episode14

Episode 14: Bowser's Revenge

�Grr, where the heck is this thing?� queried Grodus angrily. �I wish there was a way to just pinpoint it and find it.�

�Here, I�ve developed a tracker to seek rare, powerful, or otherwise valuable objects,� said Lord Crump. �This may help.�

He switched it on and all eight arrows (N, S, E, W, NW, NE, SW, SE) began to light up alternately and then simultaneously. Finally, the device began to short-circuit and exploded in Lord Crump�s hands.

�A lot of good that did us,� remarked Lord Crump.

�You fool,� shouted Grodus. �EVERYTHING in this freakin� vault is valuable. That�s why your stupid machine didn�t work.�

�Hey dude,� said Grodus. �I made a mistake, but don�t mock the machinery, man. It�s not the gadget�s fault.�

�That�s right, it�s yours,� stated Grodus.

�Pretty much,� Crump casually replied, smiling.

�Grr,� fumed Grodus. �This is a joke to you, isn�t it?�

�No sir not all,� replied Lord Crump. �I take my work seriously.�

�Forget it,� said Grodus. �Let�s just find the hand and escape undetected.�

�Excellent plan sir,� remarked Lord Crump. �I�ll start with the bottom, you the top. We�ll work our way to the middle and by then the hand should be in our possession.�

�Yup,� replied Grodus. �Let�s get to it.�

The two began to search through files. Lord Crump went to the bottom floor and started looking through the vast assortment of rare and powerful items gathered in the bank. Toaster schematic, thought Lord Crump to himself. What the....?! Surely any simpleton can construct a simple toaster. Death egg, ray guns and nuclear weapons? That�s more like it!

Grodus was not having any better luck as he flipped through a wide range of items, some of them priceless, some of them made you wonder who would pay ANY price for them.

�Where could it be?� queried Grodus to no one. All of a sudden, he began to glow with a mysterious golden light that revealed his ability to feel the Hand of Glory. Not only did he glow, but his pulse went up with desire for the item. �I sense it within the vicinity!�

�.

Mario and company descended into the vaults of Mushroom Bank seeking the Hand of Glory. Bowser and Ganondorf lurked in the darkness a few yards behind the rest of the group.

�Will you two hurry up already?� asked Zelda annoyed.

�Yeah, I don�t want it to take us fifty years to find the Hand of Glory,� remarked Yoshi.

�You two go ahead,� said Ganon. �We�ll check back here.�

�Good thinking,� remarked Samus. �Seeing as you�re already there.�

The heroes, minus Bowser and Ganondorf, went even deeper into the chambers of the bank. Meanwhile, Bowser noticed something on the wall.

�Index?� he asked. �Isn�t that what you use to find where things are?�

�Very intelligent of you Bowser,� teased Ganon. �Wait�, index?! You mean they�re telling us where the hand is?�

�Apparently so,� commented Bowser. �The group must�ve missed it. Let�s keep our mouths shut so they won�t hear us talking about it.�

�Easier said than done for some of us,� remarked Ganon.

�Shut up,� said Bowser. �I don�t talk loud.�

�Whatever man,� replied Ganondorf. �Let�s see: Hand of Glory, Hand of Glory, Hand of Glory. That would be in the �H� section. Excellent here it is, Basement 4 Item #34567.�

�Great, let�s go get it,� said Bowser.

Mario thought something was up, so he turned around and talked to Bowser and Ganon while the rest of the group pressed on.

�Oh shoot, Mario�s coming,� stated Ganon.

�Attack?� asked Bowser.

�No man we need to play it cool, make it like we�re still on their side until we get the hand, understand?� replied Ganondorf.

�Guys-a?� asked Mario. �I thought I-a heard you say-a you found something.�

�Nope, we were just messin� around, having ourselves a little conversation, that�s all,� answered Ganon.

�Ok-a,� replied Mario suspiciously. �Never mind-a. Good luck on-a finding the hand-a.�

�You too buddy,� said Bowser in a tone way too fake to be convincing. Ganondorf punched him hard in the ribs. Mario just eyed them suspiciously before shrugging and heading off in the opposite direction. Once he was out of earshot, Bowser pulled out his cell phone and spoke with Kammy Koopa. �Mobilize now,� he said. �No one suspects a thing.�

�Excellent,� replied the old hag that was Kammy Koopa, Bowser�s most trusted assistant.
�I�ll be there too. I hope you can pull this off. Wait a second. What about Grodus? How will we hold him off?�

�Grodus and that incompetent fool, Lord Crump, couldn�t find their way out of a paper bag,� remarked Bowser. �We need not worry about them beating us to the hand. And if they do, we�ve got back-up. It�s a win-win situation for us. Gwahahahaha!!!!�

�Bye Bowser. I�ll be over with the troops in five,� said Kammy Koopa.

�Hurry it up,� commanded Bowser. �My soap�s on at eleven and I don�t want to miss it. Goes excellent with a dose of evil, wouldn�t you say Kammy?�

�I couldn�t agree more King Bowser,� she replied. �Couldn�t agree more.�

�.

�Oh no, it�s Mario!� shouted Lord Crump. �Get the big guns now!�

�No!� shouted Grodus. �You fool, you�ll blow up the entire vault with your crazed weapons.�

�You will-a never succeed-a, Grodus,� remarked Mario. �Good-a will prevail over evil in the end-a!�

�Don�t be so cocky,� replied Lord Crump, pressing a few buttons on a remote control. �Magnus von Grapple, attack!�

�No! What did I @#$% tell you?� asked Grodus. �No huge weapons in here!�

�Oh come on,� pleaded Crump. �It�s the only way we can win. We need it.�

�No,� Grodus repeated. �You�ll blow this place to pieces.�

�Chill man, we can find the hand in the rubble after we demolish these wimps,� pointed out Lord Crump.

�Good point,� remarked Grodus. �Kill them!�

�We must fight-a,� said Luigi, stating the obvious, as several X-Nauts parachuted around the group.

�No kidding,� commented Link. �They won�t take us without a fight!�

�I beg to differ,� said Grodus, a smirk spread wide across his face. He was holding a bomb that, when detonated, released deadly blue nerve gas that knocked everyone unconscious it came in contact with. Link also noticed that Grodus, Crump and the X-Nauts were wearing gas masks over their faces. �Muahahaha!!! You all shall soon perish.�

�Not likely,� remarked Yoshi, tossing an egg at Grodus�s hand, causing him to drop the bomb, which shattered harmlessly on the floor into millions of pieces but not detonating.

�Grr,� growled Grodus. �We have the worst luck.�

�Oh well,� said Crump. �Magnus attack!� He pressed a button to send it into action but it had not been properly repaired since Tallon IV and was not functioning properly. A few sparks rose from the hulking machine and then it merely collapsed. �Oh shoot! Annihilate them X-Nauts!�

The X-Nauts that had just landed in the room began to open fire on the group with multiple lasers, each a different color that matched the uniform of the X-Naut firing it. Mario faced off with a pair of red X-Nauts, tossing fireballs at them as he dodged their laser blasts. Luigi faced a group of blue X-Nauts and used a similar strategy to crush his enemies. Yoshi dueled with a light green X-Naut army, Link a dark green group. Zelda squared off against pink ones and Samus orange, all six heroes quickly demolishing their weak enemies.

�Where�s Bowser and Ganondorf?� queried Zelda. �Shouldn�t they be helping us?�

�Whatever,� remarked Link. �We can take �em.�

�Probably taking hours to walk through this place,� added Yoshi. �I wonder what they�re up to.�

�Who knows,� said Samus. �They�ve been acting really strange lately.�

�It�s-a probably nothing-a,� said Mario. �Bowser�s always been�weird-a, and Ganon is his friend-a.�

�You�re right Mario,� said Zelda. �It�s just my imagination.�

�You may have defeated the X-Nauts, but you still must deal with me. Hoo-wah!� remarked Lord Crump, drawing a sword. �Victory is impossible.�

�For you it is,� commented Zelda. �Link, teach this creep a thing or two about how to use a sword.�

�With pleasure,� said Link, diving at Lord Crump. Crump blocked the assault and backed up a few steps. Link continued to slash at Crump, but he dodged every single swipe, making Link look like a novice. �You fight well,� complimented Link.

�Not bad yourself, grasshopper,� replied Lord Crump. �You will never be a master as good as I. Hotcha!� He took a few for swipes at Link, all of which he dodged or countered.

�In your dreams,� said Link, attacking Crump in a fury of swings that backed him into a corner. Grodus, seeing that Crump needed help, extended his foot, causing Link to fall over. Crump lunged at him and aimed his sword at Link�s chest, but the blow never connected because one of Yoshi�s eggs nailed Crump in the head, sending him flying across the room.

�Hey, that�s cheating,� he complained.

�Grodus freakin� tripped me!� yelled Link.

�Sorry,� Crump replied. He turned to face Grodus. �I wanted to take him down fair and square. I didn�t ask for your help.�

�What does it matter as long as we emerge victorious?� asked Grodus.

�Forget it,� said Crump. �Let�s just wipe the floor with these fools.�

�It is I that will be doing the wiping, Lord Chump,� boomed a loud deep voice accompanied by some bizarre evil theme music.

�What the�,� said Crump. �Bowser?�

�The one and only,� the Koopa King replied. Several Koopatrols, Hammer Bros., and Magikoopas, followed by Bowser, Ganon and Kammy Koopa, stormed into the room. �How�s that for making an entrance?� he asked gloatingly.

�Bowser, you�re finally here!� exclaimed Yoshi.

�I knew-a you�d come through-a,� said Mario happily.

�Oh, it�s not what you think,� said Bowser in a tone resembling a laugh.

�Pardon-a?� queried Luigi.

Three or four of Bowser�s minions gathered around each of the heroes, as well as Grodus and Lord Crump, and grabbed their hands, tying and/or handcuffing them together.

�I hate to break it to you,� began Kammy Koopa. �Actually, I don�t but whatever. We�re not on your side anymore,� she cackled joyously.

�We can see that,� remarked Link.

�This plan was genius,� laughed Bowser. �You fools couldn�t have seen that plan coming from a mile away and now we�ve got you right where we want you. Gwahahahaha!!! You are truly helpless at the hands of my army. As for the Hand of Glory, it will also be in my possession shortly and then I will assume the role of the all-powerful dictator of the world. Gwahahahaha!!!�

�Quit laughing,� snapped Yoshi. �You haven�t won anything yet.� He struggled to break free from his captors but none of his limbs would budge. The rest of the group tried without success as well. �Ok, I guess you have,� said Yoshi surrendering.

�I knew you�d see it my way,� said Bowser. �There�s nothing you can do.�

�You planned this from the start!� shouted Link.

�Wow, you really catch on fast,� taunted Bowser, his voice increasing in volume to match the excitement he was feeling at this moment. �You see, ever since I first robbed this bank, that was my plan. To seize the Hand of Glory. But to do it, I needed help. That�s where you guys come in,� he said, motioning to Grodus and the heroes. �Grodus played the role of dominant evil force and I sought an alliance with you guys to stop him. With a powerful alliance up my sleeve, I was invincible.

�There�s one thing I left out, however, and that is how in fact I got Grodus to launch one of his evil schemes. I spoke to Lord Crump one day in a pub, my identity of course disguised. I told him about a powerful substance called phazon and the capacity for destruction that it possesses. By triumphing over evil and helping you guys defeat Grodus, I gained your trust.

�As for getting Grodus to come here, I sent a Paragoomba messenger to one of his X-Nauts about the Hand of Glory, hoping that he would tell Grodus. Sure enough, he did, and the next phase of my plan was in place. Once we were in Mushroom Bank, Ganon and I trailed behind the rest of the group, called for back-up, and ambushed you guys right here. Pretty awesome, right?�

�Shut up,� snapped Kammy Koopa who was growing impatient. �Stop bragging about your plan before they figure out a way to beat us.�

�For real, man, let�s get the hand first,� added Ganon.

�Why not?� asked Bowser. �There�s no time like the present to get moving. You said it was here, Ganondorf?� he queried, pointing to a rusty old filing cabinet against the wall.

�Yup,� said Ganon.

Bowser opened the cabinet and pulled out a drawer to find nothing but an object that looked like an old Dueling Glove.

�THAT�S it?!� asked Yoshi incredulously. �But it looks so�unimpressive.�

�Looks can be deceiving, my dinosaur foe,� remarked Kammy Koopa. �And now, to activate the hand.�

Bowser picked up the Hand of Glory and placed it on his right hand. It fit perfectly like a glove that could change size to suit its user on his claw. Thunder rumbled, the sky turned menacingly dark, the Earth quaked and volcanoes erupted at that moment. �Excellent!� exclaimed Bowser. He raised his hand into the air and it began to glow. Bowser shot a rock slide at Grodus, knocking him out. He manipulated the rocks in the basement to cave in, separating the heroes from each other, leaving some of them stranded in their own sections of rock, while others remained with Bowser. �I can do that? Cool! But that�s not all. Soon, the Earth will quake in fear at my feet and acknowledge me as its new ruler! Gwahahaha!!! And there�s nothing you can do about it.�

�He�s right man, we�re finished,� said Link, accepting his defeat.

�I hate to say it, but Link�s right,� remarked Zelda. �Unless we can defeat Bowser and remove that glove from his hand, we�re doomed.�

�It�s over fools! You fought well, but not well enough to defeat Bowser, King of Darkness. Gwahahaha!!! Gotta love that laugh though.�

He knocked a few more rocks down, breathed some fire and continued laughing. The room darkened and the future looked bleak.

To be continued��..

Last time..................
Everyone except for Peach successfully escaped the exploding Moon Base that Grodus detonated. Now, with everyone heading to capture the mysterious Hand of Glory, things will begin to get hectic. The ties between friends will be tested and a traitor may very well be within their midst, just waiting to reveal themself when the time is right.