fine," mumbled Goombenedetta.

"You have suffered so much, from something so senseless a loss of life that I feel I have to make thngs up to you."

"I just want him to be...happy. Even if he cannot be with me, somehow, I just want him to know that I'm alright...that's it."

"Right. Thank you, how is our reading?"

"Power's back up to sixty," replied Boona, "he's recovering slowly but surely, when we let him out it's going to be big."

"We have any dangers of spiking?"

"Possibly, if he gets really upset that'll fuel him straight up to ninety."

"Alright. Miss Goombernoulli, I would like to ask you to stand here in front of this and when I say so, you must speak to mister Kaelan."

"Wh-what will I say?" she asked.

"Whatever comes from your heart. There's no script for this. It's all about your feelings as well as his for you. Now, everyone ready? I am about to unlock the stasis field and release him so please step back."

They all did so as Gadd stood ready with the release switch in his hand as he ordered Goombenedetta to stand at a precise spot. He flicked the remote and soon the field went down despite warning sirens blaring off around them, red lights trembling from each corner of the room as Charlie's body thrust forwards to hang delicately above the floor within a strange pale mist that seethed and writhed across the floor. A blank stare came over him as he shuddered with a voice not of his own, a whispering tenderness as he watched the goomba gently speak.

"K-kae......K-k-k-kaelan? Are you...is that you Kaelan?"

Whispers floated through. She somehow knew it was him but could not explain what it was.

"I made it Kaelan. I'm...I-i-i'm here, safe and away from Rogueport like you said I would be. I...I'm sorry that you...didn't get to come with me. But you tried so hard, I knew that...you never would abandon me, you did everything you could but it was not your fault. I never blamed you, I always thought something happened to you. You......y-y-you-"

She shuddered with hot tears down her cheeks as she struggled to control herself. Her mind still in a frenzied sea of emotions that constantly threatened to drown her in sorrow as she felt someone's hand brush against her cheek. She caught his scent as a smile came back tearfully.

"You...you left me a gift, didn't you? These people found it. The ones that you went to, trying to tell them about me and, what happened to you. They found it. I wonder what it is."

Shellina stepped forwards pulling out the silver bracelet with a bell tinkling upon the end of it. Gently the goomba gasped at such sweet beauty shining in the light of the underground lab.

"This...belongs to you."

The koopa knelt down to gently clasp it on Goombenedetta's leg. She looked over towards Kaelan's presence as there came a sense of joy radiant yet bittersweet.

"Is...i-i-is this...what I think it is?"

Warmth pulsed through like a newborn's heartbeat.

"I......I-i-i......was that what you meant by never wanting to leave, without me?"

Whispering kindness.

"Kaelan......I d-don't know what I would have said. I...I'm s-so honoured you would want...you would have......K-kaelan?"

Something was wrong. She felt the air change to a frustrated malice, a painful upset as an oddly cold vapour brushed across her leg.

"Wh-wh-what's happened?! What, what are you doing Kaelan?!"

"It doesn't fit," said Shellina.

"Wh-what?!"

"Your bracelet, it doesn't fit on your leg!"

"Wh-what do you mean it doesn't fit?!"

"I don't know!"

"He bought it for me! H-he knows my size, I KNOW he does let me see!"

"I don't know why-"

"LET ME SEE!"

She held it up for her, closely peering at the bracelet's curved arc from each end of the clasp. There was something odd about the middle section of its circumference. Something Goombenedetta noticed just before Shellina did.

"...this...it's been resized."

"No."

"S-someone did...someone widened it, l-look at the marks where they stretched it!"

"Wh-what's happening?!" cried Shybert.

"Who had this bracelet before?!"

"Um, i-it was D-Mob that-"

"It doesn't fit on Goombenedetta, he must have resized it to fit-"

"HIS FAT STUPID ARM!"

His scream shattered across the room, much more powerful than it had before as the sirens went off to a higher crescendo. The lights flickered violently as Boona struggled to shout:

"UH, UHHH P-PROFESSOR, HE'S SPIKING!"

"I CAN SEE THAT BOONA!"

"H-HE'S HITTING PAST NINETY!"

"WHAT!?"

"BRACE YOURSELVES!" shouted Kammy. "READY YOUR WEAPONS, WE NEED TO STABILISE HIM!"

"NO!" shrieked the goomba. "HE'S JUST UPSET, I CAN CALM HIM!"

"WE MUST WEAKEN HIM OR ELSE HE WILL TAKE US DOWN WITH HIM!"

"WH-WHAT?!"

"GET DOWN!"

A frantic explosion burst across the machinery, then another and another causing a chain reaction of deafening shrapnel and fire that swarmed around a single point, as if a black hole had appeared above Charlie's body. In the midst of darkness, they could see a koopa hovering, faintly out of existence and back again, a ragged shell-less creature with tears forever down his face.

"KAELAN! KAELAN STOP THIS, IT'S OKAY KAELAN IT DOESN'T MATTER IF IT DOESN'T FIT! I LOVE YOU KAELAN, I'LL ALWAYS LOVE YOU!"

"FIRE!"

Kammy's troops readied their assault, pummelling volleys from ice and fire flowers that rained torrid elemental blows upon Kaelan's tortured spirit. But his power increased as a monstrous scream bellowed out from him knocking all the KIB troopers down, before he started gathering all of the glass and machinery to coalesce around him. Slowly but surely, the glass formed into a giant fractured koopa's skull the height of nine feet that bled oil from its empty sockets, along with wretched broken hands a good six feet long combined from parts of metal and sinuous wires like veins that pumped through his twitching grotesque fingers. The portal that had sumoned him began to activate of its own will, now controlled by Kaelan's sorrow as it sent a light of hellish blinding green across their eyes. Charlie fell to the ground harmlessly, now no longer possessed but still deeply asleep as Koopin rushed towards him by purest instinct.

"KOOPIN NOOOO!"

He grabbed onto Charlie, clutching him desperately to his chest before staring upon the grand poltergeist. A blinding light shimmered from the portal, consuming both Koopin and Charlie.

"Daddy?"

Koopin's eyes opened once more. A fractured abyss of a town he once knew.

"Daddy look!"

Rogueport had been wreathed within a dark starry night. He recognised the alleyway that stood in front of him, just in front of the old dry cleaner's. Sitting in front of him was a little black ball, smiling.

"......Charlie? Are you......i-is that you?"

"Yesh daddy, I protectsh you. We musht help the very shad koopa, he ish all alone!"

"Where...where is he?"

"He ish everywhere. He ish all around ush."

"What do you mean?"

"He ish...here."

The street started to move like a chameleon, forming a creature's shape that rose from the ground itself. Crawling towards them, a face of fear and anguish stricken upon his tearful complexion, dark cobbled stones forming his entire body. He slowly began to reverse his death, staggering back onto his feet until he stood at the street corner. Kaelan feels someone push him, he stumbles but manages to hold his balance. Plunging blades pierce through his chest, a shadow from behind him. He does not fall this time as they watch the shadow walk past its victim. Cruel black scissors on a formless shadow that starts growing with each step. Its feet bled beneath the cobbled streets, the hands melting within the walls as the street itself pulls away from Koopin and Charlie, leaving them standing within a formless void of twisting pale colours. It becomes a living painting, hands and feet from brick and stone, a monster's head and torso shaped from the dark blue sky as stars glimmer across its vaguely reptilian appearance now standing at a horrendous height of thirty feet. Faintly, they could see Kaelan's body still hanging in mid-death upon that street corner, now canvassed on the golem's body as the bane of Koopin's existence, the cold wicked scissors, now drew themselves to the length of spears dripped with screaming faces, inside every drop of black ichor from its tips.

"Daddy, look out it'sh a monshter! I protectsh you daddy!"

"Yes Charlie. I know. We have to fight it."

"Wa-Daddy fightsh it too?!"

"We have to save the sad koopa, right? Come on...be strong for daddy. We fight this thing...and we'll all be together again."

"Yesh...yesh, I will be shtrong, for daddiesh! I WILL ALWAYSH PROTECTSH YOU!"

"I know you will. We protect each other, we're strong for each other. ...I have to be strong for you too James. No matter how far away you are from me...KAELAN! I'M HERE KAELAN, I'LL SET YOU FREE NO MATTER WHAT IT TAKES, I PROMISE!"

The beast lunged forth, cleaving down with giant scissors that tore through the infinite void of one's inner existence. Both of them ran towards the creature's legs, Koopin flying forth with pummelling fists below the knee whilst Charlie gnashed and chomped his teeth upon the other. The monster kicked them away but they ran straight back, Charlie distracting its gaze more as his daddy climbed up onto the back of the creature's knee. The scissors striked and slashed with devastating force, trying to carve the chain chomp in half but he dodged relentlessly, wagging his chainlinked tail behind him with devilish eyes of incredible focus. The beast roared trying to thrust and slice with blades of horrifying screams whispering above the little chomp's head as he barked defiant against it.

Koopin had managed to climb upon the starry night of its back, grappling onto the stars themselves and punching into the deep blue as the creature shrieked and swung its body around with brick-clad arms trying to knock him off. But he grabbed harder and punched as hard as he could before climbing higher onto its chest. Charlie leapt forwards to bite at the stony feet, ripping and tearing with his teeth as the beast drove its fist down hard to try and crush him but the chomp pulled back, launching himself upwards by a snarl of victory and crunching his jaws down upon the brick-welted fist. In that same moment, Koopin tried to grab at the forgotten Kaelan's hand, struggling to pull him free from his eternal death. The world suddenly began to swallow him inside the golem's body.

"WHAT'S HE DONE TO KOOPIN!?" cried Shybert.

"He's trapped inside its essence!" replied Shellina. "We have to weaken him before we can bring him back out."

"IS HE GOING TO DIE?!"

"Not unless we don't survive this ourselves."

"WHAT?!"

"ELVIN!"

Kammy shouted towards Gadd who stood frantically on his toes, staring towards Koopin's now-comatose alongside that of Charlie's.

"Do you have any stabilising devices in other rooms?!"

"Yes, I have one in my bedroom, just to be safe!"

"Bring it here, we need to co-ordinate an attack on this thing!"

"LOOK OUT!"

The looming hand of corrupted steel swung upon them as Kaelan shrieked from his glassy skull, refracting the light of the portal into a dazzling display of a dozen beams. Gadd ran off to his bedroom to grab his device, whilst 57 grabbed Goombenedetta safely pulling her away from the chaos as the spirit thrashed with giant fists, crushing the laboratory into metallic dust amidst screeching red lights and miniature explosions.

"N-NO, GET OFF ME!"

"You're not safe here!"

"BUT HE NEEDS ME! KAELAAAAN!"

"HE CAN'T HEAR YOU, WE MUST WEAKEN HIM FIRST!"

"He's right," said Boona, "once we manage to nullify his power enough, we can try speaking with him again. But we have to keep you safe, if something happens to you then we won't have a chance!"

"O--o-okay," she gasped, "but...please, don't hate him, please it's not his fault, this was never his fault!"

"I know, I know it's not his fault, we all do. PROFESSOR, HURRY!"

The hands of fury and sorrow crushed against the wall trying to punch through the crowd of assailants, with all of them desperately dodging or diving out of the way as Shellina stood ready along with the KIB. Kammy stepped forth, waving her wand to summon her power and try to repel the beast.

"_BE! STILL! _"

A terrifying shot of piercing coloured lights shattered through Kaelan's skull, crackling through the glassy texture as he shivered with spectral agony. He lunged for the warlock, cracking upon a magic shield she had set around her body. Again it punched, screeching with vexation pummelling her shield over and over. But still she stood unfettered by the poltergeist's tremendous strength, shouting another spell out towards it that shafted through its incoming fist. Fingers cracked and twisted from the almost-explosive impact of her incantation, a trembling burning light that sparked inside its hand.

"I'VE GOT IT!" cried Gadd. "I HAVE THE STABILISER!"

"USE IT ON ITS HEAD!"

"I CAN'T!"

"WHAT?!"

"THE HEAD IS MADE OF CONTAINMENT GLASS, IT RESISTS ANY DEVICES TO PREVENT OUTSIDE INFLUENCE!"

"YOU IMBECILE!"

"KAMMY LOOK OUT!"

Having turned her head to screech at him, she did not notice the fracturing of her shield as the monster's relentless assault finally broke through. With one punch left to crush into her body, it reared its fist back as Gadd dashed frantically towards her. She did not even realise what had happened until she saw him stand between her and Kaelan's fist, looming upon her like a falling cliff as he shot his stabilising device towards it.

"THAT IS ENOUGH OF YOU, BOY!"

The device that Gadd held resembled some sort of ray gun, shooting out a paralysing beam of spectral yellow that swarmed like a thin film across the entire fist, stopping it dead in its tracks. Kammy looked shocked towards the professor as he breathed harshly, clutching at his chest with unwavering hand.

"NOW!" he cried. "BOONA, I NEED THE GAMERA OBSCURA!"

"BUT THAT'S NOT STRONG ENOUGH!" shouted Boona.

"I KNOW, I JUST NEED TO SAP HIS ENERGY FROM HIS HANDS!"

Boona briefly disappeared from the room as everyone did their best to evade the creature's other fist. Soon it went shrieking along the walls with its steel claws carving through the entire place, and it was then that Boona came back right into its path. He screamed trying to dodge but wasn't fast enough, knocked powerfully out of the air as he dropped something which Shybert ran furiously to grab. A small device resembling a purple handheld console with an odd mirror attached to its back as Shellina hurried to Boona's side.

"Are you alright?!"

"I'm fine! H-HEY, YOU, SHOOT IT! A-AIM IT AT THE FIST AND SHOOT!"

"O-okay!" cried Shybert.

Waddling straight towards Gadd standing a mere few feet away from the trembling paralysed fist of steel and warped machinery, Bobunov aimed the screen quickly as he could despite his still-broken arm before snapping a shot. The film whirred and clicked with a mighty flash that sent a vicious agonising force of exorcismal power straight through the essence of Kaelan. His fist spasmed as parts of machinery fell from it, his strength weakening as he covered up his skull with his other hand. Seeing who was responsible, he lunged with jagged fingers towards Shybert.

"A-AAAAAAAAAH!"

Something grabbed him from behind, pulling him away safely as the thick destructive fist whooshed past him like a truck at high speed. Dodging into a half-roll, Shybert found himself in the careful arms of 57, pressed against his bandaged shell like a baby.

"I'm here. Don't worry, now take the shot!"

"R-right, okay!"

Holding the shy guy close, the wounded agent made themselves a moving target to give Shybert free reign to snapshot with devastating force. Every flash of white sent shivering weakness into Kaelan's form, his cries turning weaker as he soon lost control of his paralysed fist. Crumbling into a pile of heated junk, he swung with blinded rage until Gadd paralysed the other safely, whilst Shybert and 57 focus-shot every piece of exorcismal film they had on them. Whatever trace essence had been left over from its defeated other fist now resurged as shards of metal and glass flying across the room, whirling like a tornado to slice and sever across any unfortunate fool to get in its path. But Kammy protected them close, shielding those in her presence as well as knocking objects out of the air with well-aimed blasts of fire and ice. Soon the other fist had been defeated, and all that was left was the great crystalline head of Kaelan itself.

Sweeping above his head before slicing down to shatter through the void, Charlie relentlessly dodged the dreaded blades before he heard the crackling of ice underneath. Suddenly he fell beneath, into a black complete nothingness as a familiar feeling of watery horror almost filled him before he looked up. The monster had followed him porous black ink consuming the water into a dreaded sea of incomprehensible screaming. Somehow he was not affected, the sensation of floating yet not actually swimming within water as he charged towards its head. The monster of sorrow thrust its blades forwards as he spun like a bullet, striking upon the scissors with his chainlink tail like a whip to send a painful reverberation across, befoer reaching the beastly head of infinite night. He latched onto the brightest star and bit as hard as he could, growling furiously as the spectre shrieked and roared at the pain building up inside its evanescent skull. Swiping its mortar-clad claws against its face, it tried to dislodge Charlie but to no avail, for no matter what happened, no matter how hard he was struck against his steel body, nothing was going to loosen his grip. His teeth like iron pierced into the night, cracking the skull into shards that flecked and floated off into the dreaded abyss. He was not afraid anymore. The little chain chomp squeezed his eyes shut and clamped down even harder to crush completely through its eyesocket. Just as his daddy had done before him, he fell into a deeper void within the monstrous body.

Inside the sorrowful beast of death, beyond the darkness and far beneath the veil of night upon its head, was a gentle sunset now marred by suffering. Koopin was frantically grabbing onto Kaelan who was falling into a giant rift that tore through his precious memory. All around them were shadows of malice the same size as them, ready to swarm upon Koopin until Charlie launched forwards, biting at each and every one of them.

"CHARLIE!"

"I PROTECTSH DADDYYYYY!"

He swung his tail in a full circle, slicing at the shadows' legs whilst chomping furiously at their ink-clad torsos. Shaking himself free of the taste of despair and malice the little chomp battled his way through to the two koopas, defending them with a fierce growl as Koopin tried to pull up Kaelan.

"C-come on! YOU CAN DO IT!"

"It doesn't fit...it doesn't fit."

"What does it matter, she still loves you! You saved her life even when your life was gone, if it wasn't for all this, if you hadn't come after me I would never have known about you, about her!"

"I could do nothing...I was just a ghost in her life whose passing only furthered her sadness."

"SHE'S FREE BECAUSE OF YOU! I wanted to bring back Charlie, but I found someone who needed more help, you used everything you had to not go into the beyond because you KNEW she needed help! You could have left her, but you never did Kaelan!"

"I......I never left?"

"Isn't that what you said?! Right here at this sunset, that you'd never leave her?! You never did, she just never knew until someone could bring you out!"

"You......she really is...safe?"

"She is, can't you hear her? Listen."

"Y-y-yes......I'm here Goombenedetta."

"I...I want to thank you, for everything you've done for me. You've given me so much, it's because of you that you freed me from that awful city. I don't care about some silly bracelet, I care about the reason you bought it for me. I...I'll always love you Kaelan You were the most wonderful person I ever met in my life...that I will ever meet. I'll start a new life, back here in the Mushroom Kingdom, and I will be happy because of you. You never left me...didn't you?"

"I promised I would leave...with you Goombenedetta."

"You did. We're back together, right here aren't we?"

"I......I suppose we are. I'm sorry."

"Don't be sorry. We're here now. Both of us. Forever."

"Forever."

He looked up towards Koopin as slowly he managed to pull himself out of the darkness into the sunset view. Koopin hugged him close, pressing his head against his shoulder as Kaelan started to sob. He never let go, not until he was done for however long it took. The sun started to sink beneath the horizon, as night came sweetly above their heads. The stars shined brighter than usual, dotted lights turning into beams radiant from the sky like the sun piercing through the clouds. Tears would bleed into Koopin's shoulder as he patted Kaelan tightly, soon starting to break himself as they exchanged each other's sorrows. In the briefest moment they both felt the other's pain from their hearts in a touch of empathy. One they would forever keep.

"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry for all I did."

"I'm sorry too. For his sake. I wish I could have done more."

"You did everything I wanted Koopin Kennidon. You did exactly what I wanted. I can't ever thank you enough."

The two slowly parted, their eyes moist with shining starlight from above as Kaelan looked up towards the heavens. One of those lights was for him, and he somehow knew which one it was flickering down upon his head. A warmth bathed him like his mother's womb had once done, a look of strange peace coming over his face. He was happy. Something he had not known in many years as he smiled at Koopin and Charlie.

"I hope you live a good life. Long and happy, both of you."

"I hope," started Koopin, "that the stars bless you with eternal peace, and I promise that Goombenedetta will be happy. I'll make sure of it."

"I know you will. ...I hope he comes back soon."

"H-huh?"

"I know that he's paid for what he's done. I hear voices from the farplane that know him well who wish the same thing. A family. They tell me that he...he has suffered enough to pay his price for what he did."

"H-he's still...alive?!"

"He is alive, and stronger than when you knew him before. He's returning home soon."

"You mean back...to his world?"

"No. Back to his real home. The one you share with him. Goodbye Koopin. Goodbye Charlie."

Kaelan released the strife from his heart finally, and so a great weight had been lifted from him as he raised himself up towards the starlit night. Koopin and Charlie watched with awe and happiness at his peaceful ascension with a new bold strength in their hearts. The hope that he gave them knowing their loved one would soon return back home.

Standing before the group was Goombenedetta, with tears in her eyes gazing upon the spirit of Kaelan just before he ascended to the stars above. She felt his kiss upon her cheek, warm and tender with a feeling of ceaseless calm overcome her. A smile grew on her face, as koopin began to wake.

"K-koopin?!"

The goomba stepped to one side allowing his friends to come across him, gathering round the wounded breathless Kennidon amidst an ocean of glass and steel scrap. They said nothing except with smiles of relief, but then he turned towards the still-sleeping chomp next to him. A slight panic creeped into him by instinct as he gently rubbed him.

"Charlie? Charlie, wake up. Wake up p-please. Please Charlie."

The chomp's eyes flicked open to see the room around him. People crowded him but there was Koopin at the very center. The longing scent he knew and loved, tender mint with the softness of baked pastry. Warmth and kindness.

"Daddy?"

"It...i-it's okay Charlie. Come here. Come to daddy."

He hugged his chain chomp tightly as he nuzzled him. Charlie was confused and listless for a brief second, but he started to lick across Koopin's cheek, tasting his hot tears. His hands were shaking.

"I found you...hhhhoh stars I...I found you. Hhhhohh I'm so glad you're safe."

"I beat the monshter daddy. I shaved you. I will alwaysh protect you daddy."

"My brave sweet little Charlie...I am so sorry. I will never leave you. Never, I promise."

---

"And that," said Koopin almost breathless, "is the end of my story...finally. James came back around two months after that, and well...everything's finally back to normal."

"God damn," murmured Roy, "that wuz...god DAMN that wuz sumthin'."

"You liked it?"

"H-how can ah not, man you went through a lotta crazy stuff both you an' Charlie! Ah gotta say, ah always liked you, but now ah respect you, at least a hell of a lot more than ah ever thought to."

"Well...we did our best."

"So uh. whut happened to Goombenedetta?"

"We got her a job back at the TGA. She works in finance I think, different department from me but we still say hi from time to time. Currently she's handling our Port Prisma accounts, keeping well away from anything to do with Rogueport, which we understand. She's got a house, and she's happy."

"And uh...about D-Mob?"

"Oh he's in prison. Think I already told you."

"Ah don't remember...but okay. You alrigh' FG?"

"Hmm?"

James had been sitting patiently on the bed beside them, not saying anything whilst lost in thought.

"You been really quiet. Everythin' alright?"

"Yeah it's just I'm...I'm tired, a lot, I might just turn in early."

"Heh, alrighty, ah guess it wuz pretty exhaustin' hearin' all this again."

"Yeah, but hey, least you now know the whole story."

"Do ah ever. Thanks a lot Koopin."

"No problem Roy," said the koopa. "Thanks again for looking after James and Charlie whilst during all this."

"S'alrigh' don' worry about it. Ah better head back, don' wanna worry thuh missus."

"You should come by again, we could go on a double date like before!"

"Ahll ask her, she loves you guys. Later FG!"

"G'night!"

"See you later Charlie."

"Waaaah noesh uncah Roy ish leaving!"

"Ahll be back tomorrow, don' worry ah always got tahm fer you."

"Yesh, Charlie wantsh to play tomorrow!"

"You...you know uhh..."

The raptor bent down towards the chain chomp at the sofa, whilst James and Koopin talked amongst themselves.

"You never told me that part about uh, you an' Koopin fightin' to save Kaelan."

"Oh! Oh noesh, I forgotsh, shilly Charlie waaaah."

"Hmhmhahaha, alrigh' ah guess that's understandable. Night dude."

"Goodnightsh. Awwsh."

As Roy left the Kennidon household to traipse back to his own home, James slept as best as he could with plans for tomorrow. Koopin would not protest, and so the raptor walked up towards a hill that overlooked Toad Town the very morning after. He had work in at least an hour, plenty of time for him as he stood with a flower bouquet in hand courtesy of Rose Town Florists. A small tombstone that reached up to his knee could be seen next to a tree, as he knelt down to place his flowers upon it.

"OH, heyyy youuuuu!"

James looked up towards his right to see a familiar-looking goomba, her bell bracelet of silver still jingling against her leg with her own bouquet at her feet.

"Heeeey what's up?"

"Not seen you in aaaaages, where you been?!"

"I uh...had the Booboos."

She gasped with surprise.

"Ohhhh noooo are you alright?!"

"Yeaaaah I just recovered yesterday. Was out a whole month, that's why you haven't seen me last time."

"I was rather worried, I should have asked your husband but it just totally slipped my mind I'm sorry."

"It's fine. I just got here so...shall we?"

"Yes."

Goombenedetta picked up her flowers with her teeth, gently placing them next to James' as they both stood in silence. A long full two minutes in rememberance of him beneath the shadow of the tree, on a perfect blue-skied morning over the Mushroom Kingdom.

"Are you alright?" he asked her two minutes later.

"Yeah, sure am! They just put me in charge of the Port Prisma accounts."

"Oh yeah Koopin told me, that's awesome. I'm surprised you didn't go back to being a tour guide proper."

"Wellll I still get out in the field sometimes sure, but not always. Kinda like the desk job, it feels...normal."

"Yeah I hear ya. Sometimes boring and mundane is like a break for us."

"Hahaha, yeaaaah totally. Can I ask you something?"

"Hmm?"

"I know we've done this for a few years but I just keep...forgetting what you told me but...how did you know Kaelan?"

He had long since practiced his answer every time she asked him. He wondered if she had truly forgotten or she wanted to see if his story would change.

"I only met him once. When I was at my lowest point and struggling with a lot of things he......he said some things to me."

"Like what?"

"Stuff to keep me going, just...yanno, listening, hearing all my problems and showing me that it could be worse. He made an impression on me and I'll never forget him in my life. Never."

"I'm really thankful that you came. Koopin I understand doing it but you barely knew him."

"Well...I feel I owe him something. It's only right."

"Mmm. Well, I gotta go, work starts in like twenty minutes, I'll see you around?"

"Sure. Take care, say hi to Koopin for me if he's in."

"I will!"

She walked back down the hill towards Toad Town. James sighed with a slightly troubled heart watching her leave.

"I'm glad she doesn't know. I don't think you'd want her to know too, right?"

The raptor turned back towards the grave.

"It's awkward for me too. It SHOULD be awkward, that's the whole point right? I know I can never make up for this, what I did. No matter what excuse there might be, I was wrong to do what I did from the start. I've done a lot of terrible things in the past, but what I did to you...was the worst thing I ever did. I'll never be able to repay that, no matter how long I live and I don't know what you feel about all this, whether you've moved on or not but......I hope you knowing I'll never be free from my guilt, that I'll never escape, is my punishment for this. Hhhhhhh..."

He tried to hold back his tears, clasping a hand over his face to steady himself. With eternal remorse he gently patted the tombstone.

"Goodbye Kaelan. I'll see you next month alright? Stars be with you."

James Kennidon walked back with a steady pace, his heart heavy but content as a soft breeze wreathed itself around the tree fluttering the flowers upon the grave. Gently they moved to reveal the name of the once-forgotten koopa, now immortalised in stone.